Soups · Chinese
Wonton Soup
Pork and prawn wontons folded by hand, simmered in gingery chicken broth with bok choy and egg noodles.
- Hands-on
- 40 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Makes
- 5 bowls
- Serves
- 5
About 20 minutes to mix the filling and fold 30 wontons, then 20 minutes at the stove. You're busy the whole time, so it's all active. The first time you fold wontons it can take longer.
- medium
- lunar-new-year
- weekend-project
- comfort-food
Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means
Scaling? Pan size, bake time and seasoning don’t always scale in a straight line. Check the doneness cues instead of the clock. Some items (like eggs) don’t halve neatly: beat them, then measure out half.
Ingredients
You need: mixing bowl · separate chopping board for raw prawns and pork · small bowl of water for sealing · damp paper towel or clean cloth · large pot for the broth · large pot for the noodles · colander · slotted spoon and ladle · instant-read thermometer (optional) · 5 soup bowls
Contains: shellfish (prawns) · egg · wheat · soy · sesame
Method
Mix the filling
In a bowl, mix the 100 g (3.5 oz) ground pork with 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp chopped spring onions, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Add the beaten egg white and the 142 g (5 oz) chopped prawns and mix well.
Otto tried this firstOtto licks his finger to 'check the seasoning'. The filling is raw pork, prawn and egg white: never taste it before it's cooked.Fill and seal
Put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wrapper. Wet the edges with a fingertip of water, fold it in half corner to corner into a triangle and press the edges until they're fully sealed.
Fold the corners
Bring the corners around the filling to make a little pocket and pinch them together. Repeat with all 30 wrappers, keeping the finished wontons and the unused wrappers under a damp paper towel.
Heat the broth and the noodle water
Bring the 1.75 L (7 1/2 cups) chicken stock to a simmer in a large pot over medium-high heat, season with salt and pepper and add the sliced ginger. At the same time, bring a second large pot of water to a rolling boil for the noodles.
Ready when: The stock is simmering with small, steady bubbles; the noodle water is at a full rolling boil.
Cook the wontons, then the bok choy
Slide the wontons into the simmering broth and cook for 5 minutes. Add the 100 g (3.5 oz) bok choy and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more.
Ready when: Cut one wonton open: the filling is firm, the pork shows no pink and the prawn is opaque. With a thermometer, the filling reads at least 71°C (160°F). The wrappers are tender with a little bite; the bok choy is bright green and just wilted.
Otto tried this firstOtto tips all 30 wontons in at once from a height and splashes boiling broth. Lower them in a few at a time with a slotted spoon.Cook the noodles
While the wontons simmer, boil the 200 g (7 oz) egg noodles for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain and divide among 5 bowls.
Ready when: The noodles are just soft but still springy.
Assemble and serve
Ladle the broth, wontons and bok choy over the noodles. Top with the sliced green onions and drizzle over 1 tbsp chili oil and 1 tbsp sesame oil, shared among the bowls.
Swaps
- Instead of homemade wontons: store-bought frozen wontons Cook them in the broth until the filling is cooked through, following the package time.
- Instead of ground pork: ground turkey Cook until the filling reaches at least 74°C (165°F), the safe temperature for poultry.
Make ahead, store & reheat
- Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in an airtight container and eat them within 2 to 3 days. If you're not eating it all at once, keep the wontons apart from the broth so they don't turn soggy.
- Reheat
- Bring the broth back to a simmer, add the wontons and heat until steaming hot all the way through (74°C / 165°F).
If something goes wrong
- Wontons open up in the broth Why: The edges weren't fully sealed.
Wet the edges and press them together firmly all the way along before folding the corners. - Soggy leftovers Why: The wontons sat in the broth overnight.
Store wontons and broth separately and combine them when you reheat.
Good to know
- Keep wrappers you're not using under a damp paper towel: they dry out and crack quickly.
- Add the wontons a few at a time so the broth stays at a simmer.
Safety
- Raw pork and prawns can carry harmful bacteria. Use a separate board, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds after folding, and don't taste the raw filling.
- Cook the wontons until the filling is firm, with no pink, and at least 71°C (160°F) inside; prawns should be opaque.
- Two pots of boiling liquid are on the stove at once. Keep handles turned inward and lower food in gently so it doesn't splash; kids can fold wontons but should leave the stove to an adult.
- Shellfish, egg, wheat, soy and sesame are all in this soup. Wonton wrappers usually contain egg and wheat: check the label.