Shanghai Wonton Soup | Chef John’s Cooking Class

Blanching the Bok Choy 1. Pour the water into a large pot over high heat. Bring the water to a boil then add the baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine. Drop the bok choy into the water and blanch for 10 seconds. Quickly remove it and place it into the bowl of ice water. 2. Chop the bok choy and place it into a clean kitchen towel, squeezing to remove excess water. 3. Chop the shepherd’s purse, place it into a clean kitchen towel and squeeze to remove excess water.

Make the Wonton filling: In a large bowl, add the chopped bok choy, shepherd's purse, ground pork, salt, sugar, Shaoxing cooking wine, oyster sauce, white pepper and eggs. Stir until ingredients are well combined.

Make the Wontons : First, prepare your work area. Fill a small bowl full of water and place it near your work area and a tray for the wontons. Place the bowl of filling and wonton wrappers near your work area.

Hold a wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand. Place 1/2 tablespoon of filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Brush a little water on the top and bottom edge using your finger, and fold the bottom edge up, leaving about a third of the wonton wrapper exposed. Press lightly on all the edges to seal them. Get a little more water, and pull the folded corners together to seal them, creating a crescent-shaped dumpling surrounded by a single layer of dough. Lay each wonton flat on the tray.

To make the omelet: Crack the eggs into a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to form a slurry. Whisk until no lumps remain. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of oil.

Heat a 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat and drizzle the oil evenly into the pan. Wipe the pan with a paper towel, leaving only a small amount of oil. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, and swirl the pan around so that the egg completely covers the bottom. Turn off the burner and allow the residual heat to finish cooking the egg. Use a spatula to release the egg from the pan and carefully slide it onto a plate.

Once cool, roll it up and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.

Prepare the wonton soup: In a large serving bowl with chicken broth, add the egg slices, dried laver, dried baby shrimp, sesame oil, Maggi seasoning, white pepper and salt and stir to combine.

Boil the wontons: In a medium-sized stock pot over high heat, pour in the water. Bring the water to a boil. Add the wontons. To prevent sticking, you can gently stir the bottom with chopsticks. After the water boils, add 1/2 cup of water, two additional times. When all the wontons float to the surface, they are fully cooked, about 7-10 minutes. Drain the wontons with a strainer and place into the bowl of ingredients that was assembled in the previous step.

To Serve: Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onion if desired. Serve warm.