Wonton Soup
This traditional Chinese soup is part of my Italian kitchen. Wonton Soup reminds me of cappelletti, but I enjoy the Asian flavours. Sometimes I take a shortcut and use prepared wonton wrappers, but today I make my own. The dough is a traditional warm-water italian pasta dough. For the filling I use ground beef and infuse it with ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil.
Growing up we loved Chinese food. As teenagers it would be a treat to have lunch at The Golden Dragon. I always ordered the Wonton Soup. When I visited China, they often served dumpling soup for breakfast. The Chinese also start every meal with a warm cup of water. Visiting China made me realize that what we get in a Chinese restaurant is the version of food North Americans would want to eat.
Some ingredients may be shocking to us; they use frogs, chickens’ feet, pigs ears, intestines, etc. It’s best to ask what you are eating. It’s also important to remember that our food choices stem from tradition. I remember being a kid and others laughing at my homemade salami sandwiches. Now those same people crave that salami. We can learn from each other and the food we bring to our table. Our cuisines are diverse and require cultural sensitivity.
A meatless wonton on my site https://recipesatmytable.com/mushroom-wontons-in-broth/
Here is a good article on unusual ingredients in Chinese Cooking: https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/article-chinese-cooking-unusual-ingredients.htm
Ingredients
Wonton Dough
- 2 cups flour
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup warm water
Wonton filling
- 1/2 lb of ground beef
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
Broth
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot
- parsley for garnish
Process
First, I make the dough and it is so simple and such an easy one to manipulate.
It feels silky and easy to roll with my rolling pin. I roll it out as think as I can before cutting the rectangles. I wrap the dough in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Make sure that you spray the wrap with some cooking spray.
Now it is time to cut out the rectangles. I use a simple pizza cutter to help me achieve the desired size. They don’t all have to be the same. Make sure you have a little cold water bowl handy so that you can dampen the edges of the squares before pinching them together.
I prepare the beef by adding the salt, pepper, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce.
I have my meat ready and I use a melon baller to measure out the meat to the centre of the square.
All my packages are different sizes, but the are good. I laugh because they look more like little cappelletti. That is ok. lol
I place the wontons in a pot and boil for about 8 minutes. I drain the water and add my beef stock, some salt and pepper, and my soy sauce.
After 10 minutes, I drain the water and add the beef broth and the wontons back to the pot. Next add some salt and the shredded carrots. Bring to a boil.
Cutting into the wontons. YUM!!
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