JEFF TAN, HUAMI CLEAR SOUP & FRESH PRAWN WONTONS

SERVES 4 / PREPARATION 30 MINUTES / COOKING 4 HOURS

In Chinese custom, wontons are one of the must-eat dishes during winter solstice. This dish reminds me of my grandparents and my love for them. They showed their love for their family through food and I recall some of my best times with them. Today, I’m doing the same thing with my son.

FOR THE CHICKEN STOCK

400g chicken breast, diced

10g white peppercorns, whole

100g ginger, peeled and chopped

2 spring onions, each chopped into four pieces

Blanch the diced chicken breast for 3 minutes, then rinse it. Put 3 litres of water into a big stockpot and bring to the boil. Add the diced chicken breast, white peppercorns, ginger and spring onions. Simmer for 2-4 hours until it reduces to 1½ litres of stock, then strain the stock and discard the flavourings. The stock should be clear and have a rich chicken flavour. Keep the stock warm until ready to serve.

FOR THE PRAWN WONTONS

600g banana prawns

150g Chinese yellow chives, chopped

1 pkt wonton pastry (available in Asian supermarkets) 300g pak choy

50g baby black fungus (available in Asian supermarkets) 20g dried shallots

Peel the prawns and chop finely. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add the chopped chives and mix well.

To assemble, place a wonton wrapper flat in the palm of your hand and place one tablespoon of prawn mixture in the centre of the wonton wrapper. Fold the wonton in half, corner to opposite corner to make a triangle. Seal tightly all around, making sure there are no air pockets or holes in the wonton. Fold the longer two triangle points together and seal to make the wonton shape. Use a little water to seal the edges of the pastry if needed. Cook the wontons in a pan of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Blanch the pak choy until just cooked, about 5 minutes.

To serve, put the prawn wontons, pak choy and chicken stock into four soup bowls. Garnish with baby black fungus and dried shallot.