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Susan Jung

Light Chinese soups can be easy to make and comforting and those that require a stock base are much better when made with the home-made variety. The easiest way to make a flavourful home-made stock is to strip most of the meat from a roast chicken (use the meat for other recipes) then simmer the carcass with water until the bones are very soft. Strain the liquid through a colander and discard the bones.
Vegetable, pork and shrimp wonton soup (pictured)
450 grams young bak choi (about 4cm long), soaked in salted water for about 10 minutes, then drained
90 grams green Chinese chives, minced
250 grams minced pork
150 grams peeled fresh shrimp, diced
2-3 3mm-thick slices fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
15ml soy sauce
10ml rice wine
3/4 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
15ml sesame oil
Fine sea salt and ground white pepper
Wonton wrappers, as needed
To serve:
About 1 litre unsalted chicken broth, preferably home-made (if it's canned, dilute it with water)
Fresh peas, removed from the pods
Yellow or green Chinese chives, cut into 3cm lengths
Minced spring onion
Sesame oil
Brown vinegar, julienned fresh ginger, soy sauce and chilli oil (for the dipping sauce)
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the bak choi and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain, rinse with cold water then drain again. Squeeze out the excess liquid. Finely chop the bak choi then put it into a clean, dry dishcloth and wring out as much liquid as possible. Put it into a bowl and add the minced chive, pork, shrimp, ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, about one teaspoon of salt and a little white pepper. Shape some of the mixture into a ball and poach it in boiling water until cooked. Taste to check the seasonings then adjust if necessary. Lightly mix in the cornstarch and sesame oil, then chill for about 30 minutes.
Moisten a clean dishcloth and wring out the water. Fold the cloth into quarters. Take a wonton wrapper and press one side of it onto the dishcloth (this removes the excess flour and moistens the wrapper slightly). Place the wrapper damp-side up on the palm of your hand, with one corner pointing towards you. Put a spoonful of the vegetable-pork mixture about 1cm up from the corner of the wrapper, fold the corner over the filling then fold it again so the filling is completely covered. Take the two opposing corners of the wrapper and overlap them over the filling, pressing on the corners so they adhere to each other. Put the wonton on a baking tray lined with cling-film and continue with the rest of the filling. When the surface of the dishcloth gets too floury, refold it so a clean side is uppermost.
Heat the chicken stock until it is simmering and season it to taste with salt (if you like, add some diced spring onion and thinly sliced ginger).
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add the shelled peas and cook for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the peas from the water then drain them, rinse with cold water and drain again. In the same pot of water, cook the wonton in batches. They'll sink to the bottom of the pot then rise to the surface. Once they start floating, boil them for about a minute, or until the filling is cooked. In between batches, use a ladle to skim the flour from the surface of the boiling water. Drain the wonton then put them into bowls and ladle the chicken stock on top. Drizzle with sesame oil and garnish with green peas, chive and spring onion. Let your guests mix their own sauce ingredients.
Winter-melon soup with chicken, shrimp and Chinese ham
600 grams winter melon
15 grams dried shrimp
3 large dried Chinese mushrooms
2 chicken thighs
10ml soy sauce
10ml rice wine
1/4 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
4 fresh shrimp (about 8cm long), heads and shells removed
Fine sea salt and ground white pepper
50 grams Yunnan ham
2 3mm-thick slices of ginger, skin removed
80 grams fresh or frozen shelled peas
About 800ml unsalted chicken broth, preferably home-made
To serve:
Sesame oil
Minced spring onion
Rinse the dried shrimp and mushroom. Soak them together in 100ml of warm water until the mushroom is soft. Squeeze the water from the mushroom, remove and discard the stems then dice the caps. Strain the soaking liquid and set it aside along with the mushroom and shrimp.
Remove the skin and bones from the chicken and cut the meat into large dice. Mix the meat with the soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine, sugar, pepper and a little salt and leave for about 15 minutes at room temperature. Cut the fresh shrimp into 1cm pieces, sprinkle lightly with salt and mix together. Rinse the ham, pat it dry and cut it into matchsticks. Remove and discard the rind and seeds from the winter melon, then cut the flesh into large cubes. Julienne the ginger.
Heat the chicken broth in a pan with the mushroom and shrimp soaking liquid. When the mixture boils, add the dried shrimp, mushroom, winter melon and ginger. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the melon is translucent. Stir in the chicken and peas and simmer for one minute. Add the fresh shrimp and cook for another minute. Taste the broth and adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle lightly with sesame oil and sprinkle with spring onion.
Styling: Corner Kitchen Cooking School
 


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Asian recipes

Light Chinese soup recipes: Vegetable, pork and shrimp wonton soup, and winter melon soup with chicken, shrimp and Chinese ham

Vegetable, pork and shrimp wonton soup. Photo: Jason Joseph Bonello

Lifestyle

Food & Drink

These easy-to-make Chinese soups will restore your spirit and delight your taste buds


These two easy-to-make Chinese soups will restore your spirit and delight your taste buds


Susan Jung's recipes

Light Chinese soup recipes: Vegetable, pork and shrimp wonton soup, and winter melon soup with chicken, shrimp and Chinese ham

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}These easy-to-make Chinese soups will restore your spirit and delight your taste buds

These easy-to-make Chinese soups will restore your spirit and delight your taste buds