Making wontons is a labour of love. After you have prepared the filling, each little parcel has to be neatly primped and folded with precision and care so they don't explode later when cooking. Wonton wrapping can be a social activity though, I've often sat around with family, all of us helping out to make light work. This time I sat with Mr 3yrs. He passed me wonton wrappers as I filled and folded. We had about an hour, just to two of us, rhythmically passing and folding while discussing all things important to a 3 year old boy: dinosaurs, monsters, robots and Toy Story 4.
Someone asked me recently what was the best thing my mother taught me. Without missing a beat, I answered: the love of cooking and how to nurture through cooking. This soup actually holds a special place in my heart. Anyone who's had a baby can attest to those first couple of days home from hospital being the hardest. Your body has gone through a physical trauma, lack of sleep, establishing feeding and you are so overwhelmed with the sheer challenge of parenthood in front of you. Not to mention those post natal hormones raging through your body! On this day, my mum showed up on my door step with bags of food. She waltzed into my kitchen and began cooking me wonton soup. I just burst into tears then and there because in that moment I knew I had her full support and help with this baby and my new life as a parent.
“That soup not only physically restored me but it showed me that I was loved without my mum having to say a word.”
Those special moments of cooking together and for each other is the most valuable thing my mum taught me and its something I try to teach my boys every day. This happens to be Mr 3yr's favourite dish so it's my pleasure to make it for him and with him.
This recipe makes a large batch so I usually freeze half of the wontons before the cooking stage and use them later. They cook beautifully from frozen, just drop them into boiling broth.
Wonton Soup an original recipe by Kimberley Kells
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6 Adults or 4 adults 4 kids
500g Pork Mince
230g Tin Water Chestnuts, chopped
3 Spring Onions, chopped + extra for topping
1 Thumb Sized Piece of Ginger, grated
40g Dried Shitake Mushrooms, re-hydrated in boiling water then chopped
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon White Pepper
2 x 250g Packs of Wonton Wrappers
3 Litres Chicken Broth, home made or store bought, salted to taste
1 Bunch Chinese Broccoli, chopped
2 Fresh Chillis (or to taste), chopped
Step 1- Make the filling: in a mixing bowl, combine the minced pork, water chestnuts, spring onions, ginger, shitake mushrooms, soy sauce, white sugar, white pepper. Taste for seasoning and balance.
Step 2- Wrap the wontons (see video filmed by Mr 3yr. Please ignore him talking at the end! #theysaidneverworkwithchildren): take a teaspoon amount of the filling, place into the centre of a wonton wrapper, using a finger dipped in water, trace around the edge of the wrapper, fold in half to make a rectangle squeezing out the air and seal the edges, wet one corner and fold back on itself. Repeat until all the filling is used.
Step 4- Heat the broth to boiling point and drop in the wontons. They should take a couple of minutes to cook, but I always pull one out and cut in half to check.
Step 4- Drop in the Chinese broccoli and serve into bowls immediately. The residual heat in the stock will be plenty to wilt the greens. Top with more spring onion and fresh chilli.
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