One of the most common questions I receive from clients is what my favorite dish to cook is. It took me a while to come up with an answer because I have so many favorite dishes and like to cook different things often.
It's wonton soup.
I'm from Suzhou, a beautiful water city located next to Shanghai. Many dishes from the Yangtze Delta area, where Suzhou and Shanghai are situated, are labeled as Shanghainese food. However, we do share a similar food culture. This satisfying wonton soup is a perfect example.
Stay tuned for vegetarian wonton recipes.
PORK AND MUSHROOM WONTON SOUP
Ingredients
50 to 60 pieces, 4 to 6 servings
1 pkg Shanghai-style wonton wrappers
16 oz ground pork
2 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, soak them in room-temperature water for at least 2 hours until soft. Save the soaking water. It's mushroom stock.
1 Tbsp minced ginger
1 scallion, finely chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp ground white pepper
1 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
Vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
Soy sauce broth- 1 serving
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 dash of white pepper powder
½ tsp sesame oil
⅛ tsp of salt
*GROUND PORK
I highly recommend using pork from a butcher. The Chinese market prepares ground meat for wontons with a slightly coarse texture. You can chop pork shoulder or pork belly on your own. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Instructions
Mince ginger, and finely chop the scallion.
2. Finely chop shiitake mushrooms. Save the soaking water.
3. Add mushrooms, scallion and ginger to the pork. Add 2 tsp sesame oil, ½ tsp ground white pepper, 1 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 Tbsp light soy sauce, and 1 tsp salt. If your pork is very lean, add 1 Tbsp vegetable oil for a smooth taste.
4. Combine all ingredients and mix pork for 3 minutes until the side of the bowl creates a thin film. Slowly add water or mushroom stock while mixing until the mixture becomes sticky and pasty. ¼ to ⅓ cups of water or mushroom stock.
5. Wrap 1 Tbsp of filling in each wonton.
6. Moisten the edges with water. Fold and seal. Avoid squeezing the filling in the center.
7. Apply water to one corner. Lift the top.
8. Pull the two corners together, stack them, and pinch to stick.
9. While wrapping the wontons, hold them on a baking sheet. Leave a little space between each one to avoid sticking. Cover them with saran wrap to prevent them from drying out or getting moist.
10. Boil wontons.
Add 5 cups of water into a pot and bring to a boil.
Add wontons one by one into the boiling water. Stir gently with the back of a spoon immediately to avoid sticking.
Once the water is boiling again, turn the heat to medium. Simmer wontons for 5 to 6 minutes (making sure the water is not rolling boil but moving and creating tiny bubbles).
Meanwhile, add 1 Tbsp light soy sauce, 1 dash of white pepper powder, ½ tsp sesame oil, and ¼ tsp of salt to a serving bowl.
Turn the heat off when all the wontons are floating on the top of the pot, and the wrappers turn translucent. Fish the wontons out. Add wontons to the serving bowl and add 1 ½ cups of wonton boiling water.
Stir well and serve.
If you want to save cooked wontons for later, remove them from the cooking water, rinse them under cold water for 10 seconds, and drain.
Freeze Uncooked Wontons
Line up the freshly wrapped wontons on a baking sheet, leaving small gaps between each one.
Wrap and seal the baking sheet with clear wrap. Keep the wontons in the freezer for a few hours until frozen.
Remove the frozen wontons from the baking sheet and place them into freezer bags. Store them in the freezer for up to one month.
Do not thaw them before cooking.
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