Huntun Tang (Chinese Wonton Soup)

About This Recipe

Huntun tang, or wonton soup, is a beloved Chinese comfort dish -- delicate wonton dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork and shrimp, simmered gently in a clear, savory broth until they float and the wrappers turn translucent and silky. It's found across regional Chinese cuisines with variations in filling and wrapper thickness, but the fundamental appeal remains the same: a light, warming soup built around perfectly cooked, tender dumplings. The technique that matters most is the filling and the wrapping: pork and shrimp are seasoned with ginger, scallion, and a touch of sesame oil, mixed until slightly sticky, and wrapped in thin wonton skins folded into a specific shape (often a simple triangle-and-twist or a more elaborate 'goldfish' fold) that keeps the filling secure while cooking. Simmering the wontons gently rather than boiling hard prevents the delicate wrappers from tearing, and building a flavorful broth beforehand -- simmered with ginger and scallion -- ensures the soup itself carries real depth beyond just the dumplings. Served hot in bowls with a scatter of scallion and a drizzle of sesame oil, huntun tang is light yet deeply satisfying, a dish found on nearly every Chinese restaurant menu and made at home for a comforting, from-scratch meal.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 200 gground pork
• 100 gshrimp(peeled and finely chopped)
• 1 tbspgrated ginger
• 2 stalksscallions(minced, plus extra for garnish)
• 1 tbspsoy sauce
• 1 tspsesame oil
• 1 tspshaoxing wine
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 0.25 tspwhite pepper
• 30wonton wrappers
• 6 cupschicken stock
• 2 slicesfresh ginger(for broth)
• 1 tbspsoy sauce(for broth)
• 1 tspsesame oil(for serving)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Combine ground pork, chopped shrimp, ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, shaoxing wine, salt, and white pepper. Mix well until slightly sticky.

2. 2

   Fill the wontons

   Place a small spoonful of filling in the center of each wrapper. Wet the edges with water, fold into a triangle, and pinch the two bottom corners together to seal.

3. 3

   Build the broth

   Bring chicken stock to a simmer with ginger slices and soy sauce.

4. 4

   Cook the wontons

   Bring a separate pot of water to a gentle boil. Add wontons and cook 4-5 minutes until they float and the filling is cooked through.

5. 5

   Combine

   Remove ginger slices from the broth. Divide cooked wontons among bowls and ladle the hot broth over.

6. 6

   Serve

   Garnish with scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Add bok choy or spinach to the broth for extra vegetables and color.

• •

  Use all pork or all shrimp filling if you prefer a single-protein version.

• •

  Add a few drops of chili oil for a spicier version, common in some regional variations.

Storage

Store uncooked wontons in the freezer for up to 2 months; cook directly from frozen, adding 1-2 extra minutes. Refrigerate cooked wontons and broth separately up to 2 days.

Frequently Asked Questions