Wonton Soup {SRS}

So you know I love recipe swaps, right?

I love having the opportunity to delve in to blogs, sifting through the archives and finding great recipes.

This month, I was invited to be a part of the first ever Surprise Recipe Swap!  In this club, members are secretly assigned a partner, we cook up something fabulous from that blog and then share it on the 20^th of each month.  Keep on scrolling to the end of the recipe for your chance to join up!  The more the merrier!

For the first ever SRS, I was assigned to Erika’s blog, Learning the Ropes, One Recipe at a Time.  Erika strives to live a frugal lifestyle and to incorporate fresh ingredients and whole foods into her family’s diet.  She also makes her own household cleaners and shares the recipes!

As I searched through her recipes, I was immediately drawn to the soups (I know, big shock, I’m always drawn to soups).  In particular the wonton soup, since that is one of my husband’s favorites.  I’ve already tackled Egg Drop Soup as one of my 30x30 recipes, so why not try wonton?

Overall the soup was absolutely delicious.  It hit the spot on a cold, blizzardy day.  I made a few changes from Erika’s recipe.  I swapped out the ground chicken for pork and added a bit more spice to the meat mixture.  Overall this was absolutely delicious and will definitely be made again in the near future!  Thank you for a fantastic recipe, Erika!

Recipe Notes:

 *Plan at least 1 hour for wrapping the wontons, especially if you are working alone.

*I had about ¼ pound pork mixture left over.  You may need additional wonton wrappers & broth or use the leftover meat in egg rolls or fried rice (recipes coming soon – stay tuned!)

Wonton Soup

Adapted from Learning the Ropes, One Recipe at a Time

6 green onions, thinly sliced

1 lb ground pork

1 tbsp sesame or canola oil

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 egg

¼ cup dry bread crumbs 

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp sea salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 package wonton wrappers

Another egg, beaten

8-10 cups chicken broth 

4 oz button mushrooms, sliced

¼ head of nappa cabbage, chopped (or 1 head of bok choy)

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the green onions, pork, oil, soy sauce, egg, bread crumbs, ginger, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Mix by hand until thoroughly combined.

Place 1 heaping teaspoon of pork filling into the center of each wonton wrapper (I found it useful to use a small scoop filled only half full).

Folding the wontons can get a little interesting.  Here is a horribly drawn diagram I made, otherwise there will likely be instructions on the wonton wrapper package.  Or you can also check youtube.  People make videos for everything, I’d imagine wonton wrapping would be on there.

So looking at the diagram, you place the filling into the center of the wonton and brush beaten egg across the top two adjoining edges.  Fold the bottom part up and press to seal.

Next, add egg wash to the bottom two corners (the ones that are folded).  Bring the two corners together and pinch to seal.

Last, take that bottom tip (with the two corners pinched together) and make sure it still has some egg wash.  Fold those corners (together) up and press firmly to the back of the wonton. 

Repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers and filling.  I find it useful to place the finished wontons on a baking sheet until I’m ready to cook them.

To cook, add the wontons to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes.

While the wontons cook, heat 8 cups of chicken stock to a boil.  Add the mushrooms and cabbage and cook for about 5 minutes.

Scoop the wontons out of the water with a slotted spoon and add them to the chicken stock, adding additional chicken stock as needed.  Cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Stir in the remaining green onions and serve.

Serves 8-10