I have not met someone who does not love wonton soup! It is comforting, nourishing, and delicious! It can be served as an appetizer or as a hearty meal if you add some vegetables to the soup.
Making wontons is much easier than most people think. There are many variations of wonton soups. This recipe introduces a Hong-Kong style with shrimp and pork, but you can certainly get creative by adjusting the meat ratio, use chopped pork instead of ground, or replace with different proteins like veal, turkey, or even lobster. Just keep a couple of things in mind:
- The wontons must be cooked in boiling water separately from the soup. This will keep your soup clear, or it will become cloudy from the wrappers.
- Do not overcook. Mushy wontons are not fun.
The best part of making your own wontons is to freeze unused wontons individually on a baking sheet for later use. When frozen, toss them in a freezer bag for easy storage and access. It comes handy when you are too tired to make dinner after a day’s hard work and for the unexpected guests when you need something to munch on.
Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup (鮮蝦餛飩 Xiān xiā húntún)
This recipe will make about 20 big and fat cute wontons with a teaspoonful of filling for each.
White pepper is used in Chinese cooking a lot more than black pepper. Although interchangeable in most Chinese recipes, white pepper is always the preferred choice unless otherwise specified. For wonton soup, white pepper is strongly recommended, as the taste is distinctly different from the black pepper and will keep the soup clear. If you are serious about authentic Chinese cooking, white pepper is a worthy investment.
  Ground White Pepper |
  Whole White Peppercorns |
Ingredients
- shrimp - 6 oz (170 g), peeled, deveined, chopped
- ground pork - 4 oz (110 g)
- wonton wrapper - 20 or more (buy at Asian grocery store. 1 package contains about 70 wrappers)
- Filling
- salt - 1/2 teaspoon
- brown sugar - light, 1 1/2 teaspoon
- cornstarch - 1/2 tablespoon
- white pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
- sesame oil - 1 teaspoon
- ginger - 1 tablespoon, minced
- scallion - 3 tablespoons, finely chopped
- Soup
- chicken broth - 3 cups
- white pepper - 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon
- salt - to taste
- bok choy - or other vegetables, optional
- Prior to Serving
- sesame oil - few drops
- scallion - optional to garnish, finely chopped
- chili oil - few drops, optional
Instructions
Video is also provided at the top of this article to demonstrate the steps.
Making Filling
- Chop shrimp in small pieces. Place into a bowl. Add ground pork and salt. [see video above at 0:03]
- Use your hand to break down ground pork and mix with the shrimp. Lift the mixture several times and whack against the bowl to increase its elasticity. Continue until the shrimp and pork are well-blended. [0:15]
- Add light brown sugar, white pepper, sesame oil, cornstarch, ginger, and scallions to the filling. Stir to mix well. [0:29]
- Bring a tablespoon of water. Add half of the water into the filling and stir for a minute. Then add the remaining water into the filling and continue to mix until all the ingredients are well-bonded and the filling becomes sticky as a paste. [0:53]
Wrapping Wontons
- Bring a small plate of water and the wonton wrappers to the table. [1:08]
- Take a piece of wrapper and place about a teaspoon of the filling at the center of the wrapper. [1:11]
- Dab a little water and moisten the edges of the wrapper with the water. [1:16]
- Fold the wrapper from the center in half, into a rectangular. Press edges firmly to make a seal. [1:19]
- Dab a bit water on a corner at the bottom of the wrapper. [1:26]
- Hold the bottom two corners of the rectangle and bring them together. [1:28]
- Overlap the corner without water onto the one with. Press firmly together to get a firm seal. [1:31]
- Place the wonton on a plate or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking. [1:40]
- Continue steps 2 to 6 until all the filling is used. This recipe will make about 20 wontons.
Cooking Wontons
- Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. [1:49]
- When boiling, add the wontons gently one by one into the water. Cook until the wontons float to the surface of the water, around 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook your wontons, or they will become mushy. [1:53]
- Remove the wontons using a strainer or a slotted spoon into your serving bowls. [2:02]
Making Soup
- In a separate pot, pour chicken broth. Bring to a boil. [2:10]
- Optionally, add bok choy or other vegetables to the soup. [2:13]
- Add white pepper and salt to taste. [2:17]
- Ladle soup and vegetables into the serving bowls with the wontons. [2:25]
- Drizzle a few drops of sesame oil over the soup. Sprinkle chili oil if you like it spicy. Garnish with chopped scallions. [2:30]
Unused Wontons
Cover a baking sheet or plate with unused wontons using plastic wrap. Place into freezer. Once the wontons are frozen, put them in freezer bags. They will keep for a couple months in the freezer, and be ready whenever you want a bowl of warm and soothing wonton soup!
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Enjoy your delicious shrimp and pork wonton soup, just like the ones served at fine Hong Kong restaurants, but within the comfort of your home!
