Wonton Soup

I enjoy eating the wonton soup that I get from restaurants, but the wontons are usually pretty bland. Which is a shame, because the wontons are kind of the center of flavor in the soup. I decided to make my own wonton soup this evening, using my potsticker filling in the wontons.

The hubby agreed to help me this evening; he’s the fastest potsticker-filler this side of San Francisco. This is a totally unsubstantiated claim. But he still comes in handy.

I did have some concerns about whether the hubby would like wonton soup; we don't like many of the same soups. And while he was folding the wontons, he was casually yammering about my wasting good wonton wrappers on something other than potstickers. He’s all about the potstickers. In the end, the hubby took his wontons out of the soup and ate them on their own. But as he said, “We’re allowed to be different.”

Wonton Soup
Makes 8 servings

8 c. chicken broth
¼ c. scallions, finely chopped
¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
30 wonton wrappers

Wonton filling
8 oz. ground pork (I prefer reduced-fat)
½ c. finely chopped napa cabbage or coleslaw mix
2 green onions, finely chopped
½ tsp. grated gingerroot
1 clove garlic, finely minced
¼-½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1½ tsp. cornstarch
1½ tsp. soy sauce
1½ tsp. dry sherry
½ tsp. sesame oil

1. In a large pot, bring broth, scallions, and crushed red pepper flakes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.

I-should-completely-know-better tip of the day: Don’t leave your chicken broth in the garage when it’s really, really cold out.

2. Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Place a few wonton wrappers on your work surface. Using a teaspoon or melon baller, place small portions of the meat mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Using your fingers or a small brush, wet two perpendicular sides of each wrapper. Fold from corner to corner, sealing. (This is all described in the Potstickers posting. With photos!)

4. With the wontons laying flat as a triangle with the point facing upward, wet the two opposite points with water and fold them inward. It should look like the wonton is giving itself a hug.

It’s all hearts and flowers in my world, baby.

5. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers. Add wontons to soup and increase heat to medium. Cook wontons in broth until they start to float and filling is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes.