How to make wonton soup with pork (Thai style)

Wonton soup is a quick and easy dish to make.

The wonton soup, Thai style, is a meal by itself and one of the most popular Thai soups. Originally from China, different countries, including Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States, have all put their own spins on it. The dish goes well with barbecued pork or grilled chicken, though most people like to eat it by itself. It needs little preparation and requires little cooking time. You can have this soup on your table in less than 30 minutes.

Things You'll Need

• For Wontons:
• 500 g pork or chicken
• 300 g vegetables (carrots, beats, beans, cabbage)
• 3 spring onions
• Coriander leaves -- a few sprigs
• Pinch of white pepper
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. corn flour
• 5 tbsp. chopped onion
• 1 tsp. chopped ginger
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic
• 1 egg white
• 2 liters salted water
• 1 packet wonton wrappers
• Food processor
• For Soup:
• 2 liters broth/ chicken stock
• 2 tsp. chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp. diced carrot
• 2 tbsp. spring onions (green part only)

Instructions

1. Mix the following ingredients: pork or chicken, carrots, beats, beans, cabbage, spring onions, coriander leaves, white pepper, soy sauce, corn flour, chopped onion and chopped ginger. Run the whole mixture through the food processor to grind it into a fine texture. You have the option of chopping the pork or chicken into tiny pieces (like mincemeat) if you do not want to run it through food processor. Add salt and set it aside for about 10 minutes for the flavors to mix.

2. Take a wonton wrapper and turn it around in your hand to make it look like a cone with an open top. Fill it with one tsp. of the mixture. Dip your fingers in the egg white, and apply it to the open side of the cone. Close the top of the cone carefully to form little triangular pockets. Repeat this until you finish with all of the mixture. Gently squeeze the wontons when you seal them to remove any air bubbles.

3. Boil the salted water and when the water is boiling, carefully introduce the wontons into the water. Stir a little (a few seconds) to prevent the wontons from sticking to one another. Let the water boil for about five minutes. Stop cooking when the wontons start floating.

4. Remove the wontons and place them in serving bowls.

5. Bring the broth or chicken stock to boil. Dice the coriander leaves, and carrots and the green parts of the spring onions, leaving some leftover onion shoots for garnishing. Drop the diced vegetables into the boiling mixture. Boil them for about two to three minutes so they are steamed but still retain their crispiness and color. Remove them from oven. Pour a ladle full of this mix over the wontons in the bowls and garnish.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful that the wonton packets used in step two are packed especially tightly so no air gets in to form bubbles or "clouds," as the Chinese call them.

References

• Thaipan; Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup; Jan. 16, 2008
• Appetite for China: Making Hong-Kong Style Wonton Noodle Soup; Nov. 18, 2008