When it comes to American Chinese food I don’t typically order wonton soup. While it was an absolute staple for my stepdad, Mom and I were always dedicated hot and sour soup people.
I can’t really say what triggered it, but out of the blue I got a craving for wonton soup. So the last time I was placing an order at the local Chinese takeout spot I added it to my order.
Boy, was it disappointing. Not that my expectations were that high. They really kill a couple of items on their menu, but for the most part they’re mediocre at best.
Anyway, this set the idea of making wonton soup at home in my brain. Now, while I have been to China, very briefly, I have not had, and do not even know if American takeout wonton soup is an authentic dish let alone anywhere near authentic. I’m assuming not.
So when I found a recipe from someone claiming to have learned to make it in multiple American Chinese takeout restaurants, it seemed like just the resource I was looking for.
It was surprisingly much easier than I imagined. The wonton wrappers themselves were much less delicate than I expected. The first couple I made I was quite gentle with, but by the end of making the dumplings I was confidently manhandling the wrappers.
A full pound of my shrimp and pork mixture barely put a dent in the $5 stack of wrappers I picked up, so I’ll definitely be able to go through a couple more rounds of refinement before I run out. And luckily these freeze really well so when I get bored of them it won’t be a complete waste.
