Wonton Soup with Enokitake Mushrooms.

What a great soup this was. This was strictly do-once improvisation driven by available ingredients. I had a Vietnamese Pho stock, I had my own wontons and there was coriander and Enokitake mushrooms that I bought last Sunday on a trip to London (London, Ontario, that is). Since everything was on my mise-en-place table it took just 15 minutes from start to plating. Nothing wrong with this type of “cooking from scratch”, if you ask me. After all, I did make the stock, I did make the dough for wontons and I did make the filling. Not at the same time, but I did make it from scratch.

Wonton Soup

Wonton soup is probably best known Chinese soup in North America. There are many versions of not only fillings but also shape of the dumplings. I usually make the simple traditional triangle wontons. If you have a stock and ground pork on hand it is very simple and fast comfort food to prepare and can be a whole meal in itself, just fill the soup bowl with wontons is all it takes.

Filling:

3/4 lb. lean ground pork

4 green onions, finely chopped

3 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. sake

1 tsp. sesame oil

1/4 tsp. white pepper

2 tsp. fresh grated ginger

2 tsp. crushed garlic

4 medium shitake mushrooms, soaked and chopped

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. sugar

wonton wrappers

Broth:

10 cups of chicken stock (canned or carton is fine)

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp. crushed garlic

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 green onions, chopped diagonally for garnish

Dumplings:

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.

Working on a flat work surface, lay out a few of the wontons. (Keep remaining wonton wrappers covered with plastic wrap.) Fill a small bowl partially with cool water and set aside. Using a teaspoon measure, place a heaping teaspoonful of the meat filling in the center of each wonton. Using your fingers or brush, lightly wet the edges of the wonton. Bring 2 opposite corners of the wonton together to form a triangle and enclose the filling, pressing edges firmly around the mound of filling to eliminate any air pockets and seal. Assemble the remaining wontons in the same manner. When the wontons are all assembled, set aside.
Soup:

In a sauce pan or soup pot bring stock, soy sauce, garlic and ginger to boil. Carefully drop wontons into soup and stir to separate them. After dumpling come to surface, simmer additional 5 minutes and serve with chopped green onions.

Ready for assembly.

Pres two oposing corners together...

and press around filling to squeeze out air.

Ready for a soup.