Chicken-and-Shrimp Wonton Soup with Lemongrass Broth

This recipe is chef Paul Liebrandt's interpretation of the classic. "They don't use a huge amount of lemongrass in traditional Hong Kong cooking; it's a Southeast Asian ingredient," he says. "But it adds great aroma and it's a nice twist." Slideshow:  Asian Soups 

Chicken-and-Shrimp Wonton Soup with Lemongrass Broth
Photo: © Chris Court
Total Time:
1 hrs 30 mins
Yield:
4 to 6

Ingredients

Chicken Broth

  • 1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil

  • 1 pound chicken breasts on the bone, skin discarded

  • 1/2 pound spareribs or baby back ribs, cut into single ribs

  • 8 green cardamom pods

  • 3 black cardamom pods (optional; see Note)

  • 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

  • 1/2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns (see Note)

  • 2 whole star anise pods

  • 10 cups water

  • 1 fresh lemongrass stalk, tender white inner bulb only, chopped

  • One 1 1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thickly sliced

  • 3 cilantro sprigs

  • 2 scallions, halved

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

Wontons

  • 3 ounces shelled and deveined shrimp, minced

  • 2 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, minced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 tablespoons minced shallot

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon honey

  • 1/2 teaspoon toasted Asian sesame oil, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

  • 1 red Thai chile, seeded and minced

  • 1 teaspoon minced cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon small leaves, for garnish

  • Pinch of fine sea salt

  • 12 square wonton wrappers

  • 1 scallion, light green and white parts only, thinly sliced, for garnish

Directions

Make the broth

  1. In a pot, heat the oil. Add the chicken and spareribs and cook over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add the cardamom pods, peppercorns and star anise and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add all of the remaining broth ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat, skimming off the fat, until the broth is reduced to 6 cups and very fragrant, 40 minutes. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into a large saucepan; skim off any fat.

Make the wontons

  1. In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the wrappers and garnishes. Arrange 4 wrappers on a surface; keep the remaining ones covered with a damp paper towel. Brush the wrapper edges with water. Place 2 teaspoons of the filling in the center of each wrapper. Bring all 4 corners of each wrapper together and twist the top gently to form into purses. Press the edges to seal. Transfer the wontons to a plate. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling; cover with plastic wrap.

  2. Bring the strained broth to a boil. Add the wontons and simmer over moderate heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Spoon the wontons into bowls and ladle the broth over. Garnish the soup with the sesame oil, cilantro leaves and sliced scallion and serve.

Make Ahead

The wontons can be refrigerated for 8 hours. The broth can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

Notes

Black cardamom and Sichuan peppercorns are available at penzeys.com.

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