Shrimp Wonton Soup
- 1/3 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (4 1/2 ounces net weight)
- Salt
- 1 scallion
- 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
- Black or white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, plus extra for garnish
- 24 small square wonton skins (page 64)
- 4 cups Chicken Stock (page 222)
- To make the filling, toss the shrimp with 2 generous pinches of salt, put them in a strainer, and rinse under cold water.
- Transfer the shrimp to a paper towel and blot dry.
- Finely chop the shrimp (they will form a sticky mass) and then put into a bowl.
- Mince all the white part and some of the green part of the scallion to yield 1 tablespoon.
- Thinly slice the remaining green part and reserve for a garnish.
- Add the minced scallion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, the cornstarch, a pinch of pepper, and the sesame oil to the shrimp.
- Stir with chopsticks or a fork until the mixture is thoroughly blended and dense.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes before using, or refrigerate for up to a day in advance.
- You should have about 1/2 cup.
- Before assembling the wontons, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly dust with cornstarch.
- Fill each wonton skin with about 1 teaspoon of the filling, creating triangles, flower buds, or nurses caps (see pages 66 to 67).
- As you work, put the finished wontons on the prepared baking sheet.
- When all are made, loosely cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying.
- If you are making the wontons several hours in advance of cooking, cover the wontons with plastic wrap and refrigerate; they can be cooked directly from the refrigerator.
- Or, freeze them on their baking sheet until hard (about 1 hour), transfer them to a plastic container, and keep them frozen for up to 1 month; partially thaw them before boiling.
- To cook the wontons, half-fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- At the same time, bring the stock to a boil in a separate pan, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cover to keep hot.
- Add all the wontons to the boiling water, gently dropping them in one at a time.
- Use a wooden spoon to nudge them to prevent sticking.
- Return the water to a gentle boil and then lower the heat to medium to maintain it.
- After the wontons have floated to the top, let them cook for another 2 minutes, or until they are translucent.
- Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to scoop up the wontons, pausing above the pot to allow excess water to drip back down before putting them into the hot stock.
- Increase the heat on the stock slightly and let the wontons soak up some of the stock and finish cooking, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the wontons to individual soup bowls or a large serving bowl.
- Taste the stock and add salt, if necessary.
- Ladle the stock over the wontons and add a dash of sesame oil and a sprinkling of pepper.
- Top with the remaining scallion and serve immediately.
- Good commercially made wonton and siu mai skins are sold at Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.
- Look for ones that are labeled thin or Hong Kong style, or youll end up with thick ones.
- Skins made with no food coloring are best, though theyre harder to find.
- If round siu mai skins are unavailable, use scissors or a round cookie cutter to cut them from square wonton skins.
- Commercially made Cantonese spring roll skins are often labeled egg roll skins and are shelved in the refrigerated or frozen section of an Asian market.
- These skins are a tad larger than homemade ones, so youll be able to stuff a little more into them.
- They are drier, too, so you may have to wet them more to ensure a good seal.
shrimp, salt, scallion, cornstarch, black, sesame oil, chicken
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shrimp-wonton-soup-379759 (may not work)