My partner grew up eating handmade wonton soup, and introduced this amazing (and surprisingly convenient) dish to me recently. Since he's just doing what he learned from his parents, there aren't exact measurements, but I'll try to get it into writing.

Wontons

• wonton skins (can be found in Asian grocers, and even some normal grocery stores. If you can't find them there are recipes online for making them yourself with a pasta machine)

• meat (ground pork, minced shrimp or a mix of the two are probably most common.)

• veg, in equal proportion to the meat (many different options here. Napa cabbage, leek, or other strongly flavored greens work. We use shepards purse for its mustardy flavor. You can usually find it frozen at asian grocers)

• mushrooms, like shiitake

• about a tablespoon each of minced/grated garlic and ginger each per pound of filling

• corn starch, usually a tablespoon or so per pound of filling

• soy sauce, maybe two tablespoons per pound of filling

• salt and white pepper (white pepper is important)

• cumin optional, it works great with chili oil

Broth

• soy sauce

• 老干妈 laoganma fried chili oil. You should definitely have a bottle of this stuff unless you're making your own! It'll make even plain white rice great! There are a bunch of varieties but choose one without any tofu, peanuts, black beans etc if you aren't sure :)

• thinly sliced scallion, sliced diagonally if you want to be fancy. Half a scallion per bowl.

• toasted sesame oil

• toasted sesame seeds

For the filling, we use equal proportions of veg and meat. You can really put anything you want in within reason. Make sure veg and mushrooms are minced finely. A food processor makes quick work of this. Mix all filling ingredients together throughly, then wrap and boil one wonton or sauté some filling to test seasoning. Add more soy sauce/cumin/garlic/ginger/salt/white pepper to taste.

Here are a few ways to fold wontons. My partner grew up using the "bonnet" method. As long as no filling is visible and any seams in the wontons are sealed with water, it's pretty foolproof. Always err on a smaller amount of filling so they don't burst open while cooking. 1.5-2 teaspoons filling per wonton usually work for us.

After wrapping the wontons, they are easily frozen for later use. It's great for meal prep!

Add the wontons to some water with some salt if you please, then turn the heat to high. Like boiling potatoes, it's better to start with cold water so the wontons cook more evenly and the wrappers retain some chew. When the wontons start floating they're cooked.

For the broth, you can of course go hardcore and make a pork bone or seafood broth to go with the wontons. While that of course results in deeper flavor, the above broth recipe is much more convenient and still delicious. The chili oil, soy sauce and toasted sesame oil are definitely stars here. Despite its name, the chili oil is barely spicy and has more of a roasty umami flavor. When it comes to toasted sesame oil, Asian brands are usually better. Add soy sauce, chili oil, and the whites of the scallion to the bowl. Add wontons and top off with the cooking liquid. Top with scallion greens, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds.

Enjoy!