Chinese Takeout Wonton Soup

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Chinese Takeout Wonton Soup Recipe Document

Recipe

Basic Takeout Wonton Broth

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

6 cups (1420 ml) chicken broth, (preferably from Asian chicken bouillon powder like Lee Kum Kee or Knorr)

1 tsp (6 grams) table salt

¼ tsp (1 gram) MSG

¼ tsp (1 gram) granulated sugar

1 pinch ground white pepper

½ tsp (2.5 ml) light soy sauce

¼ tsp (1.25 ml) toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Heat chicken broth to a simmer and add salt, MSG, sugar, white pepper, and soy sauce. Whisk until all the spices are dissolved. Turn off the heat and adjust the seasoning with salt, MSG, sugar, white pepper, or soy sauce. Add sesame oil and whisk until it’s evenly distributed. 

Taste the broth, and adjust the seasoning with extra salt, MSG, sugar, white pepper, or soy sauce, if necessary.

Once cooled, the broth can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.  

Infused Takeout Wonton Broth

4-6 servings

Ingredients:

6 cups (1420 ml) chicken broth, (preferably from Asian chicken bouillon powder like Lee Kum Kee or Knorr)

2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed

2 small pieces of ginger, lightly smashed

2 scallion whites, lightly smashed

1 tsp (6 grams) table salt

¼ tsp (1 gram) MSG

¼ tsp (1 gram) granulated sugar

1 pinch ground white pepper

½ tsp (2.5 ml) light soy sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) Shaoxing wine

¼ tsp (1.25 ml) toasted sesame oil

Directions:

Heat chicken broth to a simmer and lower the heat to just below a simmer. Add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites to the pot and infuse them into the broth for 30 minutes. Remove garlic, ginger, and scallion whites from the broth and discard. 

Add salt, MSG, sugar, white pepper, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine to the broth and whisk until all the spices are dissolved. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning with extra salt, MSG, sugar, white pepper, or soy sauce, if necessary. 

Add sesame oil and whisk until it’s evenly distributed. 

Once cooled, the broth can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.  

Wonton Filling

For roughly 40-60 small dumplings or 20-30 large dumplings

Ingredients:

½ lb. (226 grams) fatty ground pork

½ lb. (226 grams) shrimp, peeled & deveined, finely chopped

1 tsp (6 grams) table salt 

1 tsp (4 grams) white granulated sugar

¼ tsp (1 gram) MSG

¼ tsp (0.5 gram) ground white pepper

1 tsp (2.5 gram) garlic, grated

1 tsp (2.5 gram) ginger, grated

1 tsp (2.6 grams) cornstarch 

1 tsp (5 ml) toasted sesame oil

1.5 tsp (7.5 ml) light soy sauce

2 tsp (10 ml) Shaoxing wine

2 tbsp (30 ml) water

½ tsp (2.5 gram) chicken bouillon powder

1 tbsp (6 grams) scallion (green part), minced 

1 package of thin, white wonton wrappers, preferably extra-thin 

Directions:

Peel and devein shrimp and finely chop until the shrimp resembles a paste. Add the shrimp paste and ground pork to a large bowl. Add salt, sugar, MSG, white pepper, garlic, ginger, cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, water, chicken bouillon powder, and scallions to the pork and shrimp.

Mix all the ingredients until they are well incorporated. Then move the mixture around in one direction for several minutes. This mixing motion creates little strands of protein that will give you the characteristic bouncy texture of takeout wontons. You’ll know the mixture is ready when you see what appear to be little threads in the meat mixture. 

Once the wonton filling is ready, it can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. 

To fill the wontons, add 1 tsp of the filling to the middle of a dumpling wrapper and wet the edges of 2 sides with water. Bring the dry sides to the wet sides and pinch the corners together. Then bring up the sides and lightly pinch around the meat mixture to remove the air. Repeat with the remaining mixture.

For larger dumplings, add 2-3 tsp of the filling to the middle of the dumpling wrapper and wet the edges 4 sides with water. Bring up one corner to the other and press down on the edges to seal them and make the dumpling into a triangle. Lightly press down on the filling to remove as much air as possible from the dumpling. (This will help prevent it from bursting when you cook it.) Place the dumpling triangle in your hand and wet one of the bottom corners on the bottom of the wrapper. Bring the other side of the bottom over to the wet side and press them together so they cross over one another. Bring the top of the dumpling wrapper up if it has fallen over.

To store the dumplings for future use, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the wontons flat so they are not touching. Lightly cover the dumplings with plastic wrap and freeze for 1-2 hours. Once frozen, remove the dumplings and place them in a freezer bag. The dumplings can be stored for up to 3 months and should be cooked directly from the freezer. 

To cook fresh dumplings, bring a large pot of water up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Drop the dumplings into the simmering water and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until done. For frozen dumplings, it may take 1-2 minutes longer. You’ll know the dumplings are done when they start to float and the wrapper is mostly transparent. 

To prepare the wonton soup, place the cooked dumplings in a bowl and pour over the warm broth. Garnish with sliced scallions. 

Fuchsia Dunlop’s Sweet Aromatic Soy Sauce

from Every Grain of Rice pg. 322

Ingredients:

½ cup (100 ml) light soy sauce

¾ cup (200 ml) water

⅓ cinnamon stick

½ tsp fennel seeds

½ star anise

½ tsp Sichuan peppercorns

1 small piece of ginger, crushed slightly

3 tbsp (36 grams) brown sugar

Directions:

Put the soy sauce and water into a small pot or saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the spices and ginger, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, add the sugar and whisk to dissolve. Strain out the spices and store in a covered container. 

The sauce will keep in the fridge indefinitely. 

Notes: Every Grain of Rice is a one of my favorite cookbooks. I highly suggest grabbing a copy. 

Amazon ingredient affiliate links:

Knorr Asian-style Chicken Bouillon: https://geni.us/qRslgi

Lee Kum Kee Asian-style Chicken Bouillon: https://geni.us/Z8NlPz

Morton’s Table Salt: https://geni.us/ZkqtN

MSG: https://geni.us/FV5mIa

Sugar: https://geni.us/UWud7AM

White Pepper: https://geni.us/ZMEiegw

Lee Kum Kee Light Soy Sauce: https://geni.us/58XAx

Toasted Sesame Oil: https://geni.us/CgcpNw

Shaoxing Rice Wine: https://geni.us/ykU60vK

Cornstarch: https://geni.us/NTH4v4

Cinnamon Sticks: https://geni.us/BIxy

Fennel Seeds: https://geni.us/9yuwu

Star Anise: https://geni.us/Ulk01

Sichuan Peppercorns: https://geni.us/8GcMG

Brown Sugar: https://geni.us/oi01

Chili Oil: https://geni.us/X2HEXu

Crispy Garlic: https://geni.us/JgcY

Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Jason Farmer may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from amazon.com