Wonton soup (雲吞湯, Yúntūn Tāng) is a Cantonese comfort food classic, known for its thin and silky wrappers, flavourful fillings, and a fragrant and soothing broth. Cantonese-style wontons are commonly served with prawn and pork fillings in a clear broth made from pork bones or chicken stock.
Despite its simple appearance, the beauty of wonton soup lies in its balance of textures and flavours. The delicate wrappers gently hold the juicy filling, while the light, aromatic broth ties everything together. It’s a dish that brings comfort whether enjoyed at home or ordered from a classic Cantonese noodle shop.
Ingredients
For the wonton:
- Pork mince provides a rich and juicy base. Use pork with a higher fat content for the best texture.
- Prawns are roughly chopped to retain their bouncy, sweet texture. They lighten the filling and add a fresh contrast to the pork and is common in Cantonese wontons.
- Ginger are minced finely to distribute its warm, aromatic spice evenly through the filling.
- Soy sauce adds umami and light seasoning.
- Salt enhances the overall flavour.
- Sugar balances the saltiness of the filling.
- White pepper offers a gentle heat and spice without overpowering the flavour.
- Shaoxing wine removes unwanted meat odours and enhances umami.
- Sesame oil adds a nutty aroma and smooth mouthfeel.
- Corn starch helps bind the filling and creates a silkier texture.
- Egg white adds extra silkiness and helps the filling stay tender when cooked.
- For Cantonese style wontons, it is fine to use store-bought wonton wrappers. Unlike dumplings, wonton are meant to have delicate, thin and silky wrappers that are difficult and inconvenient to replicate at home with a rolling pin.
Soup Broth:
- Use homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken broth. The base of the soup should be light but flavourful.
- Ginger infuses the broth with a clean, warm aroma.
- Scallions adds sweetness and freshness to the soup. You can choose to leave it in or remove it after simmering.
- Soy sauce seasons the broth subtly.
- Salt is adjusted based on the saltiness of the broth with soy sauce.
- White pepper is a classic touch in Cantonese broths for gentle warmth.
- Fish sauce is optional. It adds umami and depth to the broth.
Garnish:
- Scallions adds freshness and colour contrast.
- Sesame oil adds a finishing aroma to the soup before serving.
Steps
- Prepare the wonton filling
- In a large bowl, combine the pork mince, prawn, ginger, soy sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, corn starch, and egg white.
- Mix until the filling becomes slightly sticky.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes to let the flavours meld.
- Wrap the wontons
- Place a suitable amount of filling in the centre of each wonton wrapper, adjusting based on the size of the wrapper.
- See linked video for wrapping demonstration.
- Repeat until all filling is used.
- Make the soup
- In a small pot, heat the chicken broth with ginger slice and scallions over medium heat.
- Simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the broth.
- Remove the ginger and scallion if you prefer a clean broth.
- Season wit soy sauce, fish sauce (optional), white pepper, and salt to taste.
- Keep warm on low heat.
- Cook the wontons
- Bring a separate pot of water to a boil.
- Drop the wontons in gently, stirring to prevent sticking.
- Once they float to the top (about 4 minutes), cook for another 1–2 minutes to ensure the filling is fully cooked.
- Assemble and serve
- Place 6–8 wontons in a serving bowl.
- Ladle hot broth over the top.
- Garnish with chopped scallions and a few drops of sesame oil.
- Serve immediately while hot.
- Freezing leftover wontons
- Lay uncooked wontons in a single layer on a tray and freeze for 1–2 hours.
- Once solid, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag.
- They can be cooked directly from frozen. It just add an extra 1-2 minutes of cooking time.
Wonton Soup
Ingredients
Wontons
- 250 g pork mince
- 150 g prawn peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 egg white
- 1 pack wonton wrappers
Soup Broth (1 serving with 6-8 wontons)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 slice ginger
- 1 scallion
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt to taste
- white pepper
- 1/4 tsp fish sauce optional
Garnish
- scallions chopped
- sesame oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pork mince, prawn, ginger, soy sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, corn starch, and egg white. Mix well until the filling becomes slightly sticky. Cover and let it marinate for at least 20 minutes in the fridge to enhance the flavours.250 g pork mince, 150 g prawn, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp white pepper, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp corn starch, 1 egg white
- Take a wonton wrapper, place 1 tbsp of filling in the centre. (see video on how to wrap wonton). Repeat until all filling is used.1 pack wonton wrappers
- In a pot, heat chicken broth, ginger slices, and scallions over medium heat. Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes to infuse flavours, then strain out the aromatics.1 cup chicken broth, 1 slice ginger, 1 scallion
- Add soy sauce, salt, white pepper and fish sauce. Keep warm over low heat.1 tsp soy sauce, salt, white pepper, 1/4 tsp fish sauce
- In a separate pot, bring water to a boil. Drop in the wontons, stir gently to prevent sticking. Boil until they float to the surface (~4 minutes), then cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer the wontons into serving bowls.
- Ladle hot broth over the wontons. Garnish with chopped scallions. Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil and serve hot!scallions, sesame oil
- Freeze and store leftover wontons: place on a tray (single layer) and freeze for 1-2 hours until solid. Transfer to airtight container or freezer bag.
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