Wor Wonton Soup (Cantonese)

Wor in Chinese means a large stockpot. So when the Chinese make a large pot of wonton soup and add all kinds of meat and vegetables to the broth, they naturally call it Wor Wonton Soup. This is one soup that is truly a meal in itself.

Wontons:
1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 pound medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
3 tablespooons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons minced ginger
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
24 wonton wrappers

6 cups chicken broth
1 cup bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 ounces snow peas, trimmed
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 Chinese Barbecued Pork or Virginia ham, thinly sliced
5 dried black mushrooms
Green onion, sliced, for serving

Preparation:

1. Soak mushrooms in warm water to cover until softened, about 20 minutes; drain. Discard stems and thinly slice caps. Set aside.
2. Combine filling ingredients for the wontons in a bowl; mix well.

Make each wonton:

1. Place 1 heaping teaspoon filling in center of a wonton wrapper; keep remaining wrappers covered to prevent drying. Brush edges of wrapper with water and fold wrapper in half to form a triangle. Push out the air from around the filling and pinch edges to seal. Pull two opposite corners together, moisten one corner with water, and overlap with another corner; press to seal. Cover filled wontons with a dry towel to prevent drying.

Cooking:

1. Place broth in a large pot: bring to a boil. Add mushrooms and bok choy and cook for 2 minutes. Add wontons and cook for 3 minutes. Add snow peas and cook for 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil and pepper.

Ladle wontons, vegetables, and broth into 6 deep soup bowls. Garnish each serving with slices of barbecued pork and green onion.

Makes 6 servings.