Chicken, Mushroom and Black Pepper Wonton Soup

Serves 4 generously (with plenty leftover)

Photo: Kelly Gibney

Ingredients

• 400g free-range chicken mince
• 150g swiss brown or small Portobello mushrooms - finely diced
• 2 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 1 large garlic clove  - finely diced
• 1 spring onion - green part finely sliced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 packet wonton wrappers - you’ll need about 50

Soup

• 1 garlic clove - finely diced
• 1 tablespoon finely diced ginger
• 6 cups low salt chicken stock (homemade is even better!)
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce (plus more to taste as desired)
• 2 heads baby pak choy - halved or quartered
• Oil for sautéing

Wonton Method

Combine the mince, diced mushrooms, ginger, spring onion, sesame oil, soy sauce and black pepper. Mix together well.
Lay out some wonton wrappers - usually 6 at a time is good - and put a small dish of water in your workspace. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Dip your finger in the water and lightly wet around the edge of the wrapper. Fold in half to create a rectangle and use your fingers to press the 2 sides of folded wrapper together to create a tight seal. Bring the 2 bottom corners together and pinch to join.
(YouTube has loads of great wonton folding vids if you need more guidance.)
Place the finished wontons on a plate lined with baking paper to prevent sticking. Repeat process until all your filling is used. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

Soup method

Heat a glug of oil in a large pot over a medium-low heat. Cook the garlic and ginger carefully for a few minutes. Add the chicken stock, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.

Simultaneously bring another large pot of water to a boil to cook the wontons.

Drop as many wontons as you’d like to serve into the boiling water. Around 6 per person is a good starting point. Gently stir the water into a whirlpool when the wontons first enter the water to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.

Cook for 4 minutes before lifting wontons out with a slotted spoon and dropping them into the soup to cook for a further minute. Add the halved pak choy at this point too and let it simmer for a minute along with the wontons.

Divide the soup and wontons and between the bowls. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds, sliced spring onion and some dashes of chilli oil.

Freezing your wontons: Folded raw wontons can be frozen for later use. Simply freeze in a single layer on a plate lined with baking paper. Once the wontons are frozen you can pop them into freezer bags until needed. Can be cooked from frozen. Simply boil for an extra 2 minutes.