Authentic Wonton Soup Made Simple

I just added Rasa Malaysia to my blogroll. The site does a fine job of writing authentic Asian recipes and food photography. If you'd like to expand your cooking repertoire to include Asian favorites it will be a big help.

I went to Rasa Malaysia recently to compare their Wonton Soup recipe to mine. By mine, I mean the recipe I adapted from Corinne Trang's Essentials of Asian Cuisine. Trang's wonton soup is light and simple and very familiar. Rasa's recipe adds fish sauce to the broth which I didn't think I'd enjoy, so I'm sticking with Trang. But do check out Rasa Malaysia, even only for the photography. It's mouthwatering.

Making Wonton Soup yesterday I was reminded how beholden I am to Imagine chicken broth. Their product is so delicate (it does require some simmering to embolden the flavor) and pure - like a great canvas. I always have several boxes on hand in my pantry.

Wonton Soup
Print recipe only here

Serves six

INGREDIENTS

* 64 ounces chicken broth (I use Imagine Organic chicken broth)
* 2 t sesame oil, divided
* 2 t soy sauce
* ½ t corn starch
* 4 ounces shrimp, finely chopped
* 2 ounces lean ground pork
* 24 wonton wrappers
* 2 green onions
* Freshly ground white or black pepper

METHOD
Bring stock and 1 t sesame oil to a gentle boil and simmer 20 minutes.

Combine shrimp, pork, 1 t sesame oil, cornstarch and soy sauce in a mixing bowl. Add a few turns of fresh ground pepper and mix well.

FORM WONTONS

Have ready a small bowl of warm water to moisten wrappers.

Place a wrapper on your work surface and fill with 1 scant teaspoon of the shrimp/pork mixture.

Moisten fingers with warm water and paint the edge of the wrapper.

Fold the wrapper into a triangle, pressing out all the air.

Moisten the two side tips of the triangle and bring them together around the filled center of the wonton.

Place the finished wonton on a plate or tray and cover with a damp cloth. Fill all the wontons.

At this point you can freeze any wontons you won't be serving. Transfer them to a baking sheet, leaving space between them, and freeze overnite. The following day, transfer to a ziploc bag for longer storage.

SOUP

When ready to serve, turn up the heat on soup to a more substantial boil and drop in 3-4 wontons per person. Add a few turns of freshly ground pepper.

Boil until the wontons float - about 3-4 minutes, and then serve.

Garnish with sliced green onions.