There is no denying it, folks. Wonton soups are absolutely delicious! They are definitely high on my list of "moreish" and they always hit the spot! The making of wontons is actually very close to how you would make the mixture for dumplings and how to work with the dough skins. The only difference really is that wonton wrappers (skins) are more delicate than traditional dumpling dough.
This is a "twofer": a two-part recipe as you will need to do the mise en place for both the filling and the noodle-soup. There are a few ingredients that might not be familiar but they will actually be very common ingredients in Chinese cuisine. Pay a visit to your local Asian market for some of the ingredients or do some shopping online! The rest can be found in standard grocery stores.
Keep in mind, you do have some decision-making to do on your own with the noodles and with the salt-element. This is identified in the video. So, get your mise-en-place going and have some fun with this delicious dish!
WONTON RECIPE
1lb/453g Ground meat
1 tsp MSG or Kosher Salt
2TB Garlic
2 TB Ginger
1 White onion, small, finely diced
1 TB Chinese 5 spice
1 tsp White Pepper
1 pkg Egg wonton wrappers (aka skins)
1.) Get your wrappers set up with a tea-towel to cover them. 2.) Into a bowl, you will add all of your ingredients in this wonton recipe. Start mixing this until everything has been brought together evenly. This should not take longer than a minute or two.
3.) Much like in our video for dumplings, take one wonton skin (this is much more delicate than dumpling dough so keep that in mind!) into your hand. With your finger, lightly wet the sides with water. This will act as the glue that is needed for sealing the wontons. With a small ball of meat mixture, place this in the middle of your wonton. Bring the wonton skin sides together to pinch at the top. (It looks like a pinched taco!). Then, bring the sides together so the wet skin seals against itself. Lightly pinch the wonton skin at the base but be careful not to tear the skin. Lightly tap the bottom of the wonton so it stands up on your board. Avoid having the filled wontons touching each other while you prep them. Set your filled wontons aside and move on to the second part of this recipe.
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NOODLE SOUP RECIPE
2 QT Fresh Beef Stock
4-6oz Napa Cabbage, thinly cut, to your own liking
1 - 1 1/2lb (453g-706g) Mushrooms, cleaned* and sliced
12oz Bean Sprouts, rinsed and drained
4oz White Wine
2-3 oz Garlic, minced
2-3 oz Oyster sauce
2 oz Black Vinegar
2 oz Shaoxing Wine
White pepper - to taste
MSG or Kosher Salt - to taste (your choice)
Egg Noodles or Vermicelli (optional)
(*lightly brush the remnants off with a paper towel or a vegetable brush.)
You have personal decisions to make with regard to MSG or Kosher salt. You cannot avoid MSG with this recipe as mushrooms have MSG already. As far as noodles go, it is entirely up to you on which you prefer. You do not have to have noodles if you don't want to. Even spiralized vegetables will be a nice add-on to this.
1.) In a medium-high heated pan, add your mushrooms and sauté for about three or so minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning.
2.) Add your white pepper and salt to taste. This will help draw out some moisture from the mushrooms and aid in the cooking process. This should take about three or so minutes.
3.) Add your wine to help start deglazing the pan.
4.) Add your cabbage to the pan and stir - approximately one minute. It will start showing a gentle bright green during the cooking process. This should take just a couple minutes.
5.) Add your garlic and your black vinegar. Toss to distribute evenly in your pan - approximately one minute.
6.) Add your bean sprouts last. Continue to stir your ingredients to get them evenly coated for the next couple of minutes.
7.) Add your oyster sauce and your Shaoxing wine to the pan. Toss to distribute evenly in your pan for another two to three minutes or once the sauces have mixed in completely.
ONE POT ON THE STOVE: Beef Stock - get this boiling so you can cook your noodles or rice vermicelli to package directions. Once cooked, remove from the stock, drain and place into your soup bowls.
ANOTHER POT ON THE STOVE: Water - get this boiling so you can cook your wontons. This will take 4-6 minutes. It might cook faster if you have less filling. The cooked wontons will start coming to the top and the wonton skins will appear wrinkled. With a slotted spoon, get your wontons out and into your soup bowls.
Into the soup bowls, add your vegetable mixture, some beef stock and your wontons on top of your noodles.
The wontons are fantastic in this noodle soup creation! It was such a hit, I tried them in an appetizer with fresh vegetables that were dressed in black vinegar and chili oil which was absolutely divine! Give this recipe a try!