Wonton Soup

About This Recipe

Wonton soup is a cornerstone of Cantonese cuisine and one of the most recognised Chinese dishes in the world. In Hong Kong, wonton noodle soup shops — the city's most beloved lunch counters — simmer their prawn and pork wontons in an intensely flavoured shrimp roe and dried fish broth that has been reduced for hours. The wontons themselves are works of art: impossibly thin wrappers enclosing a juicy, bouncy filling that snaps when bitten. The character for wonton (餛飩) means 'swallowing clouds' — a poetic description of the silk-thin dumplings floating in a clear, golden broth. The quality of the filling is what distinguishes great wontons from mediocre ones: a combination of pork and prawn gives both fat and texture; a pinch of salt and vigorous mixing develops the protein in the pork to a springy, almost sausage-like consistency; sesame oil and white pepper add classic Cantonese seasoning. At home, fresh wonton wrappers (available at any Asian supermarket, found in the chilled section) make this recipe genuinely quick. The broth can be as simple as a good-quality chicken stock seasoned with soy sauce and sesame oil, elevated with ginger and the wonton cooking water, which turns slightly milky from the starch in the wrappers and adds body to the soup.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 30 sheetswonton wrappers(fresh or refrigerated (8 cm / 3 inch squares))
• 200 gminced pork
• 150 graw prawns(peeled and finely chopped)
• 2 tspsoy sauce
• 1 tspsesame oil
• 1 tspShaoxing rice wine(or dry sherry)
• 1 tspfresh ginger(grated)
• ½ tspwhite pepper
• ½ tspsalt
• 1 tspcornstarch
• 1 largeegg white
• 1 litregood chicken stock
• 2 cmfresh ginger(sliced, for the broth)
• 2 tbspsoy sauce(for the broth)
• 1 tbspsesame oil(for the broth)
• 4 stalksspring onions(thinly sliced)
• 1 tspwhite pepper(for the broth)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Combine pork, prawns, soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, ginger, white pepper, salt, cornstarch and egg white in a bowl. Mix vigorously with chopsticks or a fork in one direction for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes slightly sticky and paste-like.

   Mixing in one direction aligns the protein strands, creating the characteristic springy, bouncy wonton texture.

2. 2

   Fold the wontons

   Place a wonton wrapper on your palm. Add 1 teaspoon filling in the centre. Moisten the edges with water. Fold into a triangle, pressing out air and sealing firmly. Bring the two bottom corners together and press to seal. Place on a floured tray.

   Work efficiently — the wrappers dry out quickly. Keep unused wrappers covered with a damp cloth.

3. 3

   Prepare the broth

   Bring chicken stock to a simmer with ginger slices, soy sauce and white pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove ginger. Add sesame oil.

4. 4

   Cook the wontons

   Bring a separate large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add wontons in batches and cook for 4–5 minutes until they float and the wrappers are translucent. Remove with a slotted spoon.

5. 5

   Serve

   Divide wontons among bowls (6–8 per serving). Ladle hot broth over the top. Garnish generously with sliced spring onion. Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over each bowl.

Variations

• •

  Wonton noodle soup: add 80g cooked thin egg noodles per bowl before adding wontons and broth.

• •

  Chilli oil wontons: skip the soup, dress cooked wontons with chilli oil, black vinegar, soy sauce and spring onion for Sichuan-style wontons.

• •

  Vegetarian wontons: substitute pork and prawn with finely chopped firm tofu, napa cabbage and shiitake mushrooms.

Storage

Uncooked wontons can be frozen on a tray, then transferred to a bag and stored for up to 3 months. Cook directly from frozen, adding 2 minutes to the cooking time. Cooked wontons don't store well — the wrappers become gummy. Make to order.

Frequently Asked Questions