Wonton Soup

I found this recipe in the All Recipes magazine. I have never really tried wonton soup because I was always afraid of what was in the middle of the wontons. This recipe was delicious. It would make about 8 bowls of soup.  

Ingredients: 

12 cloves garlic

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 pound ground pork

1 1/2 tsp chopped cilantro stems

1/2 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

pepper 

2 tsp plus 3 Tbsp fish sauce (I didn't have fish sauce so I used oyster sauce) 

6 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 package wonton wrappers

1 1/2 cups spinach

chopped green onions for garnish

Start by thinly slicing 8 cloves of garlic and placing that and the oil in a small frying pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until it browns. Set fried garlic aside. 

Chop the remaining 4 cloves of garlic and mix with ground pork, cilantro stems, sugar, salt, pepper, and 2 tsp oyster sauce. 

Sprinkle a baking sheet with some cornstarch. (For use later, place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer. You should also bring a separate large pot of water to boil while you are filling wontons.) 

 I put down 9-10 wonton wrappers and placed a tsp of filling on each wrapper. Wet the edges of the wrapper and close. 

Place the wontons on the cornstarch covered baking pan. Lightly cover with plastic wrap while you fill the rest of the wonton wrappers. 

Place the wontons in a large pot of boiling water.  Gently stir the wontons and bring the water back to a boil. Add 1 cup of cold water to the pot and then bring it back to a boil. Add 1 more cup of cold water to the pot and bring back to a boil again. This process ensures the meat is cooked, but the wontons aren't overcooked. 

Remove one wonton and cut open to make sure the meat is fully cooked. The pork should no longer be pink. If it is done, divide the wontons into serving bowls. 

Stir the spinach into the simmering chicken broth. Season the broth with the remaining oyster or fish sauce. Ladle the broth over the wontons and spoon the fried garlic on top of the soup. Garnish with green onions and extra cilantro if desired.