Sopa Wantan (Wonton Soup)

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Sopa Wantan Chifa (Wonton Soup)

Sopa Wantan Chifa (Wonton Soup)

When my Abuelito walked his nighttime policeman’s beat through Lima’s Chinatown in the 1940’s and 50’s he was instructed to ignore the Opium dens on the alleys off Calle Capon, but he always stopped by one of his favorite Chifas, the San Joy Lao, for a bowl of Sopa Wantan. As soon as he walked in, the Chinese owners would smile at him and shout out his order to the kitchen in the back— ¡Sopa Wantan pa la gualdia! A lifetime later, when my grandfather was a few years shy of turning 100 years old, he would still request Wonton Soup to start our family-style meal at a Chinese restaurant, and with a big wrinkled grin he would lower his face to the bowl of soup in front of him and begin to slurp it loudly. I don’t think there is anyone that enjoyed Sopa Wantan as much as my Abuelito, it was so precious to witness, and maybe that’s why it’s so special to me, because it reminds me of all the family meals we shared.

In addition to the ingredients below, you’ll need the following: large pot for the soup, mixing bowl and spoon, working surface, large tray, measuring spoons, cutting board, slotted spoon, and knife.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING
  • 1/4 lb. ground pork
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced scallions, about 2 scallions
  • 2 pinches salt
  • 1 pinch ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 egg white
INGREDIENTS FOR THE DUMPLINGS
  • 12 wonton wrappers, 3″ x 3″ square
  • pre-mixed filling
  • 1 cup water for moistening edges
INGREDIENTS FOR COOKING DUMPLINGS
  • 5-6 quarts boiling water
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SOUP
  • 4-6 cups chicken stock
  • 8 rounds ginger
  • 2 cups chopped bok choy, equal amounts green and white parts
INGREDIENTS FOR THE GARNISH
  • 2 scallions chopped intro thin rounds, green parts only
PREPARING THE FILLING & FOLDING THE DUMPLINGS
  1. Combine all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix well with a spoon
  2. Arrange wonton wrappers on a working surface
  3. Moisten edges of wrappers with water using your finger
  4. Scoop one teaspoon of filling onto the center of each wrapper
  5. Fold wrappers in half by bringing two opposite corners of the square together and forming a triangle
  6. Press firmly along the edges of the triangle to seal, pushing out any air bubbles
  7. Flip dumplings over, and fold all the corners of the triangle towards the center
  8. Set aside the folded wontons on a large, clean, and dry tray
COOKING THE DUMPLINGS
  1. In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil
  2. Start a timer, and carefully add the filled dumplings to the uncovered pot
  3. Stir gently to separate the dumplings, and make sure they are not on top of each other
  4. When all the dumplings float to the surface, around the 2 minute mark, continue to boil for 3 more minutes, for a total of 5 minutes elapsed since adding the dumplings
  5. Scoop out the dumplings with a slotted spoon and set aside
PREPARING THE SOUP
  1. In a large pot, bring the chicken stock with ginger rounds to a boil
  2. Add cooked dumplings to the pot, and bring to a boil again
  3. Then add the chopped bok choy and boil for 2 more minutes
  4. Serve warm in small bowls and garnish with scallion rounds
SERVINGS

4 servings, about 1 cup each, with 3-4 wontons per serving.

NOTES

By cooking the dumplings in a separate pot of water, this recipe become very scalable. If you double it, you can cook the larger number of dumplings in batches using the same pot of water, and you only need to increase the amount of chicken stock and vegetables.