Wonton soup has long been one of my favorite foods.
It was one of the few foods I ate as a young child, and I have many wonderful recollections of wrapping wonton for dinner while squatting on a chair at our round laminate kitchen table. I would always make the wonton as small as possible.
I enjoyed the wonton wrappers more than the wonton filling, and my wontons consisted of 10% meat and 90% wrapper. I enjoyed producing those malformed, wonky wontons despite the fact that they did not resemble the wontons we ordered by the bowlful on the weekends from our neighborhood wonton congee noodle restaurant.
What is wonton?
Wonton is meat-filled Chinese dumplings that are often served in a delicious clear broth or with sauce. Contrary to the majority of Chinese dumplings, wonton wrappers are square or trapezoidal in shape. The packaging is slick, thin, and flexible. Typical wonton fillings include ground pork, shrimp, and aromatics. They are quite popular as a snack, side dish, and main course. They are served at home, in restaurants, and as night market street food. You can simply cook them at home, and they are also available readymade and frozen in many supermarkets. Strangely, they are even available on Amazon.com. The greatest, though, is handmade, and that is what we are doing here.
How to make wonton soup
Make the broth.
Bring the ingredients for the broth to a simmer and allow to infuse.
Cook the wonton.
Bring an ample quantity of water to a boil. When the liquid is rapidly boiling, carefully add the wontons and whisk to prevent them from adhering to the bottom of the saucepan. The wontons will initially sink and then begin to float when the water returns to a boil and they are fully cooked. Take one and carefully cut it open, then remove all of the cooked wontons.
Serve.
Pour the soup into a bowl. Add the wontons, followed by the scallions. Enjoy!
How to make wonton filling
Fillings for wontons are where it’s at! Everyone and their grandmother have a secret filling recipe. The typical filler for wonton is ground pork and shrimp, but there are now MILLIONS of filling possibilities.
The easiest approach to creating wonton filling is to combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. Here are some tips:
Protein.
Because wontons are meat-based dumplings, it is important to utilize a protein that contains fat so that the filling remains juicy and fluffy after cooking. Because of this, pork is extremely popular. The fat-to-protein ratio of ground pork is ideal. Adding shrimp to a dish is a smart option since they create textural contrast. Although, you can use any ground meat (or even tofu) you like; however, your wontons will likely be a bit denser if you use extra-lean pork.
Aromatics and seasoning.
I use ginger, scallions, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine (learn more about Shaoxing here) to make these wontons delicious.
Cornstarch.
Combine a little amount of cornflour and water, then incorporate it into the ground pork. The addition of cornflour and water will make the wonton’s interior extremely soft. It’s the key to succulent wonton! When you incorporate the water-cornstarch mixture, everything will form a paste, which is exactly what you want.
How to fold the wonton
The easiest method (and the one I used as a child) is to place 2 teaspoons of filling in the center of a wonton wrapper and then squash the wrapper around the filling. This is what I did for the photographs in this post, and the resulting subjects are adorable and plump. This is the traditional Hong Kong technique of wrapping. However, if you desire a bit extra flair, you might attempt the following:
- Place the wonton wrapper in a diamond formation. Place some filling in the closest corner to you.
- The wrapper is folded/rolled to enclose the contents in a triangle.
- Seal the sides by applying pressure.
- Bring the wrapper’s opposite ends together and seal with a drop of water.
Which wonton wrappers to buy
Wonton wrappers are always square; look in the refrigerator section for square packages of dumpling wrappers. Choose the package with the thinnest wrappers, as they are intended to be extremely thin. The selection of dumpling wrappers at your local Asian grocery store is superior. Some major supermarkets also carry wonton wrappers, but they are often thicker.
How to freeze wonton
I enjoy cooking a large batch of wontons and then freezing them so that we always have them on hand for when we want a simple meal. To freeze wontons, just arrange them in a single layer on a tray or baking sheet, with no overlap, and freeze until hard. Then place them in a bag or container that is suited for freezing. Cook frozen food by adding a few minutes to the cooking time.
What does wonton mean?
I’ve always enjoyed wontons, primarily due to their flavor, but also because their Chinese name means to swallow clouds. They resemble fluffy, delectable tiny clouds floating in broth:)
How many wontons per person
- A good rule of thumb is 8-10 as a snack/starter and 12-16 as a main.
- How much soup per person
- I would say 1 1/4 cups of soup per person is a good amount.
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