Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Won Ton Soup with Noodles and Bok Choy


As you may know, this Friday, January 31st, kicks off Chinese Lunar New Year or 'Spring Festival' which lasts until February 14.  This new Chinese Lunar New Year will be the Year of the Horse. You can find some interesting and fun facts about Lunar New Year here. To find out if you were born in a Year of the Horse or what your Chinese astrological sign is, look here.

If you have a favorite team in the Super Bowl this Sunday, whose mascot is a horse,  this may be your lucky year :) 

In honor of the Chinese Lunar New Year, I decided to try making Wonton Soup.  I had never made wonton soup before but was inspired by a lovely post from my friend, Monique, at La Table de Nana.

I did a Google search to find out how to wrap wontons and chose the' flower bud' fold simply because I have major spring fever with the brutally cold winter we are having. Thinking of flower buds while making them just made me smile.  The fold is demonstrated in this video along with two other folds.  Making wontons is a little labor intensive but it's relaxing if you do it on the weekend, which I did. 


I also did a few internet searches on wonton soup recipes and, since I wanted a slightly 'heartier' soup for my husband, picked parts of the recipe Monique shared and the one for wonton noodle soup that I found at Steamy Kitchen. I enjoyed the addition of the baby bok choy and the suggestion to serve it with chili garlic sauce on the side.  Delicious!  I had a hard time finding ground pork that I felt was lean enough.  Next time, I may grind my own or have the butcher grind a leaner piece of pork for me.


I am so glad I was inspired to try making wonton soup.  There are many variations you can find and I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. You could even make it totally vegetarian and use a hearty vegetable stock and fill the wontons with a variety of vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, mushrooms, bean sprouts and tofu. Also, if you decide you like it, you can freeze wontons after cooking them and freeze them for a quick meal in the future.  Steamy Kitchen has excellent tips for freezing. 


Happy Lunar New Year to all of my friends and followers and may it be a lucky one for all of you. 

Wonton Noodle Soup with Baby Bok Choy

Adapted from La Table de Nana and Steamy Kitchen

Serves 4-6

¼ pound lean ground pork
¼ pound large shrimp, deveined and chopped
5-6 strands of fresh chives, or 4 green onions, sliced thin (2 for the wontons and 2 for garnish)
1 teaspoon cornstarch (or 1 beaten egg white) as a binder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
Cornstarch slurry made with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ¼ cup water
1 lb of won ton wrappers thawed
6 ounces dried wonton noodles or thin egg noodles
½ pound baby bok choy, rinsed well
2 quarts chicken broth or stock (I always have Kitchen Basics Unsalted Chicken Stock on hand)
salt and pepper

Optional garnishes:
Sesame oil for drizzling over soup
Chili Garlic sauce
Sliced green onions or chives

In a large bowl, combine the pork, shrimp, green onion or chives, cornstarch or egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and grated ginger. Mix well. Put a scant teaspoon of filling in the middle of a wonton wrapper, brush cornstarch slurry on all edges. Fold corners together to make a triangle, pressing outward gently to remove any air bubbles. Finish using whatever wonton fold that you wish using extra slurry to secured. Place on clean, dry plate in one layer and cover loosely with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel to prevent drying. Repeat with remaining filling and wontons. My recipe made 32 wrapped wontons.

In a large stockpot, add all the stock and bring to a gentle boil. Add filled wontons and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until they float to the top. Remove with a spider or sieve and place on a large dish with sides and cover with a damp paper towel.

Return the stock to a boil and add the noodles. Cook according to package directions. During the last 3 minutes, add the bok choy. Add any loose leaves during the last minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Return as many wontons that you wish to serve back into the pot to reheat for a minute. Ladle the wontons, noodles, stock and boy choy into serving bowls. Garnish with more chives or chopped green onions, drizzle with a little sesame oil and serve with chili garlic sauce, if desired.

64 comments:

  1. I saw Monique's version and was tempted. Now I'm even more inspired. If one was rooting for the team with a "horse", would this be appropriate fare? The truth is, none of my teams made it--almost though. I think I'm just going to "root" for the best food served this year.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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    1. Not exactly football-watching-finger-food but delicious :) May the best food win!

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  2. what amazing soup Susan Look absolutely delicious!!
    and your pics are geogeous!
    xxxx

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  3. and Happy New chinese year!!
    (Im a horse) :)

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    1. Thank you, Gloria. I am a dog. Horses and dogs get along well together according to the astrology website :)

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  4. Beautiful! I made more wontons today and froze..
    I am happy you made this..it suits you..I knew you would like it..Your flower wontons are perfection!
    Beautiful clics! Love the Bok Choy addition!!
    We both find this soup so appetizing to look at and delicious to eat..
    Have a great SP weekemd!

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  5. This looks like an amazing soup Susan, one of those all day labor of love type meals! Good news about the Super Bowl too:@)

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    1. Not all day but it did take over 30 minutes just to wrap the wontons! I probably was able to crank out one a minute.

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  6. Oh my!!! Would love a couple of bowls of that for dinner tonight - Sounds and looks wonderful!! A restaurant in the area used to have a very good won ton soup, but they must have changed cooks as it does not taste as good, and their fried rice is not like it used to taste. Guess I will settle with one of those so called "healthy" things in the microwave tonight. :D
    Stay warm!!!

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    1. Wish you lived closer, Glenda. I could have brought some to you :)

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  7. Absolutely perfect soup for these frigid winter days.

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  8. Beautiful soup! If I lived closer I could have supplied you with baby bok choy from my garden(after tonight, it may be the end. We are expecting snow in north Florida).

    Stay warm and enjoy the soup.

    Velva

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    1. Fresh-from-the-garden baby bok choy would have been wonderful, Velva! I saw what happened in Atlanta - yikes!

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  9. That looks so good! Perfect for this freezing weather. Can't wait make it!
    -Lynn

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  10. Perfect soup. I love this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

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  11. Beautiful soup...those wonton flower buds are truly a work of art, Susan. I haven't done very much Oriental cooking, not sure I would be confident enough to try this.
    Have a great week.

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    1. It really isn't difficult at all, Marigene, once you get the hang of it.

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  12. I LOVE won ton soup! I remember the first time I tried it was in my grade 2 class when a parent came in to teach us how to make them. This looks SO good!!

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  13. Susan, your wonton soup looks wonderfully delicious and warming.

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  14. This soup is calling for me...this is the kind of food that I grew up with...yours look perfect Susan.
    Hope you are having a great week :D

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  15. such a pretty looking soup and is exactly what i'd like for my lunch... if you could sort this out for me?

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  16. Funny, Susan! We are thinking alike. :) Wherever did you find baby bok choy? Couldn't find it anyplace around here and had to trim a regular bok choy to fit in the serving bowl!

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  17. I've never had wonton soup in a restaurant that looked this good and with as many wontons. I liked the way you placed the bok choy for presentation - as the rain is moving in it makes me want a big bowl.

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    1. I heard the weather is awful in the south, Larry. Stay warm!

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  18. You have a career ahead of you as a won ton maker. Gorgeous bowl of soup and perfect dumplings. AS always, the photo is perfect. You can see why they are an ancient treat that never went out of style.

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  19. Oh wow, your soup looks amazing and the wontons looks perfect! You are truly a good cook! It's still really cold out today with all the snow we got yesterday. A bowl of your soup would be wonderful right now!

    Michael :-)

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    1. Thank you, Michael. Hope the south warms up soon (and here in the Midwest too!).

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  20. How perfect on a cold chilly night to curl up to a nice bowl of this.

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  21. Light broth, dumplings, and vegetables = Delicious!

    Susan, Jim and I got stuck in our driveway earlier today, so your Wonton Soup would've been ideal, here, in Antarctica. You'd think that being a 'Rooster' I would've been more prepared :)

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    1. LOL, so your keen, rooster sixth-sense failed you? Antarctica here as well the past several days :(

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  22. What a delicious soup, I really want to slurp up that broth and enjoy the lovely wontons :D

    Cheers
    CCU

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  23. Nice recipe, we always celebrate Chinese New Year. Not that we need an excuse to eat Chinese at any time of year really.

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  24. Wow your photos are outstanding. The soup is absolutely beautiful and the information fascinating. And yes I am rooting for the horse this weekend! Go Broncos!!

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  25. Beautiful pics Susan and the wonton soup looks so warming. Loved the info about Chinese New Year.

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  26. OMG, this is such a beautiful soup Susan! I wish I could have a bowl in front of me right now! It is chilly tonight and this soup would be just the right thing for me!

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  27. Susan, this is the perfect Chinese New Year recipe, I would say. So easy and super tasty! I woul love to have this soup everyday. :)

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  28. What an attractive soup Susan. I've never attempted won tons and I am very impressed.
    Sam

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  29. Just found your site and want to try the wonton recipe and the pecan hearts. I seem to be a blog dunce because I don't see how to browse your recipes by category or label. Can you help?

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    1. Thanks for letting me know, I've put a label 'cloud' on my side bar. Hope that helps!

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  30. Hell Susan, wow your Wong tong soup sounds very amazing and delicious, I’m defunded going to give this yummy soup a try …p.s. you have the amazing recipes on here and all so I did try the Chinese’s egg rolls and are a keeper” Yummy”

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  31. This is Joe's favorite soup ;o) Maybe I will surprise him!

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  32. Your wonton soup looks much better than any I've ever had in a restaurant! Those wontons are fabulous. :)

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  33. Would love a bowl of that for dinner,sounds and looks delicious Susan ! I'm a dog ...have a great day,hugs

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  34. I have some won tons in the freezer and was just thinking of using them in soup. Your recipe looks so hearty and delicious, Susan. There is nothing better on a cold, rainy day.

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  35. We love all your soups! This is perfect for the Chinese New Year! Easy and delicious recipe, thanks again.

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  36. What a delicious way to celebrate Chinese New Year!
    Apart from that, it's such a great comfort food for these cold days.

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  37. I can never get enough soup and this one looks divine!

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  38. Looks delicious for a cold winter day. Beautiful photos!

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  39. This is my third time trying to comment. I keep getting whoops messages. I will come in through Goodle instead of my blog and see if it works.

    This has to be my favorite soup in the world. Your wontons are beauties.

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    1. Sorry you had such a had time commenting! I'm glad you finally succeeded :)

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  40. Not only am I super impressed with your wonton SKILLZ but I'm also totally loving this soup. So warm and cozy.

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  41. We love a homemade wonton soup, and yours is divine! Love this soup! Thanks for a great recipe, Susan.

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