Name: Spicy Wonton Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: FOR THE STOCK; 10 dried shiitake mushrooms (optional); 2 tbsp chilli garlic oil plus more to garnish; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 x 5cm (2 inch) piece ginger, cut into thick coins and lightly smashed; 4 spring onions, roughly chopped; 1 onion, roughly chopped; 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns, lightly crushed; 1 x 1.5k (3 lbs) chicken or the carcasses of 3 chickens; 1 tsp dark brown sugar (or to taste); 4 tbsp black rice vinegar; Salt to taste; FOR THE WONTONS; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp minced ginger; 2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped; 2 tsp sesame oil; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tsp dark brown sugar (or to taste); 4 tbsp black rice vinegar; 300g (3/4 lb) ground pork; 150g (1/3 lb) raw prawns, peeled and cleaned; 24 (approx.) square wonton skins; TO SERVE; 4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced; Chilli oil and some of the goop at the bottom, to taste (optional); Chinese chilli garlic paste (optional)

A delicious chicken stock and spicy wonton soup all in one recipe.

One of the things I have always insisted on when making a stock bases soup like this spicy wonton soup is that I use homemade stock.

For many, this is an extra chore they don’t want to take on. It really isn’t difficult and for this recipe I show you how to get that homemade stock while cooking the spicy wonton soup, all at the same time.

For best results, use a homemade stock for your spicy wonton soup.

The chicken stock…

If you already have some homemade Asian style chicken stock, you can use that for this spicy wonton soup recipe. You’ll need 1 liter (4 cups) of stock.

This all in one recipe makes about 2 liters (8 cups) of stock, so enough for this recipe and another. The extra stock can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen for about 6 months.

What makes this spicy wonton soup recipe spicy?

The recipe is actually quite mild. The spice is added at the end scooping Chinese chilli garlic paste and/or chilli oil over the top to serve.

So if you are serving people who don’t like spicy food, you’re safe. They can leave out the spicy ingredients and enjoy the mild version.

The ingredients…

Most of the Chinese ingredients in this recipe can be found at large supermarkets. They are definitely available from Chinese grocers and also online.

If you have trouble souring any of them, try this recipe anyway. It will still be delicious.

Step by step photographs

There are a lot of ingredients but don’t let that scare you off. Get them all together before starting.

Fry the garlic, ginger and spring onions for about 40 seconds in the oil and then add the Szechuan peppercorns.

Add the chicken and bring to a simmer. Be sure to skim off any foam. Cook the chicken for 60 minutes on a low temperature and then removed.

About that chicken…

For this recipe, I decided to show you just how easy it is to make a delicious, light chicken stock. The chicken isn’t actually used in the recipe but after one hour, it will be perfect for many other uses.

If you already have some homemade unsalted chicken stock. Just fry up the garlic, ginger, spring onions (scallions) and Szechuan peppercorns and add the stock instead of the chicken and water.

I often remove the chicken meat after an hour and continue simmering the carcass for even better flavour.

While the stock is simmering, prepare the wonton filling. Place all the filling ingredients up to and including the vinegar in a food processor and blend to a paste.

Add the meat and prawns and blend again until smooth.

Place a tablespoon of the filling in the centre of a wonton skin.

Wet the edges with some water and fold it over to form triangle. Be sure to press the seems hard.

Then wrap the two corners around the filling and press hard again so nothing escapes when simmering.

Once the stock is ready, strain and return one litre to the pot. The rest can be frozen or kept in the fridge for 4 days.

Add the soaked quartered mushrooms and simmer for about ten minutes.

Add the wontons and simmer until cooked to your liking. Stir in the vinegar and brown sugar.

Serve topped with chilli oil and/or Chinese Chilli Garlic paste.

If you like this spicy wonton soup recipe, try some of these too…

Salt and Pepper Chicken
Sesame Chicken
Sweet and Sour Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken
Szechuan Chicken
Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

Dig in!

Yield: 4

Spicy Wonton Soup

The cooking time for this spicy wonton recipe assumes you already have homemade stock to use. If not, please add an hour to the cooking time. Details below.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

FOR THE STOCK
10 dried shiitake mushrooms (optional)
2 tbsp chilli garlic oil plus more to garnish
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 x 5cm (2 inch) piece ginger, cut into thick coins and lightly smashed
4 spring onions, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns, lightly crushed
1 x 1.5k (3 lbs) chicken or the carcasses of 3 chickens
1 tsp dark brown sugar (or to taste)
4 tbsp black rice vinegar
Salt to taste
FOR THE WONTONS
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp dark brown sugar (or to taste)
4 tbsp black rice vinegar
300g (3/4 lb) ground pork
150g (1/3 lb) raw prawns, peeled and cleaned
24 (approx.) square wonton skins
TO SERVE
4 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
Chilli oil and some of the goop at the bottom, to taste (optional)
Chinese chilli garlic paste (optional)

Instructions

Cover the dried mushrooms with boiling water if using. Set aside for later. Heat the chilli garlic oil over medium heat in a saucepan that is large enough to contain the chicken or chicken carcasses.
Add the garlic, ginger, spring onions (scallions) and onion and fry for about a minute to soften. Stir in the Szechuan peppercorns and stir for a few seconds and then add the chicken or chicken carcasses and just enough water to cover.
Simmer for one hour. If using a whole chicken, be sure to remove it after an hour so that you don’t overcook the meat. The chicken meat isn’t used in this recipe so cut it off the carcass to use for other recipes. If using just bones, you could simmer the stock much longer for a richer flavour.
While the stock is simmering, you can prepare the wontons. Place all of the wonton ingredients up to and including the sugar into a food processor and blend to a paste.
Add the prawns and pork and process a little longer until you have a course paste. Take a wonton skin and put about a tablespoon of the filling in the centre.
Wet the sides of the wonton skin with a little water and fold it over to form a triangle shape and then bring two of the corners together around the filling. Press the seams tightly so that there is no way that filling can escape. Repeat with the remaining filling and wonton skins.
Once the stock is finished, sieve it, discarding the solids and return one liter (4 cups) the stock to the pot. You can keep any remaining stock in the fridge for a few days or freeze it for up to 6 months.
Add the soaked mushrooms along with the brown sugar and black rice vinegar. Taste it and adjust to your liking, adding more sugar, vinegar and salt to your liking.
Add the prepared wontons and simmer for about five minutes or until the filling is cooked through.
To serve, divide the soup and wontons into serving bowls and top with more chilli oil and/or Chinese chilli garlic paste and the solids from the oil to your preference along with finely chopped spring onions (scallions) to garnish.

I hope you enjoy this spicy wonton soup recipe. If you do try it, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.