Homemade Wonton Soup

Delicious and comforting wonton soup (雲吞湯) is a classic Cantonese Chinese food like beef chow fun, wonton noodle soup, soy sauce noodle, pan fried dumplings, lobster yee mein and boiled dumplings. This homemade wonton soup recipe is super simple and tasty. Let's learn how to make classic Cantonese wonton soup with step by step photos and a video!

Love soup? Check out these chicken gnocchi, miso soup, hot and sour soup, HK borscht soup, kimchi tofu soup, tom yum kung and sweet corn carrots soup recipes.

What is wonton soup(雲吞)?

Wonton (雲吞) is kind of dumpling in Chinese cuisine that serve with soup or noodles like this wonton noodle soup recipe. Wonton soup is a popular Cantonese Chinese dish that consists of wontons, which are small dumplings filled with seasoned ground meat, seafood and wrapped in a thin wonton wrapper.

The word "wonton" literally translates to "swallowing clouds'' in Chinese. It describes the light and delicate nature of the dumplings. Wonton soup is a beloved dish around the world. It commonly serves as a comforting and satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. 

What does wonton soup taste like?

Wonton soup is a flavorful and comforting Chinese dish. It combines the delicate taste of wontons, their thin dough and flavorful filling, a savory and umami flavor. The broth is often seasoned with salt and aromatic green onions. It’s simple yet adds a delightful fragrance to the soup.

Is wonton made of pork filling? 

Typically, traditional Cantonese wonton the filling for wontons includes ground pork, shrimp, mixed with seasonings like oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper and green onions. However, different regional and personal preferences may use different ingredients.

What is wonton broth made of?

Wonton broth is usually made from a flavorful base. It can be chicken or pork stock. The broth is the liquid form and  poured over the cooked &  filled wontons. It provides a delicious flavor and compliments the dumplings. Some like to use water and season with salt & pepper. It helps balance and enhance the flavors and taste of the wonton soup.

How long does it take to cook homemade wontons?

The cooking time for homemade wontons can vary depending on the size of the wontons. In general, wontons are relatively small and thin, so they cook quite quickly. When water is boiling, put the wontons into the water and gently stir them to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. They float to the surface of the water when they are ready and  the filling is fully cooked. It is around 3 to 5 minutes.

Can I make wontons ahead of time?

Yes, you can definitely make wontons ahead of time. Prepare the wonton filling and wrap the wontons as you would normally do. Place the filled wontons on a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and freeze it. This allows the wontons to freeze individually, so they don't stick together.

Once the wontons are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container or ziplock plastic bag and freeze them. The frozen wontons can be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

How to cook frozen wontons? 

When you're ready to cook the wontons, take the frozen wontons and put them into the boiling water and boil them directly.  Remember you do not need to thaw them before cooking. 

What are the ingredients in homemade wonton soup?

Different areas of China use different ingredients to make wonton. Some like to use vegetables and meat as a filling which is pretty similar to dumplings.

However, traditional Cantonese wonton is mainly shrimp and pork. And, in this homemade wonton soup recipe, I used pork, shrimp, wonton wrappers, chicken broth, green onion, salt, oyster sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and garlic powder ingredients.

What is the difference between wonton and dumpling?

Actually, wonton is very similar to dumpling or potsticker. However, wonton uses different wrappers. It’s yellowish and square. Besides, the wrappers are thinner, so they can cook through faster when you boil them.

How to wrap wonton?

There are many different ways to fold or wrap wonton. In this wonton soup recipe, I showed the traditional method and two other fancy ways.

Cooking tips for how to make homemade wonton soup:

Wonton:

• Traditional way to wrap wonton is to make sure they have a tail just like the first method I mentioned in this recipe.
• Other nice and fancy ways will take a little longer to wrap them see details in the video below the recipe card.
• Make sure don’t overcook or undercook wonton. The best way to know if it’s cooked through. Wonton is done when they are floating on the top of boiling water. If you worry they are not fully cooked, let it boil for a minute before taking them out. 

Broth:

• Lots of people like to make the broth with chicken bones and boil it for many hours. To keep it simple, I normally just use chicken broth or water, add some salt and green onion to make the soup to serve with wonton.

FAQs:

Instructions for how to make homemade wonton soup:

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut 7 sticks of green onion (8 oz) into pieces. (Save 2 sticks of green onion for soup later, 5 sticks of green onion for the filling.)

2. Roughly chop a bag of small raw frozen shrimp with no shells  (12 oz and around 60-80 small shrimp).

3. Put 1 pound of ground pork into the bowl. (I used 85% lean and 15% fat.)

4. Next, put the chopped shrimp from step 2 into the bowl.

5. Add ¼ teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, ¼ teaspoon of white pepper, ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.

6. Mix the sauce and meat well.

7. Put the cut green onion (5 sticks of green onion) from step 1 into the bowl.

8. After, mix the ingredients well.

Wrapping:

9. There are different ways to wrap wonton. Here are the most common ways to fold it. The easiest and traditional way is with a tail. First, take a wonton wrapper, dip some water on the fingers and move around the wrap. Then, put a teaspoon filling on the wonton wrapper and close the end with a tail like the picture above. (See details in the video below the recipe card.)

10. This is the second way to fold wonton like a fish. Take a wonton wrapper, dip some water on the fingers and move around the wrap. Then, put a teaspoon filling on the wonton wrapper, fold it into a triangle, take the angles and bring it together. (See details in the video below the recipe card.) 

11. The third way to wrap wonton like sycee (yuanbao 元寶) or a boat. Take a wonton wrapper, dip some water on the fingers and move around the wrap. Then, put a teaspoon filling on the wonton wrapper, fold it into a rectangle, take the angles and bring it together. (See details in the video below the recipe card.) 

Cooking:

12. Pour 4 cups of water in a pot, turn on the fire to a small medium.

13. When the water is boiling, add the wonton. Let it cook until they all float on the top and make sure it's cooked.

14. Use a strainer to take out the cooked wonton.

15. After that, put the cooked wonton into a bowl.

16. Sprinkle some chopped green onion (2 sticks of green onion) from step 1.

17. Lastly, pour 2 cups of chicken broth into a pot and turn on a small medium fire until it's boiling. After, pour the chicken broth over the cooked wonton in step 16 when it is ready to serve.

Enjoy this simple, easy and authentic Cantonese homemade wonton soup recipe! Also, check out these laksa noodle soup, braised beef ho fun noodle soup, siu mai, zongzi and black sesame soup recipes. 

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