Soups & stews / Chicken, noodle & dumpling soups
Wonton Soup with Pork and Shrimp
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Folding forty wontons is a good job for a full kitchen table, everyone with a different opinion about how they should look. Fold them ahead, and dinner is a clear ginger broth, bok choy and twenty easy minutes.
The short version
Mix pork, minced shrimp, water chestnuts and seasonings, stirring until sticky. Fill and fold about 40 wrappers. Simmer the broth with ginger, cook the wontons separately in water for 3 to 4 minutes, then add them to the broth with bok choy.
What makes ours better
why ours wins the argument at dinner
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Use pork and shrimp together. Pork gives richness and shrimp gives sweetness and snap. Together they make a juicier, more interesting filling than either alone.
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Stir the filling in one direction until sticky. This builds a bouncy texture, so the filling holds together instead of crumbling when you bite in.
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Cook the wontons in plain water. The wrappers shed starch while they boil. Cooking them in a separate pot keeps your broth clear.
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Simmer the broth with ginger and green onion whites. Ten minutes of aromatics turn store-bought stock into broth that tastes like it came from a good restaurant.
What you need
the stars of the show
- Ground pork6 ounces
- Peeled and deveined shrimp6 ounces
- Green onions2 large
- Fresh ginger2 teaspoons
- Soy sauce2 teaspoons
- Sugar½ teaspoon
- Low-sodium chicken broth8 cups
Wontons
Soup
tap each one as it goes in. no double-salting.
Steps
apron on. phone down. mostly.
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Mix the filling
Combine the pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, chopped green onions, ginger, cornstarch, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, sugar, salt and white pepper in a bowl. Stir in one direction with a spoon or chopsticks for about 1 minute, until the mixture turns sticky and cohesive.
Chill the bowl while you set up. Cold filling is easier to fold.
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Fill the wontons
Set a wrapper with one corner pointing toward you, keeping the others covered with a damp towel. Put a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center. Wet two adjacent edges with water, fold into a triangle and press out the air to seal.
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Fold the corners
Bring the two side corners of the triangle together under the filling, overlap them, and press with a dab of water to stick. Set the wonton on a parchment-lined tray and repeat. Cover the finished ones.
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Simmer the broth
Combine the broth, ginger slices, green onion whites and soy sauce in a large pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Discard the ginger and onion whites, then keep the broth warm.
About 15 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Cook the wontons
Bring a separate large pot of water to a boil, then reduce to a gentle boil. Add the wontons in 2 batches. Cook until they float, then 1 minute more, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Cut one open to check that the pork is gray with no pink. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
Don't crowd the pot. Wontons stick and tear if they bump each other.
About 4 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Wilt the bok choy
Add the bok choy to the broth and simmer until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sesame oil and white pepper.
About 3 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Assemble the bowls
Divide the wontons and bok choy among six bowls, ladle the hot broth over, and top with the sliced green onion tops.
Good to know
things I learned the hard way, so you can skip that part
- You can freeze uncooked wontons. Space them on a parchment-lined tray, freeze solid, then bag them for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon of chili oil or hot sauce to each bowl for heat, or serve a small dish of soy sauce and rice vinegar on the side.
- Not all wrapper packages are the same size. Choose thin, square wrappers labeled for wontons, not the thicker ones for egg rolls.
- Storage. Refrigerate leftover soup with the wontons for 2 days, though the wrappers soften. Keep uncooked wontons covered in the refrigerator up to 24 hours or freeze them.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
Can I make wontons ahead of time?
Yes. Fill and fold them, freeze on a tray, then bag them. They keep for 3 months and cook straight from frozen.
How do I keep wontons from falling apart?
Don't overfill, press out the air, use water to seal, and cook them at a gentle boil rather than a rolling one.
How do I know when wontons are done?
They float and the wrappers look translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Cut one open to check that the pork is no longer pink.
Can I use only pork or only shrimp?
Yes. Use 12 ounces of either one. All-shrimp wontons cook a little faster, about 3 minutes.
What can I use instead of Shaoxing wine?
Dry sherry is the best substitute. Without alcohol, use chicken broth with a few drops of rice vinegar.
From the table
Made it? Tell me everything. Especially if somebody said it was better than their mother’s. I’ll keep your secret.
Made it?
stars first, story second. I read every one.
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Published October 29, 2026.