Wonton Soup

Wonton soup is thin dumplings of pork and shrimp poached in a clear broth. It is the light, delicate cousin to a bowl of noodle soup, built around wrappers thin enough to turn almost translucent once cooked.

What it really is

Thin squares of dough are filled with a small spoonful of minced pork and shrimp, folded into a loose pouch rather than pleated tight like a jiaozi, then poached directly in the broth they'll be served in rather than boiled separately. The broth itself is kept clear and light — usually a simple pork or chicken stock — so it doesn't compete with the delicate filling, finished with just a little spring onion.

The wrapper is thinner than almost any other dumpling's. That thinness is deliberate, since a thick wrapper would turn gummy in the broth and overwhelm the small amount of filling each wonton actually holds.

How it is served

• In a bowl of clear broth, several wontons per portion.
• With spring onion scattered over, rarely much else.
• As a light starter, or alongside noodles as a fuller meal.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the wheat in the wrapper, the soy in the filling, and the shellfish from the shrimp.
• Say whether egg noodles are included as an addition, since wonton soup is often served both with and without them.
• Note that confidence on the nutrition figures is low, since the broth-to-dumpling ratio varies substantially by bowl.