Wonton Soup is the perfect complement to any Chinese meal. Simple chicken stock gets dressed up with a few ingredients, then paired with hearty pork and shrimp wontons.
You'll find Wonton Soup on the menu in most Chinese restaurants. Simple yet absolutely delicious. Pairs perfectly with just about any Chinese meal.
You can enjoy Wonton Soup as a starter but it is hearty enough to be a quick and easy meal, especially if paired with wonton noodles and some Chinese vegetables.
The soup is super easy to put together. Use store-bought chicken stock or make your own homemade Chinese Chicken Stock, then add just 6 simple ingredients.
Making your own wontons from scratch allows you to use your favorite ingredients to personalize this dish. My personal favorite combination for wontons is pork and shrimp. If you like a little bit of a crunch, you can also add finely diced water chestnuts.
How to Make Wonton Soup
We're using a combination of ground pork and shrimp for these wontons. For the shrimp meat, simply cut the raw shrimp into small pieces. It does not have to be perfectly minced.
Prepare the wonton filling by combining ½ pound ground pork, ½ pound shrimp, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, a couple of dashes of ground white pepper, and ¼ cup of finely chopped scallions.
Mix well, then allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
Now it's time to assemble the wontons. You should be able to find wonton wrappers in the frozen or refrigerated section at most grocery stores or at your local Asian supermarket.
There are many ways in which you can fold a wonton but I like preparing them in this way as they look like little money bags! ? And, they're easy.
Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the pork and shrimp filling into the middle of a wonton wrapper.
Dip your finger in some water and use it to "draw" a circle around the filling on the wonton wrapper. This will help create a seal when you fold the wrapper.
Gather the edges of the wonton wrapper towards the middle, then pinch just above the filling to seal it.
This recipe will make around 20 - 25 wontons.
Bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil over high heat.
Cook the wontons in small batches.
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You'll know when they're cooked when they float to the top.
Remove the cooked wontons from the water using a spider skimmer.
To prevent the wontons from sticking to each other as you plate them, drizzle a bit of sesame oil over them.
In a separate pot, bring 6 cups of chicken stock (store-bought or homemade) to a boil over high heat.
Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, a dash of ground white pepper, ½ cup chopped scallions, and 2 teaspoons sugar to the chicken stock.
Transfer the soup into individual serving bowls. Place 3 - 4 wontons into each bowl.
Garnish with more fresh chopped scallions.
Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Although it may be tempting to skip the step of boiling a separate pot of water to cook the wontons, it's important to cook the wontons separately from the soup. Each wonton wrapper is coated with cornstarch to prevent them from sticking to each other.
Even though it is a small amount, the cornstarch will transfer into the soup and affect its appearance and taste. It will also cause the soup to get a little cloudy and murky.
Leftover wonton soup will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It can also be kept in the freezer for up to 6 months. Keep any leftover wontons separate from the soup. If kept in the soup, the texture of the wonton skins will get too soft and mushy.
You can reheat wonton soup by bringing it to a boil on your stovetop, or microwave for 2 - 3 minutes. Even though the wontons have to be cooked separately from the wonton soup, you can re-heat the soup and wontons at the same time in the same pot or bowl.
Made too many wontons? Go ahead and cook them all, then keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months in an air-tight container or Ziploc bag.
If there are more than a couple of batches of leftover wontons, consider storing them in small batches in separate small Ziploc bags. They will inevitably stick together so by storing them in small batches separately, you can reheat just the amount that you need and not the whole lot.
Reheat by bringing them to a boil in wonton soup.
Wonton Soup
Ingredients
For the wontons
- ½ pound ground pork
- ½ pound shrimp peeled and cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 dashes ground white pepper
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- 25 wonton wrappers
For the Soup
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- Dash ground white pepper
- ½ cup chopped scallions + ¼ cup for garnish
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the wonton filling by combining ground pork, shrimp, sesame oil, cornstarch, salt, ground white pepper, and finely chopped scallions. Mix well, then allow to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the pork and shrimp filling into the middle of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in some water and use it to “draw” a circle around the filling on the wonton wrapper. This will help the wrapper to seal. Gather the edges of the wonton wrapper towards the middle, then pinch just above the filling to seal it. Repeat until all of the filling is used up.
- Bring a medium-sized pot of water to boil over high heat. Cook the wontons in small batches. You’ll know when they’re cooked when they float to the top. Remove the cooked wontons from the water using a spider skimmer.
- In a separate pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil over high heat.
- Add soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, ground white pepper, ½ cup chopped scallions and sugar.
- Transfer the soup into individual serving bowls. Place 3 - 4 wontons into each bowl.
- Garnish with the remaining fresh chopped scallions.
Notes
Nutrition
Jumped straight here to the recipe? Please consider coming back to read the whole post when you have the time as I have included step-by-step instructions with photos.
Caroline says
Hi, Char: it’s always a pleasure to get another of your delicious recipes. For people who are allergic to shellfish, can you suggest alternatives to the shrimp? Thank you.
Char says
Hi Caroline! Thanks as always! 🙂 You can replace the shrimp with ground pork so it's all pork in your wontons, or you could try a combination of ground pork with ground chicken. Hope that helps!
Dianna says
Thanks for the recipe and the detailed explanation and pictures on preparing and cooking the wontons. I wondered how you would get the dumpling to stick and not open up during cooking if you prepared them as "money bags"! I don't know that I've seen anyone else detail this preparation as well as you have done! Am planning on making this later today using your instructions!
Char says
Hi Dianna; Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂