5-Minute Wonton Soup (Dong Gu Yuan Xiao Tang, the lazy version)
The soup every Chinese household makes at 9pm: frozen wontons, four pantry things, done before the kettle cools.
The story
Ask Chinese students what they cook during exam week and this is it. The freezer bag of wontons is a permanent fixture in Chinese freezers, and the "soup" is barely a recipe — boiling water seasoned properly becomes a light, gingery broth that tastes like someone's aunt made it.
Ingredients (5 + pantry staples)
- Frozen wontons — 12–16
- Baby spinach — 2 large handfuls
- Scallions — 1, sliced
- Soy sauce — 1 tbsp
- Toasted sesame oil — 1 tsp
Pantry staples used (don't count toward the 6): salt, white pepper. Not stocked yet? See the pantry page.
Steps
- Boil 4 cups / 1 L water. Add frozen wontons straight from the freezer; cook 5 minutes from re-boil, until they float and look plump.
- Drop in the spinach for the last 30 seconds.
- Season with soy sauce, salt and white pepper. Scallions and sesame oil on top.
Swaps
Frozen dumplings work identically. A handful of dried seaweed or a beaten egg ribbed in at the end upgrades the broth for free.
More 10-minute dishes
Smashed Cucumber Salad (Pai Huang Gua)
The most-ordered cold starter in China takes 8 minutes and requires you to attack a vegetable with a blunt object.
Egg & Seaweed Drop Soup (Zi Cai Dan Hua Tang)
The default weeknight soup of a billion people: 7 minutes, 4 ingredients, zero knife work.
Blanched Greens with Oyster Sauce (Bai Zhuo)
The Cantonese technique that makes any green vegetable taste like a $18 restaurant side.