Wonton Skin Soup

Wonton is a well-known food enjoyed by people all around the world. Made popular by the Chinese, wonton can be savoured as a deep-fried crispy appetizer or as fusion tapas, blanche in soups and even as a dish itself in Dim Sum.

The skin is usually use as a wrap but this time, I am eating it as a noodle in tasty home-made soup. It’s lovely either way.

Sometime last month, I was presented with a packet of wonton skin by someone who used to live in Ipoh. Curious as I was, I asked her how she liked it since this packet of wonton skin is irregular in sizes unlike those used for wrapping little spoonfuls of minced meat. I could see the joy on her face as she described her love for this special way of eating wonton skin. “Wonton skin is so soft and smooth, just slips deliciously right in, I can eat a huge bowl in just one seating“

Ingredients (serves 3)

dried wonton skin (sold in Ipoh)
150 gm dried ikan bilis (anchovies)
6 small dried scallops (the same size as a diameter of a pencil)
1 ginger 1″ in length (smashed with skin still intact)
1.5 ml hot boiling water
200 gm minced pork (can be replaced with chicken or beef)

Seasoning for pork balls, a dash of :-

• light soy sauce
• dark soy sauce
• sesame oil
• a pinch of sea salt
• 2 Tbsp pre-toasted bread crumbs
• coriander leaves (chopped finely, optional)

2 handfuls of beansprouts (tail plucked off)
5 leaves of choy sum (flowering cabbage) cut into 2″ in length
2 large red chili (seeds removed, sliced)
lots of fresh garlic oil
Filtered water
sea salt to taste

Method

1. Season the minced pork with the seasoning required (except for the chopped coriander leaves) overnight in the fridge.
2. Heat a saucepan with olive oil, throw in the smashed ginger followed by the ikan bilis. Fry till the ikan bilis turn lightly brown and fragrant, add hot water. Put in the scallops and bring to simmer for 30 minutes. Sieve stock out into a soup pot, discard only the ikan bilis. Retain the scallops.
3. Take mince pork out to room temperature and mix in the chopped coriander leaves. Roll mince pork into bite-size balls.
4. Bring 1 litre of water to boil and drop in the pork balls. Boil them for at least 10 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. (Never, never eat semi-cooked pork, even accompanied with alcohol). Drain and set aside.
5. Bring another litre of water to boil and quickly blanche the wonton skin. The minute the wonton skin turns a shade darker, drain and put into serving bowls. A batch of wonton skin takes about 20 seconds to cook in boiling water.
6. Add a little sea salt into the ikan bilis scallop soup and put in all the vegetables. After 20 seconds, scoop soup unto the cooked wonton skin in the prepared bowls. Make sure each bowl has a generous amount of soup. Divide the vegetables into the bowls evenly.
7. Put some pork balls into the bowls and drizzle garlic oil into the bowls. Garnish with sliced chili.