Making your favorite Asian takeout recipes, such as this Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup, is a breeze with the help of an awesome ebook that's full of easy, flavorful recipes. 174 calories and 4 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
I'll never forget our first meal in our first apartment. We were becoming New Yorkers - an apartment on the Upper West Side, an affinity for folding our pizza slices in half and a perfected hip check to be used on the packed ⅘ morning subway to Battery Park.
We moved into our apartment, reveling in our 20-something swaggers, with nothing but a mattress and TV to our names.
On that first night, we order Thai takeout form The Lemongrass Grill just a few blocks away. Coconut milk soup, dumplings and pad Thai at our door less than 30 minutes?! Color me happy!
We sat on our couch-less floor, leaning up against the wall, slurping our noodles and soup in complete contentment.
Before that day, I had always enjoyed Asian takeout of any variety, but the memories of that meal turned an eclectic array of dishes into an experience to remember.
And that is exactly why I ordered Bee Yinn Low's new ebook, Easy Asian Takeout: Delicious & Healthy Asian Recipes at Home within minutes of reading about it on my friend Heidi's blog, Foodiecrush (talented Heidi designed the ebook).
Order it here
Bee is the recipe developer, writer and photographer behind the beautiful blog Rasa Malaysia, named for the country where she was born and raised, though she now lives in California. Her first book, Easy Chinese Recipes: Family Favorites From Dim Sum to Kung Pao has a whopping 4 ½ stars on Amazon, with pages and pages of glowing reviews.
And the new book? As the title suggests, it focuses on some of your favorite Asian Takeout food, such as wonton soup, sesame chicken and Mongolian beef, complete with a beautiful photograph of each dish (that's a huge plus for me in any cookbook). All of the recipes are do-able for any home cook, with step-by-step photos for things like making wontons and an extensive reference of ingredients (nothing that can't be found in an Asian market or online...and many in well-stocked supermarkets).
And have I mentioned that the ebook is only $5.99? That's only two Starbucks lattes (I think in coffee) for 35 amazing recipes.
It was a bit of a challenge to figure out what I wanted to make first. I am not exaggerating when I say that I want to make every single one of the 35 recipes in this book. But I was craving hot soup and I have nothing but undying love for dumplings of any kind. So the shrimp and pork wonton soup was a no-brainer.
I made the soup for a Saturday lunch with my family and every single person went back for seconds (I had a sneaking feeling that it would be a good idea to double the recipe). The broth was simple and warming, and the flavors burst from the tender dumplings as soon as we bit into them. My 10-year old son asked, "Mum, can you teach me how to make this?" That's pretty much the highest praise he can give.
The wonton soup recipe:
I promise that this recipe is not hard. It just takes a little bit of time to fold the dumplings. However, if you set up an assembly line with your family, they'll be done in no time. If you're doing it on your own, no worries. You'll get into a groove after you've folded the first few.
The filling is made of ground pork, chopped shrimp, sesame oil and a couple of other common ingredients. The wonton wrappers (the square ones) can be found in most supermarkets, typically in the produce section. When you're working with the wrappers, be sure to keep them covered with a towel to stop them from drying out.
Boil the wontons for just a couple of minutes, then serve in a simple chicken broth-based broth. Flavorful with a capital F.
Make this soup, then head over to get your own copy of Bee's Easy Asian Takeout ebook. You won't be sorry.
Other Asian takeout inspired recipes:
Chinese Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry
Steamed Shrimp & Mushroom Dumplings
If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.
Shrimp & Pork Wonton Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 wonton wrappers
- 4 cups water
- 1 scallion trimmed & cut into small rounds, for garnishing
The Filling:
- 4 ounces ground pork
- 4 ounces shelled & deveined shrimp chopped into pieces
- ½ teaspoon fish sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
The Soup:
- 1 14 ounce can of chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 dashes ground white pepper
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl, stir and mix well to form a sticky filling. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Assembling The Wontons:
- Place a piece of wonton wrapper on a flat surface and spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling into the wrapper. Do not overfill. Dip you index finger into a small bowl of water and brush the water on the edges of the wrapper.
- Fold the wonton over to form a triangle shape and press to seal the edges tightly.
- Using both thumbs and index fingers, bring the two corners down together and secure firmly.
- One corner should overlap the other. Dab on a little water to help seal it. Place the wontons on a floured surface or baking sheet. Cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying. Repeat the process until the filling is used up.
- Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Gently drop the wontons into the water and boil until they float to the top, about 2 minutes. Remove the wontons with a strainer or slotted spoon, drain the excess water and cover them to prevent drying.
The Soup:
- Combine the chicken broth and water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Season with pepper and salt. Transfer 5 wontons into each soup bowl, add some broth and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Jackie @ Kitchen Gadget Reviews
That overall just looks like a whole bunch of delicious. I now know what one of my plans for the weekend is going to be. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Rose | The Clean Dish
Your chop sticks are adorable!! I'd love a copy of that book, too. I wish I could have a bowl of wonton soup right now!!