Shrimp Wonton Soup Xia Hun Tun TangA few years ago, while traveling in Hong Kong, I chanced upon a mom-andpopnoodle joint that served the best shrimp wontons in the world. As simpleas it sounds, finding perfect shrimp wontons with the right texture, amplefilling, and great taste is not that easy these days.Great shrimp wontons should be tightly packed into the wrapper and theshrimp has to be fresh, big (always a plus), and most of all, its texture has tobe crunchy so every bite of the shrimp just bounces in the mouth, as theCantonese would say. To ensure the best result for this recipe, please followthe tips on How to Make Shrimp Bouncy on page 13. The difference betweena well-treated shrimp and limpy shrimp is the difference between heaven andearth in this classic Cantonese recipe.Makes 20 wontons or serves 6 as part of a multicourse meal20 store-bought wonton wrappers4 cups (1 liter) water1 green onion (scallion), trimmed and cut into small rounds, to garnishFilling8 oz (250 g) shelled and deveined medium-sized raw shrimp1 tablespoon chopped yellow chives (1/2 in/1.25 cm lengths)1 teaspoon oil1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder1/4 teaspoon fish sauce1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or sherry1/4 teaspoon sugar1/2 teaspoon sesame oil3 dashes white pepper1/2 teaspoon oilSoup13/4 cups (425 ml) homemade Chicken Stock (page 00) or 1 can (14 oz/400 g)store-bought chicken broth1 cup (250 ml) water3 dashes white pepperSalt, to taste1 To make the Filling, treat the shrimp according to How to Make Shrimp Bouncy onPage 13.2 Cut 2/3 portion of the shrimp into 34 pieces in equal lengths and set aside. Smash andpound the remaining 1/3 portion of the shrimp using the back of a Chinese cleaver andthen coarsely mince it with the cleaver a few times (refer to the picture guide on page29). Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mince the 1/3 portion of the shrimp.3 Combining all the shrimp and the rest of the ingredients together. Chill the Filling in therefrigerator for 30 minutes.4 Assemble the Shrimp Wontons by following the instructional guide on page 57.5 Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Gently transfer the wrapped wontons into the boilingwater and boil until the wontons float to the top, about 23 minutes. You may have toboil the wontons in more than 1 batch, depending on the size of your pot.6 Remove the wontons with a slotted spoon, drain the excess water, and cover them toprevent drying.7 To make the Soup, bring to boil the chicken broth and water in a pot. Add the whitepepper and salt to taste.8 Transfer 34 wontons into a small soup bowl, add some of the Soup into the bowl,garnish with some chopped green onion (scallion) and serve immediately.