Hot & Sour Wonton Soup

Ingredients | Serves 6 

Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass

1 tsbp sichuan peppercorns

2 cinnamon stick 

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp salt 

4 star anise 

3 spring onions, left whole

1 head garlic, sliced in half lengthways and skins left on 

Infused Vinegar 

1.5 cup of black vinegar

1/2 cup of water

1 tbsp of brown sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp of fennel seeds

3 star anise

2 pieces of dried chilies

1 tsp of Sichuan peppercorns

2 cloves of garlic

Dumpling Filling 

200g fresh wonton wrappers 

500 g of pork mince (higher fat percentage is preferred)

4 spring onions finely chopped 

2 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

½ tsp of five spice powder & white pepper

2 tsp sesame oil 

1/4 cup of chicken stock 

4 mushrooms, finely chopped (I used chestnut but shiitake would be better) 

Method

Broth

  1. Set oven to 180C. Place all the above into a dutch oven and cover the carcass with cold water, place on a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently for 15 minutes with the lid on. 

  2. After 15 minutes, remove the lid and get rid of any scum (white foam) from the surface using a spoon. Return the lid and place in the oven for 3-4 hours. Remove from the heat, cool and pour through a sieve into a saucepan.  

Infused Vinegar

  1. Pour everything into a small saucepan and let this simmer gently for about 15 minutes (don’t over boil otherwise you will lose too much liquid). 

  2. Pour into a jar or jug topped with a sieve. Set aside. 

Dumplings

  1. Combine everything in a large bowl until a paste like consistency forms

  2. Shape dumplings using video for reference

  3. Place onto a tray, lightly dusted with flour. 

  4. Place the chicken stock on a medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, if you need to you can always add some water to bulk it out (I added some sliced cabbage at this point). Add the wontons and gently simmer for 5 minutes. 

Assembly

  1. Add some finely sliced coriander and spring onions to your serving bowls. Then add 2-3 tbsp of infused vinegar per bowl. 

  2. Pour in the wontons and some chicken stock

  3. Finish with chilli oil and serve.