Hot and Sour Wonton Soup
A special northern-style wonton soup (suan tang hun tun / 酸汤馄饨) with an amazing fragrance. The slight tartness in the broth is right on point to stimulate the appetite. Ingredient tip: seaweed (紫菜) is optional and can be replaced by mushroom slices for a different but flavorful dimension. Makes 30-35 wontons; serves 2.
Ingredients
| 227 g | ground pork | |
| 1/2 cup | 120 ml | diced scallion |
| 9 g | garlic, grated (about 3 cloves) | |
| 8 g | ginger, grated | |
| 1/3 tsp | 1.7 ml | ground white pepper |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | soy sauce |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | oyster sauce |
| 1/2 Tbsp | 7.5 ml | sesame oil |
| 30-35 | wonton wrappers | |
| 2.5 Tbsp | 38 ml | pork lard or vegetable oil |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | minced garlic (for broth) |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | diced white part of scallions |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | minced ginger (for broth) |
| 1 | star anise | |
| 1 | cinnamon stick | |
| 2 | bay leaves | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | whole Sichuan peppercorns |
| 4 cups | 960 ml | water or stock |
| 1/3 cup | 80 ml | Chinese black vinegar |
| 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | soy sauce (for broth) |
| 1/2 Tbsp | 7.5 ml | brown sugar |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt or to taste |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | seaweed, optional |
| 3 liters | water (to cook the wontons) | |
| 3 Tbsp | 45 ml | red chili oil, optional |
| 3 Tbsp | 45 ml | diced cilantro, for garnish |
| 3 Tbsp | 45 ml | diced green part of scallions, for garnish |
Instructions
Make the wontons: 1) Combine the ground pork, diced scallions, grated garlic, ginger, white pepper, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil in a bowl and stir in one direction for a few minutes to develop texture. 2) If the wonton wrappers are frozen, defrost overnight in the fridge or 1 hour on the counter. 3) Put 1.5 tsps filling in the middle of each wrapper, gather the edges, and pinch – wontons don't need to be fully sealed, so don't worry about shape. Refrigerate for now. Meal-prep tip: freeze uncooked for up to 3 months and boil straight from frozen (takes a bit longer).
Make the broth: 1) Add the pork lard, minced garlic, ginger, and diced scallions to a stockpot and saute over medium-low heat 2-3 minutes until the aromatics are slightly golden at the edges. 2) Add the star anise, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, and Sichuan peppercorns and stir a minute until golden brown. 3) Pour in 4 cups water or stock and bring to a boil. 4) Season with the black vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and salt to taste (skip salt if using salted store-bought stock). 5) Add a bunch of dried seaweed and cook 20 more seconds; set the broth aside.
Cook and serve: 1) Fill a separate pot with 3 liters of water and bring to a boil. Swirl the water into a cyclone, add the wontons, and cook on medium-low 3-5 minutes until they float. Avoid a rapid boil or the wrappers will break. 2) Use a slotted spoon to transfer the wontons into the sour broth. Garnish with diced scallions and cilantro and drizzle in red chili oil for a spicy kick.