Wonton Soup

"Even though wontons in broth have been established here as a traditional soup [course]," says Irene Kuo in her book The Key to Chinese Cooking (Knopf, 1977), in which a version of this recipe appears, "in China the dish is considered a snack." Look for high-quality fresh wonton wrappers at your local Chinese market; the thinner varieties are superior.

Ingredients

1. 8 cups plus 2 tbsp. Chicken Stock
2. 3 whole scallions plus 1 tbsp. minced
3. 1 3" piece fresh ginger, peeled (2" sliced into thin coins, 1" finely chopped)
4. 2 1/4 tsp. cornstarch
5. 1/4 lb. ground pork
6. 1 tbsp. soy sauce
7. 2 1/4 tsp. sherry
8. 1 tsp. seasame oil
9. Pinch of sugar
10. 20 3 1/2" square wonton wrappers

Directions

1. Put 8 cups of the chicken stock, whole scallions, sliced ginger, and salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until flavors have come together, about 10 minutes. Remove broth from heat and set aside.
2. Put remaining 2 tbsp. chicken stock and cornstarch into a large bowl and stir to combine. Add remaining scallions, remaining ginger, pork, soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar and stir well to make a filling for the wontons.
3. Fill a cup with water; set aside. Arrange a wrapper in front of you so that it looks like a diamond; dip your finger in the water and moisten the 4 edges of the wrapper. Place about 1 tsp. of the filling in center of wrapper; fold in half over filling to make a triangle. Press firmly along sides to seal and remove all excess trapped air. Moisten the left and right corners, then draw them together and pinch to seal. Place stuffed wonton on a wax paper–lined sheet pan; cover with a towel. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
4. Bring reserved broth to a boil, covered, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; add wontons. Cook, stirring occasionally, until wonton filling is firm and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook for 30 seconds more. Ladle into bowls and serve hot.