Wonton Soup

Ingredients

Filling

• 300 gminced pork, with some fat
• 150 graw prawns, roughly chopped
• 2spring onions, very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoonlight soy sauce
• 1 teaspoonShaoxing wine
• 1 teaspoonsesame oil
• 1 teaspooncornflour
• 1/2 teaspoonsugar
• 1/2 teaspoonwhite pepper
• 1 tablespooncold water

Wrappers

• about 40 thin wonton wrappers
• a small bowl of water, for sealing

Broth

• 1.5 litresgood chicken stock
• 3cm ginger, sliced
• 2spring onions, whole
• 1 teaspoonlight soy sauce
• salt and white pepper

To serve

• a handful of leafy greens
• sliced spring onion
• a few drops of sesame oil
• chilli oil, optional

Directions

1. Peel and devein all of the prawns. Chop them roughly rather than mincing them. Pat them dry with kitchen paper. Put the minced pork in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, wine, sugar and pepper. Add the cornflour and the cold water.
2. Keep stirring for a full three minutes. It should cling to the spoon in a mass. Add the sesame oil last of all. Chill the filling for twenty minutes. Cold filling is far easier to wrap.
3. Poach a small piece of filling in water. Taste it and adjust the salt and pepper. Raw pork should never be tasted. Keep the wrappers under a damp cloth. They dry out and crack within minutes. Lay one wrapper flat on your palm.
4. Put a teaspoon of filling in the centre. Do not overfill, which is the commonest mistake. Dip a finger in water and wet the edges. Fold it in half into a triangle. Press out the air as you seal it.
5. Set each one on a floured tray. Do not let them touch each other. Put the stock in a pot with the ginger. Add the whole spring onions to it. Bring the broth up to a bare simmer. Never let it boil hard, which clouds it. Simmer it gently for fifteen minutes. Strain out the ginger and spring onion.
6. Season it with soy sauce, salt and white pepper. It should taste clean and lightly savoury. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Never cook them in the broth itself. Drop the wontons in one by one. Cook about ten of them at a time.
7. Stir once so they do not stick to the base. Once they float, give them one more minute. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Blanching the greens takes a moment. Drop the leafy greens into the same water. Lift them out and drain them well. Put the cooked wontons in warm bowls. Add the blanched greens beside them. Ladle the hot broth over everything.
8. Scatter sliced spring onion over the top. Add a few drops of sesame oil. Serving it is done immediately. Put chilli oil on the table for those who want it. Freeze them on a tray, then bag them. Cook them from frozen, adding two minutes.

Technique

• Cantonese wonton noodle soup adds thin egg noodles to the same bowl and is a separate well-known dish.
• In Hong Kong the noodles are traditionally placed under the wontons so they do not soften in the broth.

Substitutions

• Prawns can be left out for a pork-only filling.
• Chicken mince works in place of pork, though it is drier and needs more fat added.

Variations

• Wonton noodle soup adds egg noodles to the bowl.
• Fried wontons use the same filling and are deep fried.
• Sichuan hong you chao shou serves them in chilli oil rather than broth.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wonton Soup?

Wonton Soup is a soup & stew from China: silky pork-and-shrimp dumplings served in delicate light broth.

How long does Wonton Soup take to make?

Wonton Soup takes 45 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Wonton Soup?

Yes, within limits. Prawns can be left out for a pork-only filling. Chicken mince works in place of pork, though it is drier and needs more fat added.

What is the most important thing to get right in Wonton Soup?

Peel and devein all of the prawns. Chop them roughly rather than mincing them. Pat them dry with kitchen paper. Put the minced pork in a bowl. Add the soy sauce, wine, sugar and pepper. Add the cornflour and the cold water.