Wonton Soup for Sunday Supper
Hsiao-Ching Chou
Author's Note: For the month of November, I am participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month) and pledge to post once a day.
My family – my husband, especially – loves wonton soup. It doesn't need explaining. A bowl of rich broth, chicken wontons and greens is our chicken noodle. We enjoy it as a meal and I always make enough for leftovers.
Similar to the spring roll recipe, the wonton soup we served at my parents' restaurant was not what we made at home. The restaurant version included a water-based soup that would come together on demand with pre-cooked wontons. It was how my parents made it work in our particular restaurant setting, which demanded speed and affordability; we were appealing to a small-town Midwestern audience in the '80s and '90s. We also weren't in the restaurant business because we had a burning desire to make our mark on the culinary landscape. We were immigrants who needed to make a living.
Many customers liked that soup, but I wonder now what the response might have been to our "secret" menu of home-style dishes. Well, here's how I make wonton soup for my family. The greens might vary, but it's usually Chinese cabbage or baby bok choy.
WONTONS
Makes about 40-45
1 pound ground chicken
2 stalks green onions, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup chopped)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Drizzle of sesame oil (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper (optional)
1 package wonton wrappers
Combine the ground chicken, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper, if using, in a bowl. Mix ingredients well. Watch the video to see how to fill the wontons.
Once you've filled all the wontons, you can cook them right away. You also can freeze them on a sheet pan in a single layer until they've hardened and then transfer to zipper freezer bags. You can cook them frozen.
For this wonton soup recipe, you can cook only as many you think you might need and freeze the rest. Freeze them uncooked and take them out as needed.
WONTON SOUP
Serves 4-6
Wontons
Chicken broth
6 small heads baby bok choy (if the baby bok choy are larger, then adjust the amount as needed), leaves separated
Sesame oil
Chili sauce, optional
Wontons: For each person, allow for 6-10 wontons, depending on how hungry he/she is and whether the soup is a starter portion or a dinner portion. (I usually can eat about 8 for dinner.)
Heat about 3 quarts of chicken broth (recipe follows) over medium-high heat until it just begins to bubble. Add the uncooked wontons into the broth and let cook in simmering broth (adjust heat as necessary; you do not want a roiling boil) for 3-4 minutes. Add baby bok choy leaves and let simmer for about 2 minutes, or until the leaves are softened.
Drizzle with sesame oil (about 1/2 teaspoon). Stir and serve. You can serve chili sauce on the side to add to the soup. If there is leftover soup and wontons, let cool and then store in a container in the refrigerator. The leftovers can be heated in the microwave for a quick lunch.
A big pot of wonton soup makes everyone say, "ahhhh." From mychinesesoulfood.com
CHICKEN BROTH
MAKES ABOUT 3 QUARTS
About 3 pounds chicken carcasses
3 quarts water; more as needed
2 stalks green onions, trimmed
3-4 thick slices of fresh ginger, about 3-inch pieces or equivalent
1/4 cup wine (can be Shaoxing or any dry white wine that you have on hand)
1/4 cup soy sauce
Salt, as needed
Place the chicken carcasses in a stock pot. Cover with 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil. Skim off the scum as it floats to the surface. Once at a boil, turn down the heat to low. Continue to skim off any scum. Let simmer for 2 hours or, if you have time, 3 hours. Check the pot from time to time. Continue to skim the top layer of the developing broth for scum or rendered fat. Toward the end, add the soy sauce and taste. If it needs more salt, salt to taste. When done, turn off the heat.
To strain the broth: In batches, ladle the broth into the fat separator. Let it settle. Pour broth through a strainer into a fresh soup pot.
A note about the broth: This is a flexible recipe. You can adjust the amount of ginger, for example. If you like a stronger ginger flavor or you want to benefit from the healing qualities of ginger, feel free to increase the amount. You can cool the broth to room temperature and freeze in storage containers or freezer zipper bags.
How to create more flavor: This version uses chicken carcasses, which are inexpensive. I usually make broth from a whole chicken, which offers even more flavor. The chicken breast can be eaten, dipped in soy sauce + chili + drizzle of sesame oil. The broth can be used for wonton soup or eaten as is.