📝 About This Recipe
Transport your senses to the bustling tea houses of Canton with this soul-warming classic. Each delicate, hand-folded wonton features a succulent blend of ground pork and snappy shrimp, seasoned with toasted sesame and ginger. Floating in a crystal-clear, aromatic chicken broth infused with scallions and white pepper, this soup is the ultimate comfort food—a perfect balance of lightness and savory depth.
🥗 Ingredients
The Wonton Filling
- 1/2 lb Ground Pork (at least 20% fat for juiciness)
- 1/2 lb Shrimp (peeled, deveined, and roughly chopped)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger (freshly grated)
- 1 clove Garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing Wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch (to bind the filling)
- 1/4 teaspoon White Pepper (ground)
The Assembly
- 30-40 pieces Wonton Wrappers (square-style, thin)
- 1/4 cup Water (in a small bowl for sealing)
The Aromatic Broth
- 6 cups Chicken Stock (high quality or homemade)
- 3 slices Ginger (smashed)
- 2 stalks Scallions (cut into 2-inch lengths)
- 1 teaspoon Light Soy Sauce (for color and seasoning)
- to taste Salt
For Garnish
- 2 heads Baby Bok Choy (halved or quartered)
- 2 stalks Green Onions (finely sliced)
- optional Chili Oil (for serving)
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, chopped shrimp, grated ginger, minced garlic, light soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and white pepper.
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2
Using a pair of chopsticks or a fork, stir the filling vigorously in one direction for 2-3 minutes. This develops the protein 'tackiness,' ensuring a springy, bouncy texture rather than a crumbly one.
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3
Prepare your workstation with the wonton wrappers, a small bowl of water, and a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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4
Place one wrapper in the palm of your hand. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center. Be careful not to overfill, as the wrapper may burst.
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5
Dip your finger in the water and moisten the four edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half to form a rectangle or triangle, pressing out any air bubbles around the meat.
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6
Bring the two bottom corners of the rectangle together, overlapping them slightly. Use a dab of water to seal them. It should look like a little 'nurse's cap' or a gold ingot.
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7
Repeat until all filling is used, placing finished wontons on the baking sheet without touching each other.
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8
In a large pot, bring the chicken stock, ginger slices, and scallion lengths to a gentle simmer. Let it infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the ginger and scallions with a slotted spoon.
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9
Season the broth with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and salt to taste. Keep the broth on a very low simmer.
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10
In a separate large pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Drop the wontons in batches of 10. Once they float to the surface, let them cook for an additional 2 minutes until the wrappers are translucent and the filling is cooked through.
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11
During the last minute of cooking the wontons, blanch the baby bok choy in the same boiling water until vibrant green and tender-crisp.
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12
Using a slotted spoon, divide the cooked wontons and bok choy into four warmed serving bowls.
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13
Ladle the hot aromatic broth over the wontons. Garnish generously with sliced green onions and a few drops of sesame oil or chili oil if desired.
💡 Chef's Tips
Always stir your filling in a single direction to create a cohesive, 'springy' texture known as 'QQ' in Chinese cuisine. Do not cook the wontons directly in the serving broth; the starch from the wrappers will make the soup cloudy and thick. If you have extra wontons, freeze them in a single layer on a tray before transferring to a bag; they cook perfectly from frozen with an extra 2 minutes of boiling. Use white pepper instead of black pepper to maintain the traditional flavor profile and keep the broth looking clean. Ensure you press out all air when sealing the wontons, or they may float prematurely or burst during the boiling process.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve alongside a plate of Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with oyster sauce for a complete meal. Pair with a crisp, chilled Jasmine tea or a light Lager to cut through the savory richness. Offer a small side dish of black vinegar and ginger matchsticks for dipping the wontons. Add thin egg noodles to the bowl to turn this into a hearty Wonton Noodle Soup. For a spicy kick, provide a jar of crispy garlic chili oil on the table.