Wonton Noodle Soup

Cantonese Wonton Noodle Soup

A Hong Kong classic: springy egg noodles and plump shrimp-and-pork wontons in a clear, deeply savoury prawn-and-pork broth, finished with blanched choy sum.

Prep

45 min

Cook

90 min

Total

135 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1200 g (2 lb 10 oz) prawn heads and shells (from about 500 g / 1 lb 2 oz peeled prawns), reserves flavour and body for the broth
• •500 g (1 lb 2 oz) pork bones, or pork spare rib pieces
• •2000 ml (8½ cups) cold water
• •3 g (1 tsp) dried shrimp, rinsed
• •2 g (2 pieces) dried scallops, optional, but traditional
• •20 g (0.7 oz) ginger, smashed
• •3 scallion stalks scallions, white parts smashed, green tops reserved
• •15 g (1 tbsp) Shaoxing wine
• •8 g (2 tsp) salt, plus more to taste
• •250 g (9 oz) ground pork, around 20% fat
• •180 g (6½ oz) peeled raw prawn meat, from above, chopped
• •5 g (1 tsp) grated ginger
• •1 g (½ tsp) white pepper, freshly ground
• •5 ml (1 tsp) sesame oil
• •10 ml (2 tsp) soy sauce
• •5 g (1 tsp) sugar
• •10 g (1 tbsp) cornstarch
• •1 package wonton wrappers, about 30 sheets; thin Cantonese-style if available
• •400 g (14 oz) fresh thin egg noodles (wonton mein), substitute: 300 g dried thin egg noodles
• •300 g (10½ oz) choy sum, trimmed, or substitute with gai lan or baby bok choy

Steps

1. 1 Make the broth: rinse the prawn shells and pork bones under cold water, then drain. Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat and dry-roast the prawn shells for 3-4 minutes, pressing and stirring, until they turn deep orange and smell toasty. Add the pork bones and toast 2 minutes more.
2. 2 Pour in 2000 ml cold water and add the dried shrimp, dried scallops (if using), smashed ginger, smashed scallion whites, and Shaoxing wine. Bring to a rolling boil, skim off the grey foam, then reduce to a bare simmer.
3. 3 Simmer uncovered for 75 minutes, skimming occasionally, until the broth has a rich prawn aroma and a clean, slightly sweet taste. Strain through a fine sieve into a clean pot and season with 8 g salt; taste and adjust. Keep just below a simmer for serving.
4. 4 While the broth cooks, make the filling: finely chop the 180 g prawn meat (you want some texture, not a paste). In a bowl, combine it with the 250 g ground pork, 5 g grated ginger, 1 g white pepper, 5 ml sesame oil, 10 ml soy sauce, 5 g sugar, and 10 g cornstarch. Stir in one direction for 2-3 minutes until the mixture turns sticky and cohesive. Chill 15 minutes.
5. 5 Wrap the wontons: set out wrappers on a parchment-lined tray (cover with a damp cloth so they don't dry out). Place about 10 g (2 tsp) filling in the centre of each wrapper. Fold into a triangle, pressing out air and sealing the edges, then bring the two outer corners together and pinch to form a classic ingot shape. Keep covered. You should get about 24-28 wontons.
6. 6 Blanch the greens: bring a pot of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt, and blanch the choy sum for 60-90 seconds until just wilted but still bright. Lift out and divide among 4 deep bowls.
7. 7 Cook the noodles: in a separate pot of boiling water, cook the fresh egg noodles for 45-60 seconds (dried noodles: 2-3 minutes, until just tender with a springy bite). Drain, rinse briefly under warm water to remove starch, and divide among the bowls.
8. 8 Cook the wontons: in the same noodle water, gently lower the wontons and simmer 3-4 minutes, until the wrappers are translucent and the filling is firm and pink. The prawn should reach 63°C / 145°F internally and the pork should be fully cooked with no pink; cut one open to check. Lift out with a slotted spoon and place 6-7 wontons on top of the noodles in each bowl.
9. 9 Bring the broth back to a brisk boil, taste for salt (wontons and noodles will dilute it), and ladle about 450 ml of hot broth into each bowl.
10. 10 Garnish each bowl with a few slivered scallion greens and serve immediately, with a small dish of chili oil or homemade XO sauce on the side if you like.