Wonton Soup

This wonton soup is full of flavor, easy to make, and you end up with a light soup which is flavored with ginger, enriched with bok choy and tasty wontons. It has been my go to soup for years and I think of it as Chinese penicillin when I have a cold.. The term wonton comes from a Chinese phrase meaning swallowing clouds.

Wonton soup with homemade wontons and pork-shrimp balls

Lately I have been needing wonton soup in my house. On a cold and rainy evening this soup will warm your belly. It will do the same on a foggy summer night. I have been playing with the recipe for years . The secret is in the tasty light broth that you want to slurp with delight. Of course a homemade broth is tastier but there is nothing wrong with using commercial chicken broth.

Wonton soup with store-bought wontons

Normally I have been making this soup with store-bought wontons that I keep in the freezer. It is an easy and light dinner that is ready in 20 minutes. But when I decided to post this recipe I had to make my own wontons. I found a recipe I liked  at  (click here for the video on how to make wontons). I modified the original recipe to make less wontons. I didn’t like the flavor of my wonton wrappers so I made mostly pork-shrimp balls. For all purposes you can make this soup with pork-shrimp balls  only. Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it as much as my family has.

In about a month I will be in Hamburg, a city in Northern Germany. I can’t wait, but in the meantime here is a recipe for Krabbensuppe, a  delicate pureed vegetable soup , topped with bay shrimp. This soup is a staple in that region served with a tasty local little shrimp called Krabben. (click here for the recipe)

Make the wontons first if you make your own and keep them covered so they don’t dry out. The pork should be finely ground. If you don't have Mirin cooking wine try using sherry. Get all the ingredients for the broth ready before you begin cooking. Use both the stems and the leaves from the  bok choy. There is enough soup for 3-4 servings .

Print Recipe

Ingredients :
Wontons:​
This recipe will make 30 meat-shrimp balls or wontons

6 ounces (170g) minced ground  pork 
5 ounces  (140g) bay shrimp
1 TBS grated ginger
2 green onions, finely chopped ( 3TBS) 
1 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS cooking wine (I used Mirin) 
2 tsp toasted sesame oil 
1 tsp salt 
Square Wonton Wrappers

 The Broth:

2 TBS regular sesame oil
2 TBS garlic, minced 
1½ TBS grated ginger
4 cups chicken broth
1 cups of water
2 tsp soy sauce 
½ tsp salt
½ -1 cup shiitake mushrooms
1 medium bok choy ( about 2 cups chopped)
½ cup frozen peas
2 Tbs chopped parsley

Directions: 
Wontons:

Put all the ingredients except the wrappers in a food processor and pulse a few times. Be careful not to over mix.
Lay wontons wrappers on a board. Put about 1½ tsp of filling in the center of the wonton. Have a glass of water to wet the wontons. With your fingers put some water on half of the edges of the wonton. Fold the square wonton in half creating a triangle. Make sure the edges of the wonton are sealed and all the air bubbles have been removed. Roll up the spine and bring the corners together . Cover the wontons with a wet towel so they don’t try out or put them in a covered container.

The Broth:
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Clean the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems and slice the mushroom caps. Slice and wash the bok choy, including the stems. Chop the parsley.  Mince the garlic and grate or mince the ginger collecting all the juices. 
Heat the sesame oil and sauté the garlic and the ginger for about a minute at medium heat. Don’t let the garlic get brown. Add the chicken stock and the water and bring to a boil. Add the soy sauce, shiitake mushrooms and salt. Cook for a couple of minutes. At this point add the frozen or homemade wontons. The homemade wontons need to cook for about 4-5 minutes or until they float on the top. If you are using store-bought wontons cook them according to the directions on the package. Add the frozen peas and bok choy during the last minute of cooking.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately . 

Guten Appetit!
Recipe for homemade wontons adapted from recipetineats
recipe for broth by© Sunnycovechef
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