Wonton Noodle Soup (雲吞麵)

Learn how to make this classic Cantonese comfort food at home!

flodesk gif
Prep Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Yields
4 servings
YouTube Tutorial

A Recipe by Daddy Lau

My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you'll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

- Randy

Wonton Noodle Soup is one of my all-time favorites, and it was actually one of the recipes I really wanted to share when we started this channel, because my parents made this basically every other day for me as a kid. Like many of you, this dish brings up a ton of nostalgia for me.

In Cantonese, wontons are pronounced wàhn tān, which roughly translates to "swallowing a cloud". They're a staple of Cantonese cuisine, and in places like Guangzhou and Hong Kong, it's almost impossible to NOT run into a restaurant or food stall that sells a cheap, heartwarming bowl of wonton noodle soup.

Previously, we shared my dad's recipe for making wontons, and this recipe focuses entirely on how to cook the noodles and broth.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Ingredients

Weight: US
oz
g
Volume: US
cup
mL
Servings
4

Main Ingredients

  • 15 oz wonton noodles (

    fresh, unsteamed

    )
  • 30 wontons (

    see our wonton recipe

    )
  • 12 oz bok choy
  • 1 piece green onion
  • 8 piece shrimp (

    peeled, deveined

    )

Broth & Flavors

  • 14 oz chicken broth
  • 4 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper

On Wonton Noodles

Making wonton noodles from scratch is an art form that generations of people have devoted their whole lives to. It's a dying tradition, but one of the original methods involves smashing the noodle dough by bouncing your body on a bamboo lever, which creates a more springy and chewy bite than you'd get from a machine.

For most of us, it's a lot easier to just buy fresh wonton noodles, which most Asian grocery stores carry.

If you don't live near an Asian grocery store, I've included a few links to buy dried wonton noodles online, and my parents share how to adjust the cooking method for dried noodles.

Finding Asian Ingredients

Some of these ingredients are hard to find in a typical grocery store.

If you don't live near an Asian market, most or all of what my dad uses in this recipe can be found on Amazon:​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

I've also included some other Chinese kitchen essentials, used in many of my dad's other recipes.

These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!

Alternatives to Oyster Sauce

If you're vegetarian or need to stay away from gluten, we have three alternatives for you!

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Since oyster sauce is made out of oyster extract, here are some alternatives that have a similar taste without using the actual oyster:

Gluten Free Oyster Sauce

Wok Mei has a gluten-free oyster sauce, but it still contains oyster extract, so it's not vegetarian friendly.

Vegetarian + Gluten Free Oyster Sauce

Unfortunately, we don't know of a vendor that sells an oyster sauce that caters to both dietary restrictions, so you'll need to DIY the sauce.

Mix equal parts gluten free soy sauce and gluten free hoisin sauce. This isn't exactly the same as oyster sauce, but it's pretty close.

Step 1: Chop vegetables

We'll start by washing and cutting our bok choy (12 oz) into quarters along the stem.

Then, we'll chop our green onions (1 piece) into small pieces.

(Assuming our shrimp (8 piece) are already deveined and peeled, we don't need to do anything to them.)

Step 2: Cook noodles

Set the stove to high heat and bring a pot of water to a boil. We'll want to use more water so that the noodles cook faster, which leads to a more chewy, springy texture.

Spread the noodles (15 oz) out so they don't clump up when cooking.

With the stove still set to high heat, let the noodles cook in the boiling water for about 60 seconds.

Then, dunk them in cold water for a few seconds. After dunking them in cold water, we'll place them in the pot again for about 15-20 seconds.

Transfer the noodles to a bowl. We'll add a bit of olive oil (1 tbsp) to the noodles and mix it around.

Using other types of noodles

We talk about this more in the video, but if you're starting with frozen noodles (if you have a big batch for whatever reason), microwave the noodles for 30-60 seconds, and then spread them out before cooking them.

If you're using dried noodles, then you'll need to boil them for longer initially (around 2-4 minutes) before dunking them in cold water.

Step 3: Create broth & cook bok choy

For our broth, we'll add water (4 cup) and chicken broth (14 oz) to the pot, and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, we'll add olive oil (1 tbsp), which helps the bok choy keep its green color, along with some salt (1 tsp). The bubbles might rise rapidly once you do this, so be careful!

Throw in the bok choy, stir for a bit, and cover the pot. With our stove still on high heat, we'll let the bok choy cook for about 1-2 minutes until the pot returns to a boil.

Then, we'll add fish sauce (1 tbsp) (a ton of umami!), sesame oil (1 tsp), and white pepper (0.25 tsp). Taste to see if you need any adjustments.

Step 4: Cook shrimp, transfer bok choy

We'll dump the shrimp in as we start plating the bok choy on top of the noodles.

The shrimp only need about a minute to cook. You can tell they're ready once they've turned orange. When ready, plate the shrimp on the noodles.

Step 5: Cook wontons

We have a whole recipe and video on this, but if you're starting with raw wontons (30 ), you'll boil them in a pot of vigorously boiling water for about 3-5 minutes until they start floating. We have some additional pro-tips for cooking in our wonton video so be sure to check the video out if you haven't seen it already.

Step 6: Plate

Transfer the wontons onto the bowl of noodles, and carefully pour in the soup broth. Garnish with green onions.

Call your loved ones over! Time to eat :)

FAQ

What noodles do I buy for wonton noodle soup?

  • Look for fresh or dry wonton noodles at your local Asian grocery store. They are thin, springy, and chewy.
  • If you don't live near an Asian grocery store, here are a few links to buy dried wonton noodles online:
  • https://amzn.to/3iF9fUH​
  • https://amzn.to/3BwQdsf

How do you get the perfect texture of wonton noodles?

  • The secret to wonderfully springy noodles is that strange pause we take to dunk them in cold water! This technique is called shocking, and it forces the noodles to contract again as they suddenly stop cooking.
  • Also, make sure to buy wonton noodles! They are made with a specific dough that produces the right chewy texture.

Can I use store-bought wontons for Wonton Noodle Soup?

  • We suggest using our homemade wonton recipe, of course, but frozen wontons from the store will do just fine. You can follow the recipe as is.

What is in wonton soup?

  • Wonton soup is usually based in chicken broth, or a restaurant's house broth. Our recipe calls for chicken broth and water, which is seasoned with salt, oil, fish sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Check the ingredient list above to see precise amounts. Don't forget that you can scale the recipe up and down!

Is Wonton Noodle Soup healthy?

  • Yes, it is! You can make sure that you make the healthiest version possible by choosing good quality chicken broth and good quality produce, and making the wontons from scratch.
  • Reducing the amount of condiments and seasonings will affect the flavor of the dish. Instead, you can opt for low-sodium version chicken broth if necessary.
  • Restaurant or instant versions may not be as healthy when they include additives and preservatives, but because you're making the noodle soup from scratch, you have full control over the ingredients.

Can you make Wonton Noodle Soup vegetarian?

  • Yes, it's possible, although you'll have to put some effort into it.
  • The easiest replacements to make will be the chicken broth for your favorite vegetarian broth or mushroom broth. You can swap the shrimp for a different ingredient, like more vegetables or tofu, or omit altogether.
  • You can replace fish sauce with light soy sauce, or omit altogether.
  • For the wontons, you can either make it from scratch using vegetarian fillings, or make sure to buy a vegetarian version.

Summary

Print Recipe
Made With Lau
madewithlau.com/recipes/wonton-noodle-soup
Wonton Noodle Soup (雲吞麵)
Learn how to make this classic Cantonese comfort food at home!
  • Prep Time: 15 min
  • Total Time: 30 min
  • Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 15 oz wonton noodles (

    fresh, unsteamed

    )
  • 30 wontons (

    see our wonton recipe

    )
  • 12 oz bok choy
  • 1 piece green onion
  • 8 piece shrimp (

    peeled, deveined

    )

Broth & Flavors

  • 14 oz chicken broth
  • 4 cup water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 0.25 tsp white pepper

Step 1 - Chop vegetables

↑ Jump to details

Wash and cut the bok choy (12 oz) into quarters along the stem.

Then, chop our green onions (1 piece) into small pieces.

(Devein and peel shrimp (8 piece) if necessary.)

Step 2 - Cook noodles

↑ Jump to details

Set the stove to high heat and bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Spread the noodles (15 oz) out so they don't clump up when cooking.

With the stove still set to high heat, let the noodles cook in the boiling water for about 60 seconds.

Then, dunk them in cold water for a few seconds. After dunking them in cold water, place them in the pot again for about 15-20 seconds.

Transfer the noodles to a bowl. We'll add a bit of olive oil (1 tbsp) to the noodles and mix it around.

Using other types of noodles

If you're starting with frozen noodles, microwave the noodles for 30-60 seconds, and then spread them out before cooking them.

If you're using dried noodles, then you'll need to boil them for longer initially (around 2-4 minutes) before dunking them in cold water.

Step 3 - Create broth & cook bok choy

↑ Jump to details

For the broth, add water (4 cup) and chicken broth (14 oz) to the pot, and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, add olive oil (1 tbsp), which helps the bok choy keep its green color, along with some salt (1 tsp). The bubbles might rise rapidly once you do this, so be careful!

Throw in the bok choy, stir for a bit, and cover the pot. With the stove still on high heat, let the bok choy cook for about 1-2 minutes until the pot returns to a boil.

Then, we'll add fish sauce (1 tbsp) (a ton of umami!), sesame oil (1 tsp), and white pepper (0.25 tsp). Taste to see if you need any adjustments.

Step 4 - Cook shrimp, transfer bok choy

↑ Jump to details

Add the shrimp in as we start plating the bok choy on top of the noodles.

The shrimp only need about a minute to cook. You can tell they're ready once they've turned orange. When ready, plate the shrimp on the noodles.

Step 5 - Cook wontons

↑ Jump to details

Cook the wontons (30 ) in a pot of vigorously boiling water for about 3-5 minutes until they float to the surface.

Step 6 - Plate

↑ Jump to details

Transfer the wontons onto the bowl of noodles, and carefully pour in the soup broth. Garnish with green onions.

Call your loved ones over! Time to eat :)

Step 7 - Take pictures
Whip out your camera (1). Begin taking photos (1,000,000). Pick your favorites!
Step 8 - Share and tag us on Instagram @madewithlau #madewithlau!
Did you have fun making this recipe? We'd love to see & hear about it. (Especially my dad. He would be THRILLED!)

Enjoy!

My sister and I have many, many happy memories enjoying this dish growing up.

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and my family.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.