I love making and even more so eating won-ton soup. It does take a bit of preparation but it is really not difficult to make, but it is oh so rewarding! So don't wait any longer for your favourite Chinese restaurant, just make those delicious won-tons yourself.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
🥘 Main ingredients
- various fresh mushrooms
- various dried mushrooms
- firm smoked tofu
- garlic
- ginger
- soy sauce
- sesame oil
- chives
- wonton wrappers, or make your own
- vegetable stock
- Chinese cabbage
- rice vinegar
- onion
You can use any type of filling. I always like using mushrooms, soy, miso, as I love the strong umami flavours. But you could easily use a mixture of carrot, cabbage and ginger. Or any finely chopped vegetables. Make sure you prepare the filling ahead of time, and that the filling is well drained (or even pressed if very watery).
It is important to use strong flavours in your won-tons fillings, otherwise they can become blend and tasteless very quickly. It is good to 'over' season your filling.
🔪 Instructions
This recipe is all about having a great and very flavoursome home made vegetable stock.
Add your favourite spices, bring to the boil, and let it very gently simmer before you add the won tons, otherwise the won tons might break open. Add your favourite leaves or cabbage and top with a bit of crunchiness from spring onions, nuts or seeds. It's that easy!
You could easy prepare the won-tons ahead of time, as long as you keep them well covered because they dry out very quickly. But once you have them prepared it is very quick and easy to make the soup. So it could be a great recipe for a dinner party, you will impress your guests!
making round wontons Top picture
🍷 Beverage pairing
There are a lot of people who don't drink wine nor beer with a soup, as a soup is already a liquid. But for some a dinner is not complete with a glass of something to go with it.
This soup can be greatly enjoyed with a nice cold refreshing beer. But if you do prefer to drink a wine then you might want to opt for a young and fruity red. Like a young pinot noir, or a young gamay. It would go well with the mushroom & umami flavours of this won-ton soup.
Make sure to add @haricoco1 to your instagram post, I can't wait to see your creations of this delicious soup recipe.
📋 Recipe
Ingredients
For the won ton filling
- 50 g ⅔ cup mushrooms, finely chopped
- 5 dried shitake mushrooms rehydrated and finely chopped (keep the liquid)
- 50 g ⅕ cup firm smoked tofu, pressed
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 1 cm ½ inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce spicy soy sauce if you want to add some spice
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped chives
- 16-20 wonton wrappers bought or home-made
For the soup
- 1250 ml 5 cups home-made vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- The leftover liquid from soaking the dried mushrooms
- ½ Chinese cabbage shredded
- 2 spring onions chopped
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
For the wonton wrappers
- 190 g 1 ½cups of all purpose flour
- 118 ml ½ cup of hot water (just boiled)
- Cornstarch for dusting
Instructions
- for the wonton dough (if making your own)
- Place the flour in a bowl, and make a well in the middle, slowly start adding the hot water while mixing.
- Once all the water is absorbed by the flour, make a ball with your hands, and start kneading for 2 minutes on a clean service.
- If the dough feels softened and not sticky cover it and leave to rest 30 minutes. (If the dough feels sticky add flour, if it feels too dry add some water).
- After 30 minutes with a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 2 mm (on a clean and dusted surface).
- With a sharp knife make squares or use a cup to make circles.
- Make sure that the dough which you are not working with is always covered, as it dries out very quickly.
- For the wontons filling
- Place the tofu, ginger and garlic in a food processor, pulse until well combined but not mushy.
- Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan or wok, and add the finely chopped mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 3 – 4 minutes and add the garlic, ginger, and tofu mixture.
- Continue stir-frying for 2 more minutes.
- Add the soy sauce, and chives, and take of the heat to cool down.
- Once cooled down enough put in a bowl or tray.
- Take your wonton wrappers, and put 1 teaspoon of filling in the middle.
- With wet fingers, slightly wet the edges of the wrappers, and fold the wrapper into a triangle, try to get all the air out. Once you have your triangle, fold the two outer corners forward to the middle, and stick them together with a bit of water. This is just one way of folding, search the internet for other folds you might want to use. This one is very easy.
- If you happen to have round wrappers, you can use the half moon shapes.
- For the soup
- Use a little bit of sesame oil to coat your pan. Heat the oil, and add the ginger and garlic and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock and the liquid from the dried mushrooms. Bring to the boil.
- Once you have a nice steady low simmer, add the wontons one by one, and leave them to cook until they are all done, and floating (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add the shredded cabbage, stir in the soy sauce and the rice vinegar.
- Check your seasoning, and serve with spring onion on top.
Notes
Nutrition
This Wonton soup recipe is part of my new series; 'Travels of taste'. We use our taste buds to travel the world and discover the use of our senses and imaginations to meet other cultures through food. So today we find ourselves in China. If you are ready to imagine yourself travelling through China whilst discovering all its flavours. Check out my full China 'travels of taste' post; >>> China, It's all about FOOD!
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