Crispy Wonton Soup
The freshly cooked crisp wontons are supposed to sizzle and "Sing" in the hot soup as they are taken to the table.
Ingredients
- 2 wood ears, soaked for 30 minutes in warm water to cover
- 1.2 litres / 2 pints / 5 cups home-made chicken stock
- 2.5cm / 1in piece fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- 2 rich-green inner spring greens leaves, finely shredded
- 50g / 2oz drained canned bamboo shoots, sliced
- 25ml / 1½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2.5ml / ½ tsp sesame oil
- salt and ground black pepper
For the filled wontons:
- 5ml / 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ small onion, finely chopped
- 10 drained canned water chestnuts, finely chopped
- 115g / 4oz finely minced pork
- 24 wonton wrappers groundnut oil, for deep frying
Preparation
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- Make the filled wontons. Heat the sesame oil in a small pan, add the onion, water chestnuts and pork and fry, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink. Tip into a bowl, season to taste and leave to cool.
- Place the wonton wrappers under a slightly dampened dish towel so that they do not dry out. Next, dampen the edges of a wonton wrapper. Place about 5ml / 1 tsp of the filling in the centre of the wrapper. Gather it up like a purse and twist the top or roll up as you would a baby spring roll. Fill the remaining wontons in the same way.
- Make the soup. Drain the wood ears, trim away any rough stems, then slice thinly. Bring the stock to the boil, add the ginger and the spring onions and simmer for 3 minutes. Add the sliced wood ears, shredded spring greens, bamboo shoots and soy sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the sesame oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover and keep hot.
- Heat the oil in a wok to 190°C/375°F and fry the wontons, in batches if necessary, for 3-4 minutes or until they are crisp and golden brown all over. Ladle the soup into six warmed soup bowls and share the wontons among them. Serve immediately.
COOK'S TIP
The wontons can be filled up to two hours ahead. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with cornflour to prevent them from sticking and leave in a cool place.
Serves 6.