Wonton Soup Recipe

A comforting Chinese-style soup with homemade prawn and pork wontons, tender pak choi and a light ginger and chicken broth.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves: 2–3
Cuisine: Chinese
Course: Soup, Main Dish

Tags: Wonton Soup · Dumplings · Prawn Recipes · Pork Recipes · Chinese Recipes · Noodle-Free Soup

Ingredients

For the Soup Base

• 300g raw chicken wings
• 1 litre water
• 30g fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 spring onions, cut into 5cm pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• 2 pak choi, ends trimmed and halved

For the Wontons

• 1 packet frozen wonton wrappers
• 200g raw prawns, peeled and deveined
• 150g minced pork
• 70g water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 1–2 portions green pak choi, finely chopped
• Water, for sealing the wrappers

For the Wonton Filling

• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp ground white pepper
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1½ tsp sesame oil

To Garnish

• Chopped spring onions

Method

1. Make the soup base

Heat a little cooking oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the chicken wings and stir-fry for approximately 3 minutes, until lightly browned.

Add the water, sliced ginger and spring onions.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes over medium heat.

Season with the salt and white pepper.

2. Prepare the prawns

If using frozen prawns, defrost them under cold running water for 4–5 minutes.

Depending on their size, cut the prawns into approximately 1–2cm pieces.

Keep the pieces relatively chunky to give the wontons a better texture.

3. Make the wonton filling

Add the minced pork and chopped prawns to a mixing bowl.

Add the chopped water chestnuts and pak choi.

Add the cornflour, light soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, salt and sesame oil.

Mix thoroughly until the filling is well combined.

4. Wrap the wontons

Place a wonton wrapper on a clean surface or in the palm of your hand.

Add a small amount of the pork and prawn filling to the centre.

Moisten the edges with a little water.

Fold the wrapper and pinch the corners together so that all four corners meet in the centre.

Press the edges firmly to seal the wonton.

Repeat until all the filling has been used.

5. Cook the wontons

Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil.

Carefully add the wontons and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until they float to the surface and the filling is fully cooked.

6. Cook the pak choi

While the wontons are cooking, add the pak choi to the prepared soup base.

Cook for approximately 3–5 minutes, until tender but still slightly crisp.

7. Assemble and serve

Place the cooked wontons into serving bowls.

Arrange the cooked pak choi alongside the wontons.

Pour over the hot soup base.

Garnish with chopped spring onions and serve immediately.

Notes

• Seal the wontons well: Make sure there are no gaps around the edges, otherwise water can enter the wonton while cooking.
• Keep the prawns chunky: Larger pieces give the filling a more noticeable prawn texture.
• Do not overcook the pak choi: Cook it just until tender so it retains some texture.
• Cook wontons separately: Boiling them separately keeps the soup broth clear.