Won-ton Soup

A restaurant favorite that can be served as an appetizer or main dish!

To eat won-tons directly translates to “swallowing clouds” in Chinese. Won-tons in won-ton soup are delicate meat dumplings that are made and prepared with care. They originated in northern China during the Han Dynasty. It is one of the most requested Chinese soups at restaurants in the United States. Americans eat won-ton soup as an appetizer or as a meal for dinner. It is seldom served for dinner in China. Typically it is eaten as an afternoon snack or a late night supper.

Won-ton soup has always been a favorite of mine. I feel I have eaten it in so many variations from countless restaurants. I like the soup as an appetizer with crunchy deep fried won-ton pieces on top. I eat it as a meal with egg noodles in the broth. Or I will eat it simply with the won-tons covered in hot broth. Please enjoy my recipe for won-ton soup! I hope it brings you as much joy and comfort as it brings me.

Won-ton Soup Recipe

Yields 8 appetizer servings and 4 main dish servings

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Directions

In a bowl, stir together all the filling ingredients. Set aside.

Assembly: (refer to image above)

1. Lay the won-ton wrapper on a plate. Orient it to a diamond shape. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the diamond.
2. With your finger, gently moisten the edges of the wrapper with water. Fold in half to make a triangle.
3. Press around the mound of filling to remove any air bubbles. Seal the edges.
4. Fold one triangle edge over the mound, repeat with the other edge to form a “hat”.

Cook:

Boil water in a large pot. Add in the won-tons. This will cool the water.

When the water comes back to a boil, add a cup of water to reduce the temperature.

When the water boils again, about 3 minutes, and all the won-tons float to the top, remove the won-tons with a strainer.

Place won-tons in soup bowls.

Broth:

Heat the broth in a pot to boiling. Pour hot broth into the soup bowls over the won-tons.

To Serve:

Serve hot. Garnish with sesame oil and green onions.

If you overcook the won-tons the wrappers will lose their texture. If the water comes to a rolling boil the wrappers may break.

Additional topping suggestions: fried won-ton pieces, boiled shrimp, barbecue pork, snow peas, mushrooms, spinach, or thinly sliced cabbage.

Make ahead instructions: Boil the won-tons according to above instructions. Place in cold water, cover, and refrigerate. To serve: drain the won-tons, reheat in microwave, and pour hot broth over the won-tons.

Deep Fried Won-ton Variation: Assemble won-tons with above instructions. Heat oil to 350 F. Deep fry won-tons for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot with dipping sauce as an appetizer.

DID YOU MAKE THIS DISH?

Tag @culinary_cupcake when you upload your photo on Instagram and hashtag #culinary_cupcake