Cantonese / American Chinese Recipe

Wonton Soup

Wonton soup is a clear broth soup with pork, shrimp, chicken, or vegetable wontons, often used as a baseline soup on Chinese American and Cantonese menus.

Recipe at a glance

PurposeHigh-frequency Chinese restaurant menu dish
Cuisine or formatCantonese / American Chinese
Menu variation ruleProtein may be adjusted without creating a separate recipe family.

Ingredients

  • 24 wonton wrappers
  • 8 oz ground pork, chicken, shrimp, or mixed filling
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • White pepper
  • 6 cups chicken, pork, seafood, or vegetable broth
  • Scallions
  • Bok choy or choy sum, optional

Method

  1. Mix filling with ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper.
  2. Fill wonton wrappers lightly and seal firmly.
  3. Bring broth to a simmer and season to taste.
  4. Cook wontons in boiling water until the filling is done.
  5. Transfer wontons to bowls.
  6. Ladle hot broth over them and add scallions.
  7. Add greens if desired.

Menu-literacy notes

  • Wonton soup usually contains wheat wrappers and often pork or shrimp.
  • Wontons should be tender, not waterlogged.
  • House special wonton soup normally adds extra meats, seafood, or vegetables to the same base.

Variations and substitutions

  • For chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, tofu, or mixed seafood variants, keep the same sauce logic and adjust the cooking time for the protein.
  • For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, and shared wok or fryer use.
  • For takeout-style dishes, sauce texture matters: the sauce should coat the food rather than become a thin soup.

Related guides