Recipes

Chicken Wonton Soup

Kiao Nam Gai

Lemongrass and kaffir lime chicken wontons in a savory garlic broth with bok choy

Prep

30 min

Cook

10 min

Serves

4

Heat

mild

This wonton soup keeps the basic Chinese format but infuses the filling with lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and coriander root ground into a smooth paste before mixing into the ground meat, giving each bite a distinctly Thai aromatic quality. The broth itself stays fairly plain and savory, built on garlic and coriander root simmered with oyster and soy sauce, since the real customization happens at the table. Like most Thai soups, it's served alongside a set of four condiments — dried chili, pickled chili, chili fish sauce, and sugar — so each diner can season their own bowl exactly the way they like it.

Ingredients

• 200 g Ground chicken or pork
• 1/2 teaspoon Lemongrass (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kaffir lime leaves (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander root (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon Green onion (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon Tapioca starch
• 1/2 teaspoon White pepper, finely ground
• 1/4 teaspoon Fish sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Sesame oil
• 25 Wonton wrappers
• 3.5 cups Chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 teaspoon Coriander root (ground with the garlic)
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic (ground with the coriander root)
• 1 teaspoon Oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Light soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon White pepper, finely ground
• 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 2-3 heads Chinese cabbage (bok choy) (leaves separated and washed)

Directions

1. Finely chop the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and coriander root. Grind together with a mortar and pestle (or food processor) into a smooth herbal paste.
2. Mix the herb paste into the ground meat along with the chopped green onion, tapioca starch, white pepper, fish sauce, and sesame oil until smooth.
3. Lay a wonton wrapper in one hand and place about a teaspoon of filling in the center. Wet two edges with water, fold into a triangle, press out the air, and pinch the sides to seal.
4. For a more decorative shape, point the folded edge away from you, slowly pinch and bend the two corners together until the tips meet, wetting one tip to stick them together. Repeat for the whole batch before starting the soup.
5. Separate and wash the bok choy leaves. Finely chop the coriander root for the broth and grind together with the garlic until smooth.
6. Heat the stock in a large pot. Once boiling, add the ground garlic and coriander root.
7. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar. Stir well and boil for about 5 minutes.
8. In a separate pot, boil clean water. Add the wontons and cook for about 5 minutes, avoiding excess stirring so they don't break apart.
9. Carefully remove the wontons and arrange 2 or 3 in each serving bowl. Blanch the bok choy leaves in the same hot water for about a minute.
10. Add 2 or 3 bok choy leaves to each bowl and ladle the hot broth over everything. Top with chopped green onion and a dash of white pepper.
11. Serve with the traditional Thai soup condiments on the side — ground dried chili, pickled chili in vinegar, fish sauce with fresh chili, and sugar — so each person can season their own bowl for spicy, sour, salty, and sweet.

Notes

Avoid over-stirring the wontons while they boil — they're delicate and break apart easily, so let them cook mostly undisturbed.

Substitutions

Ground pork can replace the chicken in the filling with no other changes needed.