Wonton Soup

There are a few bonuses to making your own wonton soup. First of all, you can assure healthy ingredients go into the dumplings. Plus, it’s surprisingly easy and you don’t have to settle for an overly salty, flavourless broth. Here, star anise provides unexpected sparkle while oyster mushrooms add umami depth. If you like heat, you can spike the broth with chili garlic sauce. Look for organic shrimp, which is a more sustainable choice than imported crustaceans. The wonton parcels freeze really well if you want to prepare them in advance.

1/2 lb (225 g) shrimp, finely diced
2 green onions, finely diced, green and white parts
1 carrot, finely diced
2 Tbsp (30 mL) sesame oil
3 Tbsp (45 mL) sodium-reduced soy sauce
2 tsp (10 mL) grated ginger plus 4 slices
Dash cayenne
32 wonton wrappers
3 cups (750 mL) no sodium-added chicken broth
2 whole star anise
1/4 tsp (1 mL) white pepper
2 baby bok choy, quartered
1 cup (250 mL) oyster mushrooms, sliced
Fresh cilantro and chives

In large bowl, combine shrimp, green onion, carrot, 1 Tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil, 2 Tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce, grated ginger, and cayenne.

Place 1 tsp (5 mL) shrimp filling in centre of a wonton wrapper. Wet your finger, run it along edges of wrapper, and fold into a triangle. Starting at the top of the triangle, run your fingers along sides of wrapper to seal. Try to get all the air out of each wonton before it’s fully sealed. Wet two bottom points of triangle and pull together to seal. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Place broth, 1 Tbsp (15ml) soy sauce, 1 Tbsp (15ml) sesame oil, star anise, white pepper, and ginger slices in large saucepan with 3 cups (750 mL) water. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes until fragrant. Discard ginger and star anise. Increase heat to medium and drop wontons into simmering stock. Once they rise to the surface, cook for 1 additional minute. Add bok choy and oyster mushrooms; simmer for 1 minute or until greens are wilted.

Divide wontons, broth, and vegetables among serving bowls and garnish with cilantro and chives.

Serves 6.

Each serving contains:
182 calories; 13 g protein; 3 g total fat (0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 23 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre; 458 mg sodium

Source: "Healthy Chinese Food," alive #348, October 2011