Chinese Takeaway Style Wonton Soup

Serves: 4

By Shu Lin

@dejashu

Filling

Ingredients

  • 330 g large king prawns (set aside 80 g to make king prawn paste)
  • 330 g fatty pork belly slices (approximately 4 slices)
  • 140 g water chestnuts
  • 140 g bamboo shoots
  • 300 g (about 32) wonton wrappers
  • 2 tablespoons water

Wonton Seasoning

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Ajinomoto MSG
  • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Wonton Broth

Ingredients

  • 600 ml water or chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon red vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 heaped teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
  • 1/3 teaspoon Ajinomoto MSG
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 spring onion, diagonally thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. Mince 80 g king prawns with a cleaver into a paste. Alternatively, add to a food processor and blitz then set aside. Slice the remaining king prawns into 3 even pieces.
  2. Remove the fatty skin from the pork belly slices then finely dice and set aside. Mince the remaining pork or alternatively, add to a food processor and blitz.
  3. Dice the water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. Combine all ingredients then season the filling with salt, sugar, ground white pepper, Ajinomoto MSG, light soy sauce, cornstarch and sesame oil then mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
  4. When it’s time to cook, wet all four edges of the wonton wrapper with water and add 1/3 tablespoon of the filling into the center ensuring there’s 1-2 small pieces of king prawns. Squeeze the edges of the wrapper upwards with a firm, medium pressure to form a “money pouch” ensuring the dumpling is tightly sealed.
  5. Bring a pan of water to boil then season with Ajinomoto MSG, chicken bouillon, ground white pepper, red vinegar and sesame oil. Add the wontons in batches and cook on medium‐high heat for 7-9 minutes or until the wontons float. Garnish with chopped spring onions.
  6. (Optional) I like to make a dip out of red vinegar and white pepper for the wontons. Take a bite, spoon some in then a bit of the broth and enjoy!