上海馄饨 (Shang Hai Hun Tun)

Built where the Yangtze River meets the Pacific Ocean, Shanghai has long been a crossroads of maritime trade [1]. Nowadays Shanghai is one of the most populous urban areas in the world, and is perhaps mainland China’s most cosmopolitan and international city. One of the street foods best associated with the city is wonton soup. In the Shanghai of today one can find many different styles of wontons often featuring ingredients from around the world, as befits a coastal trading port, but the version we will prepare here is in the classic Shanghai style, featuring small pork wontons flavored simply with fresh aromatics, delicately wrapped and served in a light savory broth [2]!

Ingredients

***For the Wontons***
1½ lb ground pork
1 pkg Shanghai-style wonton wrappers
1 scallion, chopped
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp white pepper

Begin by preparing our filling ingredients: finely mince the ginger and chop the scallions. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork with the ginger, scallions, diced radish, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon white pepper. Mix thoroughly with a large spoon or clean hands, until the mixture is homogeneous.

If you want to check for seasoning, the best way to do this is to take a small scoop of the filling and microwave it for 30 seconds or so, until it’s fully cooked. Adjust the seasoning to your taste, then prepare to wrap. You can prepare the filling up to two days in advance of wrapping if you wish. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator.

On a clean table or counter, prepare a workspace for assembling the wontons. The wonton wrappers, if frozen, should be fully thawed. Shanghai-style wonton wrappers are very thin wrappers made from flour and water, and can be found in most Asian supermarkets. It is important to stop the wrappers from drying out, so depending on how fast you can work, and how humid the air is, it is often a good idea to keep the wrappers covered before wrapping, either with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel. A towel is also useful for drying your fingers. Fill a small bowl with cold water for sealing the wontons, and prepare a landing zone for the completed wontons. If you plan on cooking them all immediately, just go and pile the wontons up on a plate, but if you are planning on freezing them, prepare a plate, cutting board, or sheet pan covered in plastic wrap or parchment paper. The wontons should be placed in a single layer with a small amount of distance between them so they freeze individually.

When making wontons, any fold goes, as long as they are fully sealed and there are no large air bubbles. Some wonton styles are even made just by scrunching the wrapper together! Shanghai wontons tend to be small [3] and are often made just by scrunching the edges together. Begin by placing a square wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand, and spooning about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center. With your other hand, dip a finger in the cold water and moisten the edges of the wrapper. The water will help the wrapper stick to itself. Dry your finger on a towel, then push the edges together with your fingers, squeezing out the air and ensuring a complete seal. If you intend on freezing the wontons, put your parchment or plastic wrap lined surface into the freezer. After 6 hours or so, the wontons should be rock solid. Transfer into a zipper storage bag for convenient storage in the freezer.

To Cook

Ingredients

***For the Soup***
4 cups pork or chicken stock
1 scallion, chopped
½ inch ginger, sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp white pepper or to taste
Salt to taste

To cook the wontons, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Plan for 4 wontons per diner for an appetizer, or 12 wontons per diner as a main course. When the water is boiling, add the wontons to the pot, stirring to prevent sticking. Make sure there is a generous amount of water, and the pot is not crowded. We don’t want the wontons to break apart in vigorous turbulence, so when the pot returns to a boil, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, until the wontons are done. This should be about 3 minutes for fresh wontons, or 6 minutes if you are cooking them from frozen. They are done with the skins turn translucent and the meat inside is fully cooked.

While the wontons cook, we can prepare a simple soup to serve them with. In a second pot, combine 4 cups of pork or chicken stock with 2 cups water. Because the soup is so mildly flavored, a homemade stock with Asian aromatics is best! Add to the pot some slices of ginger, and salt and white pepper to taste. Stir, and bring to a boil. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes, then remove the soup from the heat and stir in the chopped scallion and 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

When the wontons are done, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them in a serving bowl. Ladle some soup over the wontons, and top the bowl with some additional sesame oil or chili oil if desired.

Substitutions

Some chopped shrimp can be added to the filling if desired. If you can’t find Shanghai-style wonton wrappers, you can substitute other types of wonton wrappers, especially Hong Kong-style wrappers, which are equally thin but made of an egg dough. Do not use dumpling wrappers, which are too thick for wontons. If you’re in a rush, you can turn the two-pot preparation into a one-pot preparation by cooking the wontons and using the boiling water to make the soup. Pour a bit of soy sauce, sesame oil, and a sprinkle of white pepper into the bottom of your serving bowl. To serve, ladle the wontons into the bowl, together with about a cup of the hot cooking water, creating some instant soup. If you don’t like scallions you can use some fresh cilantro instead. Chinese celery also works well in this soup.

[1] Shanghai’s name (上海) translates directly to “Upon the Sea.”

[2] Shanghai cuisine tends to be mellower than many other Chinese cuisines, often combining savory and sweet flavors.

[3] Shanghai wontons are sometimes called 小馄饨, meaning “small wontons.”

Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 1 hr 10 min

Difficulty: 3/5

Heat Sources: 2 burners

Equipment: 2 pots

Servings: 100 wontons, 6 (soup)

Ingredients

For the Wontons
1½ lb ground pork
1 pkg Shanghai-style wonton wrappers
1 scallion, chopped
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp white pepper

For the Soup
4 cups pork or chicken stock
1 scallion, chopped
½ inch ginger, sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp white pepper or to taste
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine the ground pork, chopped scallions, minced ginger, cornstarch, 1 tbsp soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, and ½ tsp white pepper. Mix well to make the filling.

2. To begin assembly, prepare a small bowl of water, and unwrap the wonton wrappers, keeping them under plastic wrap or a clean tea towel.

3. To wrap, place a wonton wrapper in your hand. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper, and moisten the edges of the wrapper with water using the tip of your finger. Scrunch the edges together to seal the wonton. Repeat.

4. Once all the wontons are wrapped, cook immediately, or freeze.

To Cook
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the wontons to the water.

2. When the pot returns to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until fully cooked—about 3 minutes fresh, or 6 minutes frozen.

3. In a second pot, make the soup by combining the chicken stock, 2 cups of water, ginger slices. Bring to a boil and season with salt and white pepper to taste.

4. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove the soup from the heat. Stir in the chopped scallions and sesame oil.

5. Remove the cooked wontons from the pot with a slotted spoon, and place in a serving bowl.

6. Ladle the soup over the wontons and serve.