Wonton soup tonight
August 21, 2020 3:07 PM Subscribe
I want to make wonton soup tonight using ingredients I already have, including frozen uncooked potstickers from Costco.
I recognize this is a fairly basic question but I’m trying to get better at winging it in the kitchen with what I have on hand than following an existing recipe I have specifically shopped for, which is more my comfort zone. I just learned a recipe for wonton soup in a video game I’m playing, which reminded me I have frozen potstickers to use.
I have:
-frozen uncooked Ling Ling brand chicken and vegetable potstickers
-chicken stock
-miso
-shallots and red onions in the garden, with big green tops
-garlic and fresh ginger
-frozen spinach and frozen kale
-sadly no mushrooms or bokchoy
My inclination is just to sauté some garlic and ginger, add chicken stock, cook the potstickers in the broth, and stir miso in near the end (I seem to recall you’re not supposed to boil miso a lot), serve with green onions on top. Maybe add a bag of frozen greens for some vegetable matter. But really I’m looking for other feedback, suggestions (including ingredients I might have but didn’t list), or confirmation that yes this is basically a good way to go about it. Thanks!
I recognize this is a fairly basic question but I’m trying to get better at winging it in the kitchen with what I have on hand than following an existing recipe I have specifically shopped for, which is more my comfort zone. I just learned a recipe for wonton soup in a video game I’m playing, which reminded me I have frozen potstickers to use.
I have:
-frozen uncooked Ling Ling brand chicken and vegetable potstickers
-chicken stock
-miso
-shallots and red onions in the garden, with big green tops
-garlic and fresh ginger
-frozen spinach and frozen kale
-sadly no mushrooms or bokchoy
My inclination is just to sauté some garlic and ginger, add chicken stock, cook the potstickers in the broth, and stir miso in near the end (I seem to recall you’re not supposed to boil miso a lot), serve with green onions on top. Maybe add a bag of frozen greens for some vegetable matter. But really I’m looking for other feedback, suggestions (including ingredients I might have but didn’t list), or confirmation that yes this is basically a good way to go about it. Thanks!
I'd probably want to add something for heat (black pepper, chilli, szechuan pepper, or just lots of ginger) and maybe just a small amount of something sweet.
posted by pipeski at 3:49 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by pipeski at 3:49 PM on August 21, 2020
Best answer: You're fine and definitely on the right on track! Some extra oil will help imo too. Sesame or chili if you have it, vegetable oil or even butter if you don't. A dash of vinegar could give you some sweet/tart if that sounds good. Next time you're at an Asian grocer, consider stocking up on things like fish sauce, dried salted greens, dried mushrooms or seaweed, various pickle pouches, etc. That will all be shelf stable and help you pull nice soups put of random leftovers . Also PS great to learn recipes/inspiration from games, I've done that a few times myself :)
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:52 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by SaltySalticid at 3:52 PM on August 21, 2020
Other things to add flavor to your soup are rice wine, dashi, shiitakes, or bouillon.
posted by jraz at 4:39 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by jraz at 4:39 PM on August 21, 2020
Best answer: Ooh yes seconding the recommendation for getting some sesame oil next time you see some!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:00 PM on August 21, 2020
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:00 PM on August 21, 2020
They’re definitely not the same as wontons, but they are good cooked in soup (I’ve had them that way before). In no way would this replicate, say, my mom’s wonton soup, but if I want something that scratches that same itch but don’t feel like folding a bunch of wontons or don’t have the ingredients to, I have used pre-made potstickers in soup to satisfy the dumpling-in-soup-urge.
OP, when you are able to get the ingredients I do encourage you to try folding your own wontons (and jj’s.mama is right, potstickers and wontons are not the same). It’s not that hard and they are very good!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:12 PM on August 21, 2020
OP, when you are able to get the ingredients I do encourage you to try folding your own wontons (and jj’s.mama is right, potstickers and wontons are not the same). It’s not that hard and they are very good!
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:12 PM on August 21, 2020
Actually one more thing and I will stop commenting...personally I would leave out the miso even though I like miso soup. Wonton soup broth is clear and that’s my preference with a dumpling soup as well.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:20 PM on August 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 7:20 PM on August 21, 2020 [2 favorites]
A good Chinese soup broth would not include a lot of vegetables. Stick with chicken, a knob of ginger, and some green onion tops. Any other flavors you can add when you serve the soup. If you ever had wonton soup in a Cantonese soup noodle joint their secret ingredient is simmering a whole dried flounder in the broth.
posted by zaelic at 6:31 AM on August 22, 2020
posted by zaelic at 6:31 AM on August 22, 2020
Uncouth northerner (wontons are a southerner thing, right) speaking here, but I would boil the potstickers first in just water, then fortify some of the slightly-starchy water with chicken bouillion, maybe ginger, tiny dried shrimp if you have that and not the whole dried flounder. Chopped scallions as garnish.
posted by batter_my_heart at 10:35 AM on August 22, 2020
posted by batter_my_heart at 10:35 AM on August 22, 2020
Response by poster: Sorry, I should have clarified that I was fully aware that this would not be a traditional/accurate wonton soup - it just seemed like good shorthand for potstickers + broth. I have made both potstickers and wontons from scratch before, but that's not the preferred option when I'm hungry after a long day at work.
The potstickers were a brand I hadn't had before, and they turned out to be much bigger than I'd realized. So I panfried them according to the package instructions, and sauteed some garlic/ginger in a sauce pan, added chicken broth and some miso, and stirred in some sesame oil and green onions when everything was ready. It was easier to put a serving of potstickers in each bowl and ladle broth over it.
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:51 AM on August 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
The potstickers were a brand I hadn't had before, and they turned out to be much bigger than I'd realized. So I panfried them according to the package instructions, and sauteed some garlic/ginger in a sauce pan, added chicken broth and some miso, and stirred in some sesame oil and green onions when everything was ready. It was easier to put a serving of potstickers in each bowl and ladle broth over it.
posted by skycrashesdown at 10:51 AM on August 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
As already said, potstickers are nothing like wontons and miso has no business anywhere near wonton soup.
posted by turkeyphant at 8:32 PM on August 22, 2020
posted by turkeyphant at 8:32 PM on August 22, 2020
People who are mad about it not being "real" wonton soup can call it Asian fusion tortellini in brodo, whatever. Dumplings of any sort are delicious in broth and I'm glad your dish worked out!
posted by Lady Li at 12:05 AM on August 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Lady Li at 12:05 AM on August 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
The "secret ingredient" to authentic Cantonese restaurant-style wonton soup is... Knorr brand shrimp bouillon. If you like miso, great, but that umami that you might be looking for is the from shrimp.
My personal secret ingredient is to replace the bouillon with spot prawn stock - if I'm freezing down live spot prawns, I cut the heads right away, freeze the bodies, then make stock with the heads. After about half an hour of simmering, I use ice tongs to crush the heads to release more of the good stuff, and when they're exhausted, remove the heads and reduce the stock. Then freeze in individual gasketted tupperware or as cubes in an icecube tray (then transfer to ziplock bags).
Wor wonton is a style of wonton that includes a bunch of veggies (in the West, typically broccoli and carrots, sometimes cauliflower and celery) and usually a few prawns and/ or slices of char siu (bbq pork). Noodles optional.
Glad your soup dumplings worked out! The pan frying first probably amped up the flavours!
If you're looking for ingredients to up your dumpling game, keep an eye out for "XO sauce" - it's basically a chili flake oil with lots of dried scallops, dried shrimp, garlic, and shallots. Give or take. I'm a weirdo, take a small bite off an end of a dumpling (in a porcelain spoon in left hand, chopsticks as support) and apply XO directly to the exposed filling (it sticks better), take a bite, reapply sauce, finish consuming.
Japanese-style seaweed jam is also tops for this application.
posted by porpoise at 11:58 AM on August 23, 2020
My personal secret ingredient is to replace the bouillon with spot prawn stock - if I'm freezing down live spot prawns, I cut the heads right away, freeze the bodies, then make stock with the heads. After about half an hour of simmering, I use ice tongs to crush the heads to release more of the good stuff, and when they're exhausted, remove the heads and reduce the stock. Then freeze in individual gasketted tupperware or as cubes in an icecube tray (then transfer to ziplock bags).
Wor wonton is a style of wonton that includes a bunch of veggies (in the West, typically broccoli and carrots, sometimes cauliflower and celery) and usually a few prawns and/ or slices of char siu (bbq pork). Noodles optional.
Glad your soup dumplings worked out! The pan frying first probably amped up the flavours!
If you're looking for ingredients to up your dumpling game, keep an eye out for "XO sauce" - it's basically a chili flake oil with lots of dried scallops, dried shrimp, garlic, and shallots. Give or take. I'm a weirdo, take a small bite off an end of a dumpling (in a porcelain spoon in left hand, chopsticks as support) and apply XO directly to the exposed filling (it sticks better), take a bite, reapply sauce, finish consuming.
Japanese-style seaweed jam is also tops for this application.
posted by porpoise at 11:58 AM on August 23, 2020
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The only other things I can think of that you might want to add if you have them (it’ll taste good but it’ll get further away from won ton soup if that’s important to you): matchstick cut bamboo shoots (they come in a tin), sliced water chestnuts, a boiled egg, bean sprouts.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 3:21 PM on August 21, 2020 [1 favorite]