Recipe: Shrimp Wonton Soup

SHRIMP WONTON SOUP

FOR THE WONTON FILLING:
3/4 lb raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup water chestnuts*
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine or sake
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tbsp minced scallions
1 egg white lightly beaten
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
TO ASSEMBLE:
48 wonton skins
cornstarch for dusting
TO FINISH:
4 cups homemade chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
10 oz fresh spinach, stems removed, rinsed thoroughly and drained

Place the shrimp in a linen dish towel or on paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Chop the shrimp to a paste in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or by hand.

Place the water chestnuts in a towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Place the shrimp paste, water chestnuts, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, salt, pepper, ginger, scallions and egg white in a mixing bowl. Using your hand or a spoon, stir vigorously in one direction to combine the ingredients evenly. Add the cornstarch and stir to blend. The mixture should be stiff.

Use a fork, teaspoon or two chopsticks to place a scant teaspoonful of the filling in the center of each wonton skin. Gather the edges of the skin together around the filling and squeeze to form a "waist" and the ends shut to enclose the filling. The finished dumpling should look like a drawstring purse. Place the finished dumplings on a tray that has been lightly dusted with cornstarch.

Heat 3 quarts of water to boiling in a large pot. Add the wontons and cover. Once the water is boiling again, cook for about 4 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Remove with a long-handled strainer and drain. Discard the water.

Heat the chicken stock, salt and sesame to boiling. Add the spinach and cooked wontons, portion into serving bowls. Serve immediately.

*Water Chestnuts should be plunged into boiling water and refreshed in cold water, drained and chopped.

Servings: 4
Source: Nina Simonds, The Washington Post; Jan. 29, 1992