Semi-Homemade Wonton Soup with Roasted Pork
One of the most troubling things about moving back to the western world from China is the food. Plain and simple. What we get in from the likes of the US, Europe, so and so forth, is super sweet, bland tasting food that not only will make you cringe, but will make you realize how much spice is missing in our culinary lives.
So, only in the first week of settling in Stockholm had I strong urge for Chinese food. No, not sweet and sour pork or chicken; no, not pork fried rice. Soup noodles. There’s something so satisfying about a bowl of noodles and chunks of fun stuff that is so comforting like a warm hug. Especially when the biting winters in Stockholm can one only yearn more
Alas, the search for something to satiate my soup-noodle palate.
First off, finding a proper Chinese food shop ain’t so easy in Stockholm. Thus far, I have only been able to find two Asian food stores that are fairly reasonable, but do not come close to the real food stores and wet markets in Asia. Sigh. These’ll do for now. But if you’re wanting to make proper wontons from scratch (i.e. wonton wrappers, filling, folding, etc.), plan for an afternoon to make these little suckers because if you’re expecting to make these in about 20 minutes, heh, you’d be in for a long, “hangry” night ahead of you. So, that’s why you go the semi-homemade route.
What’s nice about going to an Asian food store is that you can pretty much find pre-made wontons, dumplings, mantou bread, name it and they may have it. Luckily in my case, they had frozen wontons from one brand. Good enough for me…for now. Also, if you’re lucky enough to have an Asian store that has a deli section, like (Hotorget Food Store Link), you can get ready made Char Siew Pork. Eureka! They’ve got it! If not, you can also make it yourself, but you’re gonna have to wait until tomorrow.
Bing, bang, boom…I’m ready to make my wonton soup. I’m already salivating just thinking about making this comfort food.
Making Chinese soup bases are not as hard as you’d think. It only takes meat on the bone, water, salt and pepper. The natural flavors from the bone is the secret to making flavorful Chinese soup bases. The nutrients in the bones add a umami-esque that you can’t get from just boneless meats. Boiling down the meaty bone enough for the flavors to seep into the broth adds natural flavors like no other. Just as similar to making your own stock but without the veggies to add to the soup’s concentration.
Basic Pork Soup Base
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500g Pork Chop with Bone
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1+ Liters of Water
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2 tsp Ground White Pepper
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Salt to taste
Method:
1. Take a large stock pot and fill the pot with the water. Immerse the raw meat into the water and heat to bring to a boil. Let the meat boil for about 5-10 minutes and then turn down the heat to a simmer.
2. Add the salt and pepper and simmer the meat for about 30 minutes.
Your soup is ready for noodling.
Semi-homemade wonton noodle soup
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1 package of frozen wontons with any type of filling
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100g of any leafy green veggie your heart desires (I used baby bok choy, but you can use lettuce greens, napa cabbage, spinach, kale, this is where you can get really creative)
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250g of egg noodles (enough for two people but can add more)
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2 stalks of chopped scallions for garnish and tang
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1 cup of sliced Roasted Pork (aka Char Siew)
Method:
1. In the same soup base pot, plop the wontons into the soup and boil as per the package directions.
2. In a separate pot, boil water for the noodles and cook until al dente. Be careful not to boil the noodles too soft or else you may have a soft mess of textureless slop in your hands. Not so nice.
3. At the last 1 minute of the noodle boiling, stuff the greens into the noodle pot and boil together. Once done, drain and place the noodles and veggies into individual bowls.
4. By this time you place the noodles and veggies are in the bowls, the soup and wontons should be done. Ladle the hot soup and wontons onto the noodles and veggies.
5. Garnish the top with the sliced Roasted pork and sprinklings of scallions. Serve immediately.
6. Eat. Slurp. Enjoy.
Basic Char Siew Pork
500g Boneless Pork
10 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup of soy sauce
1tbsp of sesame oil
1/4 cup of brown sugar
2-3 drops of red food coloring (optional)
Method:
1. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil and brown sugar until the sugar granules have dissolved. If you’re using the red food coloring, add it here. Add the smashed cloves of garlic to the mix.
2. In a plastic ziplock bag, put the boneless meat into the bag. Pour the marinade into the bag, close it up and give it a good turn to marinate every nook and cranny. Place the bag into the fridge and let marinate for overnight.
3. Preheat an oven to 200C. Take out the meat and let rest to room temp for about 20-30min.
4. Drain the marinated meat, garlic bits and place on a roasting rack or lined baking sheet. Place the meat into the hot oven and let roast for about 45 minutes or until fully cooked.
5. Once the meat is done, take out the meat and let the meat rest until ready to use.
Use+Storing: Place in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 2 days. You can make your own fried rice, stir-fry, and, of course, more soup noodles.
Tags: wonton soup, Stockholm, Chinese food