How to innovate Wonton Soup?
Sunday is my favorite day to cook. I usually start Sunday supper in the early afternoon before exercising and then finish it up afterwards. Last Sunday I was planning to make one of our favorite dishes: the Tastiest Carnitas North of the Border. However, since we were all feeling run down with a cold I decided to make wonton soup with homemade dumplings. At the last minute I changed my mind about the dumplings and chose to use the filling of the dumplings to prepare meatballs and to add egg noodles into the soup to replace the wonton wrappers. Not having to roll out 50 wonton dumplings would save a fair amount of time, especially since I like to make my own wonton wrappers.
Homemade chicken broth would be the best option for this Open Wonton Soup. If you don’t have homemade broth, use either cans of chicken broth or chicken bouillon cubes. Even though I was using chicken bouillon cubes to prepare the broth, I improved it a bit by boiling 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) of skinless chicken breasts in water and later adding some bones from the pork shoulders I used to make the meatballs. I also added some extra garlic and some hatcho miso paste, keeping the flavors of my chicken broth fairly simple. I’d normally add some ginger and onions as well, but these were already in my meatballs, which I cooked in the chicken broth, thus adding even more flavor. You could add some chopped lemongrass, coriander (cilantro) and / or red chili peppers if you like.
A few minutes before serving the soup I prepared the Chinese egg noodles in a separate pot. In each bowl I placed some noodles and a few meatballs before adding the improved broth to fill the rest of the bowl.
We all enjoyed this Open Wonton Soup very much. It was simple, satisfying and sustaining. This soup warmed our bodies and our souls. Hopefully it will also help us get over our colds.
There are many ways to prepare this Open Wonton Soup. The quick way is with ground pork meat and bouillon cubes or canned broth. The long way is with homemade chicken broth, your own ground meat and if you want to exaggerate homemade noodles. I chose a modified quick way by grinding my own meat after trimming the fat off of the pork shoulders, but then using the chicken cubes and making small improvements as mentioned above. As this recipe is supposed to make it easier for you to prepare wonton soup (by avoiding actually preparing the wontons), I’d suggest following one of the quick ways. You will definitely enjoy this simple recipe.
Please share it with your friends and tell me how you like it in the comments below.
Open Wonton Soup
Ingredients
Meatballs
- 1 kilo ground pork lean
- 200 g green onions chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger or 1/3 of this amount ground ginger
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 tsp sesame oil
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine or dry Sherry
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- salt
- black pepper
- 125 g dried shitake mushrooms rehydrated (optional)
Chicken broth
- 4 liters chicken broth See notes
- 2 tbsp hatcho miso paste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
Egg Noodles
- 300 g egg noodles Chinese or other
Instructions
Meatballs
- Mix all the ingredients listed above for the meatballs together in a bowl.
- Roll about 50 meatballs using about 1 heaping tablespoon of prepared filling for each meatball.
Chciken Broth
- Put the chicken broth in a large soup pot. Add the minced garlic.
- Heat the broth on high until the broth is boiling. Reduce heat to low rolling boil.
Cooking Meatballs
- Drop 6 to 8 meatballs at a time in the pot. Let them cook at least 5 minutes until the meatballs float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Continue batches until all meatballs are cooked.
Egg Noodles
- Boil water in a separate pot. Add egg noodles and cook according to instructions. When noodles are cooked, drain them from pot and put aside until service. If the noodles are to sit for a while before service, add a little sesame or corn oil to them so they don't stick together.
Service
- A few minutes before serving, add the hatcho miso paste and the fish sauce to the chicken broth. Stir until blended. Turn off heat and let sit a couple minutes before serving.
- Place some noodles and a few meatballs in each bowl. Add chicken broth on top to fill remainder of bowl.
I am liking this for sure. Where I live in North America the weather is dropping and having good hearty soups on the menu is a must. I am adding this one to my cadre of cold weather soups. Thank you.
Thanks, D. Durand! It’s getting cold here too. Let me know if you try this soup and how you like it. I’d like to try your pork kabobs too http://www.awortheyread.com/pork-roasted-vegetables-kabobs/ but would have to marinate my own pork since Smithfields does not sell in Belgium….
This sounds delicious Brad! I like your idea of substituting egg noodles in a pinch to save some time. The seasonings that you add sound amazing. I will have to put it on my list now that soup season s upon us.
Thank you, Nicole. The recipe is really flexible and thus allows you to be creative. Please post a photo and send your feedback after you try it. Hope you enjoy!
Weather has certainly cooled down here in Greece and a tasty soup as this one is always appreciated!
Hi Katerina, glad to meet you here. Thanks for your comment. I hope you will like the soup when you try it. Please share your thoughts afterwards. May your autumn and winter be mild.
It is definitely time for soup here in New England, this sounds delicious, I love the idea to use the wonton filling to make meatballs!
Hi Joy, yes it seemed obvious afterwards to use the filling as meatballs and add pasta to replace the wrappers….don’t know why did not think of it earlier. Hope you enjoy. Share your comments afterwards if you do try it. Thanks
Our warm weather is ending here in Central Washington State. Soon it will be time for soups. I’ve never tried making Wonton soup. Being a bit of a foodie, this sounds pretty fascinating, and like a plan for those colder days.
Thanks Marjie! I seem to make so many different kinds of soup from fall through spring. Most I don’t even share because I just make them from whatever ingredients I have on hand at the moment…and usually do not follow a recipe, just impulse. Check out some of my other soup recipes when it cools down. I’ll be adding more in coming months. Hope you enjoy this one and please share your feedback.
I want to make this!! It looks wonderful!
It’s really hard to find non-GMO soy sauce around here. Is there a substitute I could use or will it be ok without it?
Hi Kelly, I share your concern about GMO soy sauce. I can usually find non-GMO soy products (including soy sauce) at health food stores here in Belgium. Have you looked at natural or whole foods stores in your area? You can substitute it easily with a little bit of diluted miso paste if you can find non-GMO miso paste. If not possible, I’d try substituting with some rehydrated shitake mushrooms (and adding the water you used to soak them) and even perhaps a little oolong or hojicha tea to give more depth in flavor. Let me know what you do and share your feedback. Thanks!
As I was reading your post I was flashing back to my great grandmother’s kitchen watching her make her matzo ball soup. Ok, so she may not have used pork or made meatballs but I will, happily, substitute these meatballs for the matzo balls! I, also, love the flavors you added to the soup.
Hi Betsy, thanks for your comments. Matzo balls would be great in this soup. For additional flavor lost by the taste of the meat, please see my suggestions above to Kelly re: shitake mushrooms and tea. Also, as you will see in the recipe there are suggestions concerning other ingredients, such as lemongrass, coriander (cilantro), etc. I’d recommend adding one or more of these to give more flavor to the soup. I’d love to hear what you do and how it worked, as others may face the same restrictions. Thanks!
You have no idea how much I love soup let alone Wonton Soup! I love what you’ve done with yours and look forward to trying your recipe!
Thanks, Heidy, for your kind words. I hope you will try this soup and let me know what you think. There are also other soup recipes on my blog that could tempt you. I’ll be adding more throughout this next autumn-winter season so come back and visit.
This looks awesome! I love when things just come together into something awesome!!
Hello Lara, yes, this was definitely easy, tasty and filling. Filling wontons are fun when you have time, but sometimes we need shortcuts 😉 Let me know if you try this. Thanks!