Foodie Friday: Wonton

Wonton: tender dumplings, often boiled

wonton soup

Want the quickest meal ever? Toss some wonton with instant ramen noodles.

Wontons have a delicate wrapper. In modern-day Chinese, eating them is often known as “swallowing clouds.” (The original definition is very different.) Their soft exterior melts in your mouth and contrasts well with the heartier stuffing. (By the way, I hear they have great shrimp wontons in bulk at your local Costco.)

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, poets even wrote about wonton. In some regions, the warming soup would be eaten on a midwinter’s day to fight against the cold weather. A famous doctor, Zhang Zhongjing, even decided to stuff wontons with medicine to provide cures for frostbite.

Have you eaten these delicious clouds before?

Where the Ginseng Grows
I've Got a Tiger Claw

Comments

  1. Veronica Roth says

    I love wonton soup! Next time I’m in Costco I’m going to look for the shrimp wontons; those are favourites. I also love hot and sour soup. I love all the different flavours going on in that soup. :D

  2. Everyone at home loves wonton soup but my son is a huge fan. When he was very little he always asked for some when we had Chinese food. It became a joke between all of us since he always managed to get the waitress to serve him an extra ladder.
    Interesting to read that in every culture soup was prepared as a way to fight a cold. In France we serve ‘bouillon de poule’ or chicken broth to avoid a cold or get better we when feel a little down. Older generations were onto something because I also crave for a cup of soup when I’m having a cold, or feels like getting one, or when I’m just plain tired.
    I have tried the Costco wontons and they are pretty good. I still prefer them in a Chinese restaurant. For the ambiance.

    • Jennifer J. Chow says

      Wow, your son must be charming. I’ve never received extra portions! I still like the restaurants because there’s so much variety in the fillings that you can order.

Trackbacks

  1. […] Mantu is pretty tasty, but it requires a new mindset on my part, not to lump it together with other dumplings like the wonton. […]

  2. […] region known for tongue-tingling delights). Now, I’ve had dumplings before (xiao long bao, wonton, and whatnot). I also have varieties of chili paste in my pantry (thanks to my spice-loving dad). […]

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