Let’s talk about all the things that you can find in a heavenly bowl of Wonton Egg Noodle Soup: comfort, warmth and family. These words spring come to mind when I envision myself biting through juicy plump wontons and slurping down springy egg noodles.
Wonton Egg Noodle Soup is the one that I crave the most when I venture out into Chinatown or our Little Saigon equivalent. Trouble is, the most satisfying bowl is the one with generous fillings and made with the same kind of love and attention you would get from Grandma or Mum. Yes, the one made from home is always going to be the winner!
Don’t worry, I’ll definitely tell you how and throw in all our family secrets. We’ve got you covered.
What is wonton made of?
Wontons may seem rather simple if you think about its basic flavours, but a lot of care goes into perfecting one. If you’ve got the time to make these parcels of love, it can be especially therapeutic or, if you have little ones to help out, a priceless bonding experience!
There are numerous variations of wontons. Depending on which region you’re in and who you’re talking to, the filling can really be quite different. But this basis premise is what unifies all wontons: they start with a delicate egg-based wonton skin and are generously filled with a some form of meat paste.
Chinese wontons traditionally have a simple prawn and pork filling which does wonders to stir your soul, while Vietnamese wontons welcome a range of thinly sliced vegetables for added flavour dimensions.
As a Chinese-Vietnamese family, we marry the best of both worlds to bring you a spectacular wonton recipe that you’ll find nowhere else!
For the filling, you'll need:
- 600 g pork mince
- 6 medium raw prawns
- 10 dehydrated shiitake mushrooms
- 20 g sliced wood ear mushroom
- 1-2 dried flounder
- 10 dried scallops
- 1 carrot
- 1 jicama
- 1/2 tbsp potato starch
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
For the soup, you'll need:
- 1 kg pork bones
- 1 free range ‘old hen’ (‘lo gei’ in Cantonese)
- water
- 1/2 cup Squid brand fish sauce
- 1 tbsp sugar
What goes well with wonton soup?
- choy sum (or any thick Asian greens, e.g. Chinese brocolli)
- spring onion
- coriander
- bean sprouts
- garlic chives
Wonton essentials
- wonton wrappers
- 1 bag fresh egg noodles
In separate bowls, soak the dehydrated shiitake mushrooms, sliced wood ear mushroom and dehydrated scallops in warm water for a minimum of 20 minutes. I like to do it the night before and wake up to them rehydrated. But if you’re low on time, 20 minutes with warm to hot water should cut it.
We ran out of dehydrated mushrooms when we decided to make wontons, so I bought fresh shiitake mushrooms as a replacement. Either work perfectly.
When we make any Chinese or Vietnamese dish that involves a broth, we always start with that. Why? Well, simply because that labour of love takes a minimum of 3 hours for the flavours to be extracted.
So let’s do this!
Follow the steps for a traditional chicken and pork broth as you prepare the wonton filling. Our wonton broth will have a slightly different spin to it, but that’ll come much later as we cook.
How do you use jicama?
If you’re never heard of ‘jicama‘ before, you definitely will have experienced its textures in some shape or other. At home, we love to add thinly sliced jicamas to our wonton filling because it adds a sweetness that is not only natural but beautifully subtle. It also has the same crisp you’d find in a crunchy apple or pear.
To remove the skin, wedge a small sharp knife through the pointed jicama tip and hold your index finger tightly against its flesh. Without letting go, strip away the skin.
Peel the skin off the jicama and the use any tool (grater or knife) to produce thin strips about the thickness of 2 toothpicks.
For our carrots, we like to use a julienne peeler.
Drain the dehydrated ingredients and squeeze all the liquid out. Save the water they were soaking in – you’ll have lots of rich savoury umami flavour that can be added to the broth.
Remove the shiitake mushrooms stems and finely slice them.
With a pestle and mortar, pound the scallops until they resemble fibres. The idea is that they will add jam-packed flavours to each wonton, so you don’t want thick strands.
The next part is probably the trickiest, but this necessary step is what distinguishes it as a standout dish.
Use scissors to cut the flesh off the preserved fish. I’ve included a diagram to make it easier, but you’re essentially separating the meat from its bones. As for the tail, that can be discarded.
As for the meat, get a pan and add the 3 tbsp of oil. Once the it’s hot enough, turn it down to a low heat and put the flounder in. The aim here is to brown the fish and make it crispy. It can very easily go from brown to burnt, which is why we keep the heat low and our patience high.
You may want to keep a pair of chopsticks or any long utensil ready to press parts of the flounder down. It does tend to curl as the heat penetrates it.
When the pieces are crispy, set the meat aside on a paper towel to cool. The flounder bones can go straight into the chicken and pork broth to deepen its seasoning.
Once the flounder flesh has cooled down, use the pestle and mortor to pound it until it looks similar to the pounded scallops.
Peel the raw prawns. You can either roughly chop them so that when you bite into the wonton there are springy pieces of prawns, or you can completely integrate it with the pork mince.
I usually like to do the latter, which involves turning the prawns into a paste. To do this, roughly chop the prawns and hammer at it with your knife (a cleaver is ideal for this). Fold the ends of the paste over itself and continue until it resembles a paste.
To give the prawn paste that extra springiness, I like to throw it against the chopping board a few times as a finale.
All of the filling ingredients are ready at this point. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork mince, prawn paste, scallops, flounder, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, carrot, jicama, chicken bouillon, salt, sugar, corn starch, sesame oil and water.
Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well, then we can begin wrapping the wontons!
There are a few ways to approach wrapping wontons. I grew up wrapping it by folding pleats but recently I began wrapping them in a design resembling the ancient Chinese currency, a gold sycee.
Here’s how to do the pleated method:
Lay the wonton in your palm, corner facing your index finger. Use a teaspoon to scoop some filling, placing it in the centre of the wrap.
Wet your finger with some water (I keep a small bowl of cold water beside me) and run it along the top 2 edges of the wonton wrapper.
Hold onto the bottom wonton skin corner and fold it upward to create a triangle. Press along the edges to seal the sides while gently squeezing out any air bubbles.
Now we pleat. Hold the left corner (or right, if you’re left-handed) with your thumb and index finger. Use your other thumb and index finger to hold onto the wonton skin beside your left hand. Your right index finger can now push the wonton skin onto your left thumb, where you will lift it and press the fold together. Repeat this step until all the wrapper is pleated.
If the pleating method seems rather daunting, then I suggest wrapping your wontons into the sycee shape. It’s a lot easier and still yields a delicious wonton.
To do this, we start the same way: fold the filled wrapper into a triangle with the edges lightly damp.
Then hold onto the left and right corners and pull them together until the corners overlap. Press down using your thumb and index finger to seal.
There you have 2 ways of wrapping wontons!
Preparing the toppings
For the toppings, cut the choy sum into stems and leaves as we did with the Crispy Pork Belly Stir Fried with Asian Greens. Blanch them in hot water, drain and leave aside to cool.
Cut the garlic chives into 5cm or 2″ strips. Place them in a serving container.
Roughly chop the coriander and spring onions. Also place them in a serving container.
Wash and drain the water out of the bean sprouts. Set them in a colander to drip dry.
Season your broth
The last thing you want to do is give all of your attention to the wontons. Don’t forget that the soup is just as important! Show it some love by seasoning it to taste with fish sauce, sugar and the water used to soak the scallops and mushrooms.
Get a large pot of water boiling and cook the wontons. Normally, it takes about 4-5 minutes to cook but I look for when they are floating. When they float they’ll be cooked, which is when you scoop them out using a sieve and put them in a large bowl of cold water. Once that gets full, strain them in a colander.
To stop them from sticking to each other as they dry, drizzle some sesame or cooking oil over the top of each batch when they enter the colander.
Replace the water in the wonton pot or use a new one altogether for the egg noodles. Cooking egg noodles is a delicate process. You don’t want to overdo it because it’s important that when you bite into it, there’s a slight spring.
Here’s a tip my partner’s Mum taught me (which she learnt from a chef):
Set up a large bowl of iced water. Make sure there are ice cubes in it to immediately stop any cooking from continuing outside of the pot.
Microwave the egg noodles in batches (a packet usually can be done in 2 batches) for 1 1/2 minutes each. This will dehydrate it, which will give it that extra spring when cooked.
When the noodles are microwaved, cook them in the boiling pot of water for approximately 5 minutes, depending on your heat. I pull single egg noodles out and bite into them to check for the springiness I want. When they’re as you want them, pour the hot water out into the sink and put the noodles into the ice water. I keep the cold tap water running through the noodles in the ice water to maintain the cold temperature.
Another tip is to take it out just before it reaches al dente because it will continue to cook as you pour the hot water out into the sink. It’s not until it’s in the ice water and completely cooled down that the cooking stops.
How to assemble your wonton bowl
We’re nearly there! To assemble, put some egg noodles into a bowl along with as many wontons as you like. Top it with choy sum. Scoop the broth in and garnish it with spring onions, coriander and garlic chives.
Our family also drizzles a few teaspoons of red vinegar on the top for a zesty kick, but that’s entirely optional.
Savour this dish with your family while it’s hot!
Wonton Egg Noodle Soup
Ingredients
For the filling
- 600 g pork mince
- 6 raw prawns
- 10 dehydrated shiitake mushrooms
- 20 g sliced wood ear mushroom
- 1-2 dried flounder
- 10 dried scallops
- 1 carrot
- 1 jicama
- 1/2 tbsp potato starch
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
For the soup
- 1 kg pork bones
- 1 free range ‘old hen’
- water
- 1/2 cup Squid brand fish sauce or to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar or to taste
For the toppings
- choy sum
- spring onion
- coriander
- bean sprouts
- garlic chives
Instructions
- In separate bowls, soak the dehydrated shiitake mushrooms, sliced wood ear mushroom and dehydrated scallops in warm water for a minimum of 20 minutes or overnight.
- Make the chicken broth.
- Peel the skin off the carrot and jicama, the use any tool (grater or knife) to produce thin strips about the thickness of 2 toothpicks.
- Drain the dehydrated ingredients and squeeze all the liquid out. Save the water they were soaking in.
- Remove the shiitake mushrooms stems and finely slice them.
- With a pestle and mortar, pound the scallops until they resemble fibres.
- Use scissors to cut the flesh off the preserved fish. Discard the tail.
- Get a pan and add the 3 tbsp of oil. Once the it’s hot enough, turn it down to a low heat and put the flounder meat in and fry it until it becomes crispy.
- When the pieces are crispy, set the meat aside on a paper towel to cool. Put the flounder bones straight into the chicken and pork broth.
- Once the flounder flesh has cooled down, use the pestle and mortor to pound it until it looks similar to the pounded scallops.
- Peel the raw prawns.
- Roughly chop the prawns or hammer at it with your knife to turn it into a paste. Fold the ends of the paste over itself and continue until it resembles a paste. To give the prawn paste that extra springiness, throw it against the chopping board.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork mince, prawn paste, scallops, flounder, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, carrot, jicama, chicken bouillon, salt, sugar, corn starch, sesame oil and water. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed well.
- Wrap the wontons using a teaspoon of filling. Lay the wonton in your palm, corner facing your index finger. Fold the filled wrapper into a triangle with the edges lightly damp. Then hold onto the left and right corners and pull them together until the corners overlap. Press down using your thumb and index finger to seal.
- Cut the choy sum into stems and leaves. Blanch them in hot water, drain and leave aside to cool.
- Cut the garlic chives into 5cm or 2″ strips. Place them in a serving container.
- Roughly chop the coriander and spring onions. Place them in a serving container.
- Wash and drain the water out of the bean sprouts. Set them in a colander to drip dry.
- Season the broth with fish sauce, sugar and the water used to soak the scallops and mushrooms.
- Get a large pot of water boiling and cook the wontons. They should be cooked in 4-5 minutes or when floating.
- Scoop the wontons out using a sieve and put them in a large bowl of cold water. When that gets full, strain them in a colander.
- Drizzle some sesame or cooking oil over the top of each batch as they enter the colander to avoid sticking.
- Set up a large bowl of iced water. Make sure there are ice cubes in it to immediately stop any cooking from continuing outside of the pot.
- Microwave the egg noodles in batches (a packet usually can be done in 2 batches) for 1 1/2 minutes each.
- When the noodles are microwaved, cook them in the boiling pot of water for approximately 5 minutes, depending on your heat.
- When the noodles are cooked, pour the hot water out into the sink and put the noodles into the ice water. Keep the cold tap water running through the noodles in the ice water to maintain the cold temperature.
- To assemble, put some egg noodles into a bowl along with as many wontons as you like. Top it with choy sum.
- Scoop the broth in and garnish it with spring onions, coriander and garlic chives.
- Serve with a drizzle of red vinegar.
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This looks DELICIOUS! I always order wonton soup, have never tried making it at home.
Thanks, Emma! Trust me, making wontons at home are totally worth it!
This is a delicious dish and Your step by step instructions on how to wrap the wontons was very helpful. Thanks
Thanks, Chichi!
I wish I had a big bowl of this soup right now! It looks absolutely delicious. I love the detail step-by-step photos, especially folding wontons. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Marie! I hope the step-by-step instructions help with making them!
Wow! These wontons are LOADED! I have had some pretty good wontons before but these look AMAZING. This is the reason home cooking is so much better than takeout.
Thanks, Danh! Home cooking will always be the best! 😜
I love wonton soup, and adding noodles to it makes it even better. What a great recipe for fall!
Me too! Thanks Biana!
Oh this sounds absolutely sensational! What a bowl of comfort food but it also sounds so light and delicate too. I’d love to try this.
Thanks! I definitely gravitate to this dish as comfort food!
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