Peruvian · soup

Sopa Wantán

Sopa Wantán reads umami 6.3, salinity 5.2 and richness 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Peruvian soup, about 44 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.5 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.2 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 0.8 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 4.9 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.3 · Salinity 5.2 · Richness 3.9 · Marine & Briny 3.4 · Nutty 3.3 · Allium 2.9 · Funk & Ferment 2.8 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Sweetness 1.2 · Heat 0.9 · Bitterness 0.7 · Earthy 0.6 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (14)

• chicken stock — 2000 g
• ground pork — 250 g
• shrimp — 120 g
• wonton wrappers — 200 g
• char siu — 150 g
• pak choi — 200 g
• fresh ginger — 30 g
• green onion — 35 g
• soy sauce — 44 g
• sesame oil — 9 g
• ground white pepper — 5 g
• pisco — 15 g
• salt — 5 g
• egg white — 100 g

Time & effort: about 44 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 71.2 kcal, 4.6 g protein, 2.9 g fat, 6.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Every chifa in Lima sells this, and the test of a good one is the broth: it should be clear enough to read a newspaper through and taste of chicken rather than of soy. Skim it properly and do not let it boil hard once it is made.
2. Mix the ground pork with the chopped shrimp, the minced half of the kion, 1 tbsp of the sillao, 1 tsp of the sesame oil, half the white pepper and the pisco. Beat it in one direction with a spoon for a full minute until it turns sticky and pale — that is what keeps the filling springy rather than crumbly.
3. Put a rounded teaspoon of filling in the centre of each wrapper, brush two edges with egg white, fold to a triangle and press out the air, then bring the two long points together and pinch. Sit them on a floured tray, not touching. You should get about thirty.
4. Bring the stock to a bare simmer with the sliced kion and the salt, and skim off any grey foam. Simmer 10 minutes to infuse, then lift the ginger out.
5. Poach the wontons in a separate pan of boiling water for 4 minutes, until the wrappers are translucent and the filling is firm to a squeeze. Cooking them in the stock itself clouds it with starch, which is exactly what you spent an hour avoiding.
6. Drop the pak choi stems into the stock for 1 minute, then the leaves for 30 seconds — they should stay bright green and still have a bite. Season the broth with the remaining sillao and white pepper.
7. Divide the wontons among four deep bowls, lay the sliced char siu over them, ladle the stock and greens on top, and finish with the cebollita china and the last of the sesame oil.
8. Substitutions: Chinese cabbage can stand in for the pak choi; Shaoxing wine can stand in for the pisco.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Wonton Soup (馄饨汤) — Chinese
• Shrimp and Snow Pea Stir-Fry — Chinese-American
• Shrimp Lo Mein — Chinese-American
• Shrimp Alfredo — Italian-American
• Miso Glazed Salmon — Japanese

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.