All About Wontons

For the soup tour, I originally planned to take the group to Marco Polo, a restaurant that specializes in wonton and dumpling-based soups. Unfortunately, I later learned that Marco Polo closed down so we decided to check out Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles for some hearty (and cheap) bowls of vegetable and meat noodle-based soups. Since I learned a lot about wontons and wasn't able to talk about it on the tour I thought it would be a great Soup 101 piece for the site. After you learn more about some wonton basics, you can also find some wonton-related links on how to make your own as well as how to wrap wontons and three wonton soup recipe to try out at home. Enjoy! 

All About Wontons:

• Wontons originated in North China.
• Viewed in ancient China as a sealed stuffed bun without holes and was named "Huidun" (meaning chaos). It was later changed to wonton.
• Wonton wrappers are generally made with flour, water, salt, (and sometimes eggs). They are then stuffed, wrapped, steamed, boiled or fried. 
• Wontons are generally thinner than dumplings, which become transparent after they are cooked.
• The filling is typically made of: Minced pork, Coarsely diced or whole shrimp or oysters, Finely minced ginger and onion or carrots and Sesame oil and soy sauce. 
• A triangle is the most common shape of a wonton. This is made by folding the wrapper in half by pulling together two opposite corners. 

Making Your Own Wontons: 

Homemade Wonton Wrappers by Kitchen Simplicity

• Homemade Wonton Wrappers - An easy homemade wonton recipe by Kitchen Simplicity that includes a simple mixture of flour, eggs, salt and water. The recipe also includes helpful tips about freezing wontons, preserving them in cornstarch and how they can made super thin in a pasta maker.  

• How to Wrap Wontons - Now that you have an incredible wonton recipe, it's time to wrap this. I love this video on SlideShare by Chinese Kitchen that includes 11 steps (with pictures) of how to cook the filing (meat and vegetable), scoop it into the wonton, fill the wonton, and finally how to boil them. The best part is that you can watch it over and over until you get your wonton wrapping just right.

Wonton Soup Recipes:

The wontons are made and wrapped, now it's time to make the soup. Here are a few wonton-based recipes for you to try:

Shrimp Wonton Soup by A Growing Tradition

1. Shrimp Wonton Soup - Created by A Growing Tradition, this Shrimp Wonton Soup recipe covers how to make a simple broth and the wontons themselves that are filled with shrimp, scallions, and cilantro. The recipe also includes some delicious ideas for garnishes such as bean sprouts and Asian microgreens.

Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup by Food Repulik

 2.  Pork and Shrimp Wonton Soup - The adorable food site Food Repulik created this amazing-looking pork and shrimp wonton soup. Using ground pork, raw shrimp, bamboo shoots, and some soy sauce and ginger, I not love the recipe but really enjoyed reading Camilla's personal story about making wontons with her mom when she was a child.

Vegetable Wonton Soup by Seriously Soupy

 3. Vegetable Wonton Soup - My first foray into Asian cooking was with this vegetable wonton soup. Using ingredients from a local market in Brooklyn, I  added a variety of vegetables (napa cabbage, bok choy, spinach, mushrooms, and carrots) to the wontons that was then cooked in a tasty sesame-soy-based broth. I also added some spicy chili oil and garlic to complete the delicious soup.


How do you make your wonton soup?


Seriously Soupy Serena

Soup 101: The Origin of Soup

Soup definitely is food - Image Credit: Ian Butler, Fine Artistie

By Joan Gioe, Contributing Writer to Seriously Soupy

The origin of soup correlates directly with the discovery of pottery and the invention of containers that could hold cooking liquid on the fire without breaking. This puts soup as the second oldest cooking method in history, (roasting being number one with a bullet) and dates back to around 5000 B.C. -- about as old as some things in my refrigerator, sadly.

The word "soup" itself is derived from the Old French word sope/soupe whose Latin root is the verb suppare meaning to soak. Soup by definition was "to soak with bread" or "pour over bread." The original term soup primarily referred to a broth or porridge.

Furthermore, the addition of bread was as pivotal as it was essential. In the Middle Ages, soup became a staple of dinner fare when one would use bread as more a utensil than a garnish. The use of the bread to sop up the leftover liquid at the end of the meal is how the word supper was created. Learn something new every day kids!

The modern restaurant industry is said to be based on soup. Broth, bouillion, and consomme were born as a result of restoratifs (where the word restaurant comes), where they were the first items served in public restaurants in 18th century Paris.

Theoretically, a soup can be any combination of vegetables, meat or fish cooked in a liquid. It may be thick (like gumbo), thin (such as an aforementioned consomme), smooth (like a bisque) or chunky (chowder or bouillabaisse). Though most soups are hot, some like vichyssoise and many fruit soups are served cold.

So there you have it. The origin. From soup to nuts. It's easy to forget about soups when thinking of fine dining or hearty home cooked meals. But soup started it all. I mean hey, we didn't evolve from Primordial pizza right?

Joan Gioe is the mother of one amazing toddler and wife of one amazing husband. She credits him for getting her back on the writing horse. You can read her tribute to another time and place on her blog, Dear, Daughter in which she chronicles life events in the style of old fashion love letters to her 22-month-old daughter. She also recently started a food blog called The Panini Press where she makes a new panini every week and provides step-by-step pictures and instructions so that you can easily make them yourself.

Soup 101: Essential Tools for Soup Making

The Ultimate Soup Pot - Le Creuset

By Joan Gioe, Contributing Writer to Seriously Soupy 

Soup is essentially liquid in a pot. In order to make it something special, the right equipment can do just that. 

The tools of the trade listed below will help transform your soup in to liquid gold.

1. A large heavy pot.
This is the most important and should not be skimped on. My personal favorite (in my opinion the Holy Grail of all things soupy) is from Le Creuset. It is the quintessential soup pot due to it's remarkably even iron heat conduction and silky smooth, completely non-reactive enamel. It comes in about a million hues and while you'll pay a pretty penny for it, you will not be sorry. It's soup's "little black dress." Also on my soup pot wish list: Calphalon's Unison Nonstick 4-Quart Pot and the Cuisinart Green Gourmet Hard Anodized Eco-Friendly Nonstick 8-Quart Pot.

2. A blender.
The necessity for your creamy soups or purées. Be it a stand alone or immersion/stick variety, without this gadget your Potato and Leek soup is nothing more than runny mashed potatoes.

Immersions are key to quick in-pot blends although cordless models tend to lack the oomph of the plug ins. Stand blenders are always a fail safe way to go. I recommend blending in two to three batches with a dish towel over the lid to avoid turning your kitchen into a Jackson Pollak.

3. A ladle.
How can you serve soup without a soup ladle?! Of course it's possible but it's just not right (and probably way too messy!).

Collection of soup bowls from Williams-Sonoma (Photo Credit: Trendir.com)

 4. The perfect soup bowl.
Tureen? Ceramic crock? Broth bowl? So many choices! So many soups!

In order to accentuate your soup's potential, the perfect bowl is a must. The style and design have as much to do with your soup as the taste itself. Like the saying goes, "We eat with our eyes first." The two most important thing to consider when scouring the aisles for the perfect presentation are as follows:

a. What kind of soup am I serving?
You don't want to serve lobster bisque in your collection of over-sized coffee mugs. Just like you wouldn't serve French onion in your Great Grandmother's fine china. Be creative, but also be realistic.

b. Decor.
Your soup bowls are an extension of your soup which is an extension of YOU. Keep with your dining room or kitchen theme. Your decor speaks volumes of who you are and can really be a window into what kind of soups you will feel most comfortable experimenting with.

A good spoon to is essential to enjoy soup

5. Spoons.
Perhaps this one is a little obvious, but no bowl of soup would be complete without a soup spoon. We love these RSVP Endurance Monty's Soup Spoons (Set of Six), the Steel Alpha Round Soup Spoons (Set of 12), and these Chinese Soup Spoons (box of 24). 

Joan Gioe is the mother of one amazing toddler and wife of one amazing husband. She credits him for getting her back on the writing horse. You can read her tribute to another time and place on her blog, Dear, Daughter in which she chronicles life events in the style of old fashion love letters to her 22 month old daughter. Joan's favorite soup is a good-old fashioned chicken.

Soup 101: What is Stock, Bouillon, and Broth?

Vegetables for soup stock - Seriously Soupy

Since I've started Soupy, I've been learning so many new things about soup through experimenting with new recipes and ingredients. I learned how to make my own stock and use different flavorings (see Project Food Blog post on using feungreek and cardamom pods) and to trust myself and create new soups. I realized, though, that Soupy is lacking an All About Soup Section  -- to read about and discuss the basics of soup techniques, soups preparation, ingredients, etc. Since I am still learning myself, I'll call this section Soupy 101 and as I continue to learn it will be expand to hopefully be a comprehensive glossary of soup terms. For now, here's a brief lesson on bouillon, stock, and broth and be sure to check out Soupy next week when I talk about the differences between stew, soup, bisque, and chowder. Until then...study up!