Spicy Wonton Soup
Americans have chicken soup for sick days. I have spicy wonton soup. And rosol. Honestly, I have a lot of soups for sick days — my babcia's influence runs deep and her answer to everything was broth. But spicy wonton soup is my non-Polish sick day soup, and it combines two things I love: dumplings and broth that clears your sinuses.
Ingredients
For the Wontons (Makes ~30)
- 1/2 pound ground pork 225g
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 package square wonton wrappers
For the Spicy Broth
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon chilli garlic sauce or sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- Fresh ginger slices 3-4 coins
- Bok choy or baby spinach
- Sliced green onions, cilantro, chilli crisp
Method
Make the Filling
- Mix pork, green onions, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and white pepper. Stir vigorously in one direction for about a minute — this develops the protein and makes the filling bind together instead of crumbling inside the wrapper. Same principle as pierogi filling: cohesion matters.
Fold the Wontons
- Place a wonton wrapper on your palm (it's a square — unlike round gyoza wrappers). Put 1 teaspoon of filling in the centre. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edges. Fold into a triangle and press edges firmly to seal, pushing out any air. Then bring the two bottom corners together and pinch — you get the classic wonton shape that looks like a little nurse's cap or a tortellini. The folding is simpler than gyoza pleating and much simpler than pierogi crimping. If you can fold a letter, you can fold a wonton.
- My daughter and I now have a wonton-folding assembly line. She places filling, I fold and seal. We can do 30 wontons in about 12 minutes while debating whether cats or dogs are better (she says cats, she's wrong, but I let her have this one).
Make the Broth
- Bring chicken broth to a simmer with ginger slices. Cook 5 minutes so the ginger infuses the broth. Add soy sauce, chilli garlic sauce, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. Taste: it should be savoury, slightly spicy, with a vinegar brightness. This is a broth-forward soup — the liquid should be as flavourful as the dumplings.
Cook the Wontons
- Drop wontons into the simmering broth. Cook 4-5 minutes — they'll float when done. Add bok choy or spinach in the last minute. Ladle into bowls. Top with sliced green onions, cilantro, and a drizzle of chilli crisp for extra heat and crunch.