What’s better than a hot bowl of hearty wonton soup when it’s cold and wet outside? —— Two bowls of wonton soups! One spicy and one soothing.
If you are searching for a quick handmade wonton recipe that can be done in 30min, you are in luck! My comforting wonton soup, two ways is THE thing that’ll warm you up from the inside out.
What are Wontons?
Wontons are a type of Chinese dumplings that are usually boiled and filled with varying meats and seafoods. Even its name differs greatly around the country. In Canton, they're Wontons or 雲吞; in Sichuan they’re Chāoshǒu 抄手 or 包面 Bāo miàn; in Shanghai, they’re 馄饨…and so on.
But regardless of name, in every region, wontons are distinctively different than Jiaozi 餃子 (the crescent shaped dumpling) that most are familiar with. In that the filling is normally less and the wrapper is thinner…perfect to be slurped up in wonton soups.
The filling
Growing up in a landlocked province in China, our wontons or Chāoshǒu 抄手 are filled with pork, not seafood. As well, Sichuan wontons are super delicate pure pork filling that melts in your mouth! This is achieved by whipping the minced meat with an aromatic liquid. Incorporating liquid into the meat adds juiciness and lightens up the protein.
I’ve previously shared a chilli oil wonton 红油抄手 recipe with this pure meat filling. But in this wonton soup recipe, I added a crunch element in the form of fresh lotus root. If you don’t have such a special ingredient, water chestnuts are also great.
Wonton Wrappers
Unlike Jiaozi dumplings, wonton wrappers are much better store bought. They are square in shape and is thinner than the round dumpling wrappers. Both dumpling and wonton wrappers are made with flour, salt and water, Wonton wrappers sometimes include duck eggs or alkaline water so it's more supple and elastic. Which is why some have a yellow hue.
You can easily find these in the refrigerate or freezer section on the Asian grocer. But since Chinese dumplings have gone so main stream, you can even find them at large retailers like Walmart.
The Soup bases
So what about the soup? After all this is wonton soup.
To be honest, the soup of this soup recipe is not as important. You can of course make homemade chicken or bone broth by boiling bones for a long time OR just warm up a good tasting chicken stock and call it a day.
To enhance any store brought broth: season with salt, white pepper and sesame oil to taste and then toss in some herbs like green onions and serve! These homemade wontons are so good that the soup is simply the delivery vehicle.
As for the spicy version, no need for stock at all. With all the strong flavours, just use the wonton cooking water and the soup is made. And the results are completely addictive and satisfying.
Pro tips:
- Because these wonton fillings have liquid worked in, don't make them to sit around in advance. Cook them as you make each portion so the liquid won't make the wrappers too soggy.
- Do not over cook. Once the wontons float up to the water surface, another 2-3min will be sufficient.
- Don't be tempted to boil the wontons directly in the broth, this will ruin the texture of the wrappers and murky up the soup base.
You Will Need
Instructions
Make a fragrant aromatic water by pouring hot water over some sliced green onions, ginger and Sichuan peppercorns. Leave it to steep.
If desired, chop up minced pork until it's finer in texture. Also chop up lotus root, ginger and green onions.
Season the meat with salt, light soy sauce, white pepper, chinese 13 spice blend, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Mix in the seasonings and then slowly stream in the fragrant liquid a little bit at a time. Strain out the solids with a sieve.
Each time you add in some water, vigorously stir in one direction to completely incorporate the liquid into the meat.
When all the liquid as been incorporated into the meat, add in the chopped veggies and egg. season with a pinch of salt. Mix again and add corn starch. Then stir all the ingredients together into a harmonious filling.
Take one wrapper and fill the middle with about a teaspoon of filling. Use some the moisture from the filling as glue and dab one corner, fold the opposite corner to meet it and press together to glue the two ends tightly together.
Now dab one corner on the long side of the triangle, hold the triangle in your palm and bend your middle finger to create a crease. Then pull the 2 corners together, twist one on top of the other and press to stick the wonton into a shape that kind of resembles a fortune cookie.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling simmer and carefully drop in one wonton at a time. Give them a gently stir after you’ve dropped them in so they don’t stick to the bottom.
Once they start floating on the surface, give it another 2-3min before lifting them out of the water.
For soothing soup: add seasonings and garnishes to taste into the serving bowl and fill the bowl with broth. Put cooked wontons into the soup, mix and serve.
For spicy soup: adding chilli powder, sesame and minced garlic to a bowl. Pour hot oil all over to flash fry and season with soy sauce, black vinegar and a bit of Sichuan peppercorn powder or oil. Spoon in the wonton cooking water into the bowl and put cooked wontons into the soup, mix and serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Make a fragrant aromatic water by pouring hot water over some sliced green onions, ginger and Sichuan peppercorns. Leave it to steep.
If desired, chop up minced pork until it's finer in texture. Also chop up lotus root, ginger and green onions.
Season the meat with salt, light soy sauce, white pepper, chinese 13 spice blend, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Mix in the seasonings and then slowly stream in the fragrant liquid a little bit at a time. Strain out the solids with a sieve.
Each time you add in some water, vigorously stir in one direction to completely incorporate the liquid into the meat.
When all the liquid as been incorporated into the meat, add in the chopped veggies and egg. season with a pinch of salt. Mix again and add corn starch. Then stir all the ingredients together into a harmonious filling.
Take one wrapper and fill the middle with about a teaspoon of filling. Use some the moisture from the filling as glue and dab one corner, fold the opposite corner to meet it and press together to glue the two ends tightly together.
Now dab one corner on the long side of the triangle, hold the triangle in your palm and bend your middle finger to create a crease. Then pull the 2 corners together, twist one on top of the other and press to stick the wonton into a shape that kind of resembles a fortune cookie.
Bring a pot of water to a rolling simmer and carefully drop in one wonton at a time. Give them a gently stir after you’ve dropped them in so they don’t stick to the bottom.
Once they start floating on the surface, give it another 2-3min before lifting them out of the water.
For soothing soup: add seasonings and garnishes to taste into the serving bowl and fill the bowl with broth. Put cooked wontons into the soup, mix and serve.
For spicy soup: adding chilli powder, sesame and minced garlic to a bowl. Pour hot oil all over to flash fry and season with soy sauce, black vinegar and a bit of Sichuan peppercorn powder or oil. Spoon in the wonton cooking water into the bowl and put cooked wontons into the soup, mix and serve.