This wor wonton soup is deliciously filling, satisfying, and easier to make at home than you might think. Using Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth for the soup base (plus loads of greens and vegetables), all that’s needed is a little bit of patience to wrap up the pork and shrimp wontons.
Before you know it, you’ll have yourself an authentic homemade wor wonton soup (and Chinese take-out will be on the back burner).
What Is Wor Wonton Soup?
Wonton soup is a traditional Chinese soup that’s made with broth, vegetables, and wontons (small steamed dumplings) that are usually filled with minced pork and/or shrimp—but some recipes also use ground turkey, chicken, and added vegetables. You can also make wontons completely vegetarian with shiitake mushrooms and spinach. It’s entirely up to you and your preferences.
The word “wor” means “everything” in Chinese, which is why there are no tight “rules” when it comes to making wor wonton soup. In fact, making wonton soup is probably the most delicious and effective way to clean out your produce drawer. As long as you have a tasty broth for the wonton soup base and once your wontons are made, you can add any other ingredients to the soup your heart desires. Finish it off with a drizzle of hot chili oil or sesame oil and prepare to be hooked.
For this wor wonton soup recipe, we’ve kept the veggie portion simple by adding chopped green onion and watercress. However, we encourage you to consider more veggies, such as carrots, baby corn, broccoli, and baby bok choy. They would all be great additions.
Is It Difficult to Make Homemade Wontons?
Wrapping wontons can take some practice (and practice makes perfect), but it becomes easier when you remember the general rule of thumb: the key to making perfect wonton fillings are to keep them wet and sticky, but not watery.
In other words, the texture you’re looking for in your wonton fillings is like a paste. If the filling is too wet, the wonton wrappers will rip when you fold them. You want the ingredients in the wonton filling to stick together. Adding a little bit of soy sauce, salt, or oil to the filling mix will do the trick to keep everything in place.
A note on choosing your vegetables for your wonton fillings (if using them)…
If you use vegetables with a high water content, such as zucchini or celery, your wontons may not turn out. This is because these veggies can add too much water to the filling and, again, tear apart the wonton papers.
You can use a bit of salt to help draw the water out of the vegetables before mixing them into the filling, but if this is your first time making homemade wontons, we advise against this. Instead, stick to fool-proof veggies with a lower water content, such as napa cabbage, broccoli, and mushrooms.
Classic Wor Wonton Soup
This simple wor wonton soup recipe teaches you to make homemade pork and shrimp wontons. Enjoy this authentic Chinese soup with veggies and a bone broth base.
Ingredients
- 40 large wonton wrappers
FOR THE WONTON FILLING – SHRIMP:
- 20 medium-sized shrimp peeled and deveined, cut into half lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
FOR THE WONTON FILLING – PORK:
- 1 pound 80% lean ground pork
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 6 ounces watercress chopped (about 4 cups)
FOR THE WONTON SOUP BASE:
- 8 cups Kettle & Fire Chicken Bone Broth (4 cartons)
- 2 cups watercress or other desired green vegetables (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped green onion for garnishing
- Hot chili oil or sesame oil for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
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Combine the shrimp filling ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
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Combine pork, ginger, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar in a big mixing bowl. Stir well.
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Add olive oil, salt, and watercress in the pork mixture. Use both of your hands to mix all ingredients together.
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Prepare a flat work surface by dusting with a little flour. Spread it out with your hand. Prepare a small bowl of water on the side.
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Now wrap the wontons. Lay one wrapper flat on your palm of one hand, the narrow side facing you. Scoop up about 1 tablespoon pork filling and place in the center of the wonton wrapper. Add a piece of shrimp on top.
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Lift the narrow side of the wrapper and fold towards the wide side of the wrapper, covering the filling completely. The narrow side should go up to the point where there’s about half-inch room left to the wide side.
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Slightly dip your thumb into the water. Use your fingers to pinch the narrow- and wide-side edges of the wrappers together around the filling, then bend the wonton into the shape of a nurse’s hat, using your wet thumb to press the two ends together.
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Repeat with the rest of the wrappers and place the wontons on the working surface in one single layer with a little distance between each one.
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the number of wontons that you want to cook. Let them boil for about 5 minutes until they float. Taste one to see if the filling is cooked through.
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At the same time, bring chicken bone broth (2 cups for 10-12 wontons) to a boil in another pot. Add some watercress or your desired green vegetables, like baby bok choy. Cook until the vegetables are wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Transfer the soup base to a serving bowl, and drop the cooked wontons into the bowl using a slotted spoon. Garnish with chopped green onions and drizzle with hot chili oil or sesame oil if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Halve the shrimps (instead of using them whole in the filling) so the filling will cook through easily. It’s easier to work them with while wrapping the wontons, as well.
- Alternatively, you could cook some noodles together with your wontons, drain the noodles and wontons well, and transfer them to the prepared wonton soup base. That is a delicious bowl of wonton noodle soup, my friend!
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