Wonton Soup
Won Ton Soup
As part of our Chinese New Year dinner the other night, I was in charge of soup. I decided to go with one of my childhood favorites- Wonton Soup. I figured it was a soup everybody would like. The one problem I find, when trying to make this soup at home, is finding wonton wrappers that are thick enough. The square ones I find at the store are OK, but thinner than the ones in wonton soup at a restaurant. At a local Asian grocery, I have found round wrappers that are labelled for dumplings, and are thicker. That is what I used. They worked out better. You can play around with fillings, too. I used shrimp this time, but have also used chicken and pork as fillings for the wontons.
Wonton Soup
¾ lb. pork chops
1 head bok choy
3 T. hoisen sauce
8 oz. cooked shrimp, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
24 won ton wrappers
2 qts. chicken stock
1 t. ginger
1 t. hot pepper sauce
Chopped green onions
Sesame oil
Bake the pork until cooked. I used boneless pork chops and seasoned them with salt, pepper and garlic. Once cooled, I cut it into thin strips. Set aside until needed for the soup. I then took stems from the bok choy and minced enough of them to make 1 cup. Combine the minced shrimp with minced bok choy, the hoisen and the garlic. This is the filling for your wontons. Slice more of the bok choy- using mainly the leaves, into thin shreds. This will go into the soup later, along with the strips of pork. You should have at least a couple of cups of the shredded bok choy, but more is OK, too. To make the wontons place one on your work surface and spoon a rounded teaspoon of the filling into the middle of it. Moisten edge with water, fold in half and press to seal. I used round wrappers, but square wrappers are fine, too. Repeat with remaining wontons and fillings until done. Bring stock to a boil and add the ginger and hot sauce. Add the bok choy to the simmering stock. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the strips of pork and the wontons. Cook about 4-5 minutes longer. Finish soup with chopped green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serves 6-8.
