Ingredients

Soup Stock

• 1 litre chicken stock
• 200ml Shaohsing or dry sherry* see note
• 2 tbsp. soy sauce
• 3cm ginger root peeled
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised with the side of the knife
• 2 star aniseed

Mushrooms

• 6 dried shitake mushrooms, soaked in boiling water, and thinly sliced* see note

Wontons

• Packet of Wontons
• 200g pork mince
• 150g tiger prawns, peeled
• 1 tbsp. spring onions or salad onions, white finely chopped
• 25g bamboo shoots, finely chopped* see note
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon shaohsing wine, or dry sherry

To Serve

• Garlic chilli oil* and soy sauce

Method

1. Soup Stock:Place all the stock ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cook it for 30 minutes
2. Wonton Filling: Place the wonton filling into a food processor or blender and process briefly so that all the mixture is well combined.
3. Wontons: Lay the wonton wrappers out on a worktop place a teaspoonful of the filling in the center of each one. Dampen the edge of the wontons and folds in half so as to create a triangle. Dampen the two opposite points. Join the points together backwards so that they cross over. Push through the filling side. If you find this difficult just bring all the corners together in the center and twist (like the moneybag recipe). Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook.
4. To Cook the Soup: Bring the soup to the boil, add the shredded shitake mushrooms in it and place the wontons in them 10-15 at a time until the float to the top, remove them and place in warm bowls. When you have cooked all the wontons sprinkle the shitake mushrooms over the top and pour over the soup and serve with garlic chilli oil and soy sauce.

• These wontons can be deep-fried or steamed in a bamboo basket brushed with oil or on a lightly oiled plate placed in a normal steamer. Serve with soy sauce.

Notes

1. Shaohsing wine is a Chinese cooking which features in many of my recipes, you can purchase it from East Asian food stores and some supermarkets like Waitrose.
2. Dried shitake mushrooms are sold in many supermarkets but are overpriced, its worth taking the time and going to an East Asian grocer to purchase a bag of them.
3. Bamboo shoots are sold in cans at East Asian food stores and many supermarkets.