Chinese-American · main

Gingery Vegetable Wonton Soup

Gingery Vegetable Wonton Soup reads umami 6.0, salinity 4.7 and richness 4.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese-American main, about 38 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.8 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.2 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.8 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.2 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.0 · Salinity 4.7 · Richness 4.1 · Allium 3.9 · Nutty 3.7 · Sourness 3.0 · Funk & Ferment 2.8 · Earthy 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Warm Spice 2.3 · Heat 2.3 · Sweetness 1.7 · Floral 1.4 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (13)

• low-sodium beef broth — 1420 g
• dark sesame oil — 14 g
• ginger — 30 g
• garlic — 12 g
• scallions — 400 g
• shiitake mushrooms — 227 g
• soybean soy sauce — 44 g
• rice wine vinegar — 11 g
• salt — 5 g
• white pepper — 1 g
• frozen vegetables — 680 g
• baby bok choy — 400 g
• chili flakes — 5 g

Time & effort: about 38 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 29 kcal, 1.9 g protein, 0.6 g fat, 4.2 g carbs

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Trim and halve the baby bok choy lengthwise, thinly slice the scallions (keeping the white and green parts separate), and mince the ginger and garlic. Have everything ready before you start the broth — this soup moves fast once the wontons hit the water.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and scallion whites; sauté, stirring often, until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they've released their liquid and started to brown at the edges, 5-6 minutes — this is where the savory backbone of the broth comes from.
4. Pour in the vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and white pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 8 minutes to let the broth deepen.
5. While the broth simmers, bring a separate large pot of water to a boil for the wontons — cooking them apart from the broth keeps the broth clear instead of cloudy and starchy.
6. Add the bok choy to the simmering broth, cut side down, and cook until just crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes; lift out with tongs and set aside, keeping the broth at a bare simmer.
7. Slide the frozen wontons into the boiling water and cook according to package timing, usually 5-6 minutes, until they float to the surface and the wrappers are tender all the way through. Drain gently with a spider or slotted spoon so they don't tear.
8. Divide the wontons and bok choy among four bowls, ladle the hot broth over top, and scatter with the scallion greens. Finish each bowl with a swirl of chili crisp if using and serve right away.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Hot and Sour Soup with Tofu — Chinese-American
• Spicy Wonton Noodle Bowl — Chinese-American
• Gyoza (餃子) — Japanese
• Dan Dan Noodles (担担面) — Chinese
• Mapo Tofu (麻婆豆腐) — Chinese

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.