Wonton Soup (餛飩湯 (húntun tāng))

Name: Wonton Soup
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: China
Ingredients: 300 g minced pork, 150 g prawns chopped; 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp grated ginger; 2 spring onions, finely chopped; 30 square wonton wrappers; 1.5 l chicken stock with 2 slices ginger; 4 baby bok choy, white pepper

Overview

Wonton soup is one of China's best-known dishes abroad, eaten as a light meal or late-night snack from Guangzhou and Hong Kong to Chinatowns around the world. The stars are wontons: thin, square wheat wrappers folded around a seasoned filling of minced pork, often with prawn, ginger, spring onion and a few drops of Shaoxing wine and sesame oil. Folded loosely so their edges trail like silk, they cook in a couple of minutes and float in a clear, savoury broth made from chicken, pork bones and sometimes dried shrimp or flounder. Cantonese wonton noodle soup adds thin egg noodles, and many bowls include greens such as bok choy or choy sum.

Pictures

History

Wontons have a long history in China, where filled dumplings in broth have been eaten for many centuries, and their names vary by region. Southern China, especially Guangdong, developed the delicate Cantonese style, with thin wrappers and prawn-rich fillings, often served with fine egg noodles. Wonton noodle shops became a fixture of Guangzhou and Hong Kong street food. Chinese emigrants then carried the dish to Chinatowns across the world, where wonton soup became one of the most recognised items on Chinese restaurant menus.

Main ingredients

Pork and prawn wontons, chicken broth, ginger, spring onion, bok choy, sesame oil. The soup is built on clear chicken or pork broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.

Recipe outline serves 4 · ~55 min

Ingredients

300 g minced pork, 150 g prawns chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp grated ginger
2 spring onions, finely chopped
30 square wonton wrappers
1.5 l chicken stock with 2 slices ginger
4 baby bok choy, white pepper

Method

Mix the pork, prawns, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and half the spring onion.
Put a teaspoon of filling in each wrapper, wet the edges, fold into a triangle and pinch the corners together.
Heat the stock with ginger and season with salt and white pepper.
Boil the wontons in plenty of water for 3-4 minutes until they float, adding bok choy for the last minute.
Transfer to bowls, ladle over hot stock and top with spring onion.

Sources

Wonton (Wikipedia)

Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.