Fujianese Wonton Soup 扁肉

| By: Jenny Yang|

The combination of the Fujianese Wonton Soup (bian rou) with a bowl of Peanut Butter Noodles (ban mian) is the perfect combination for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Ever since I discovered its existence when I returned to China for the first time during the Summer of 2013, the duo dish has been an all-time favorite of mine. For the purpose of this project, I have chosen to focus on bian rou, the simplest but tastiest bowl of soup I have ever had. It may not be the most popular specialty dish known in Fujian Province, but I believe that it is worthy to be among the top dishes.

Ingredients

Yield: 1 serving

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 5 minutes

• Wonton Skin (15 sheets)

• Pork (⅛ oz)

• Scallions (1 oz)

• Water (2 cups)

• Sesame Oil (½ tsp)

• Salt (½ tsp)

• Chicken Flavor Seasoning (½ tsp)

• Soy Sauce (2 tsp)

• Mushroom Flavored Superior Dark Soy Sauce (1 tsp)

Cooking Instructions

1. Mince the pork (using a knife for a rougher texture) and chop the scallion into small cylinders.

2. Mix the pork, half of the scallions, and seasoning (half of the mushroom flavored superior dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, salt, and chicken flavor seasoning) to create a nice brown color.

3. Take a sheet of wonton skin, place a tiny half-spoon of filling in the middle, and put some water on the skin around the meat to stick the wonton closed. When ready, simply close your hand however carelessly, as long as there is no opening for the filling to escape.

4. Prepare the broth by boiling 2 cups of water and adding the other half of mushroom flavored superior dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, salt, and chicken flavor seasoning. Add some sesame oil and the rest of the half of chopped scallions to top it off.

5. Place the wontons in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then drain the wontons and place them in the broth.

Notes

• The wonton skin used in the recipe is not the best choice; the correct kind is very white and thin and becomes clear when cooked. The mushroom flavored superior dark soy sauce is optional because its purpose is only to make the filling have a nice brown color. The chicken flavored seasoning used in the recipe is Totole Granulated Chicken Flavor Soup Base Mix. Only a portion of everything in the picture of the ingredients was used, and the measurements for the recipe are all estimates, as I do not measure ingredients but simply taste test when cooking for myself.