Wonton Soup with a Star Anise Broth

The weather in Toronto has gotten so much colder since Thanksgiving weekend. Thanksgiving was gorgeous and now it feels like late fall. Janna and I walked home after dropping the kids off at school this morning and admitted that it is time to get the winter coats out of storage.

With the cold weather we always  love to have food that warms you up. Soup becomes a regular part of our meals in the fall and winter, because it is a comfort food in the cold weather and the kids (and parents) love it.

All three of our kids love wonton soup – well they love almost all Chinese food we have. This wonton soup is a lazy man’s version since the wontons are store bought. They are a frozen variety that I pick up at my local Asian grocery store.

I feel somewhat ashamed to share this cheap version of a soup, but if you are like me, there are times you need to throw a meal together quick. I always keep some packages of these wontons in the freezer and they are there when I need a fast meal.

The broth is not a typical wonton soup broth. It has some soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and garlic to give a deep flavour. I could just drink the broth by itself!

An easy recipe of wonton soup, made with frozen wontons and a deep, rich broth of soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and garlic.

Wonton Soup with a Star Anise Broth

5 from 1 vote
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An easy recipe of wonton soup, made with frozen wontons and a deep, rich broth of soy sauce, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and garlic.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 4 tbsp fresh ginger chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 thai chilies
  • 30 wontons
  • 4 green onions sliced

Instructions

  • In a large pot bring the broth, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon and chilies to a boil. Cook at a low rolling boil for 45 minutes.
  • Strain the broth, discarding the ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon stick and chilies.
  • Bring back to a low boil and throw in the wontons. Cook for another 10 minutes.
  • Serve in bowls sprinkling some green onions on the top of the soup.

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10 comments

  • This is NOT a cheap version of a soup! This is exactly the broth recipe I’ve been looking for with anise, ginger, garlic etc to provide rich flavours for my wonton soup. It’s the taste I love.

    THANK YOU FOR A GREAT RECIPE!

    • Reply
    • I know what you mean. The flavour in this broth is incredible!!

  • I tried this soup last night and I think I must have done something wrong. I added almost an extra 3 or 4 cups of chicken stock as the four cups didn’t seem enough for our family. Even with the extra stock it still seemeduch darker than yours and very salty. We loved the flavours though and would make it again if I could figure out what went wrong!

    • Reply
    • Hey Dana. We retried the soup and did find that is was a bit on the salty end. I have adjusted the soy sauce level which I think would be a better amount for the soup. Thanks!

      • Reply
  • Nothing wrong with a shortcut or two…especially when the end results are delicious! Not sure if I can find decent frozen wontons locally, but I’d love to try your soup. I may have to make a batch of my mom’s yummy wontons…and keep a stash in my freezer.

    • Reply
  • No apologies needed Steve, we ALL cut corners w/our meals sometimes. My little family is always asking for Wonton soup to start, when we go out to a Chinese restaurant.

    Thanks for breaking the recipe down so well..oh! and keep walking the kids to school, weather permitting, of course. My kids have the best memories of that!

    • Reply
  • OOH, that looks good–and star anise is just fun to use!

    • Reply
  • How unique! Looks great. I’ve got something special for you:
    http://everydaymomsmeals.blogspot.com/2011/10/award-winning-monday.html

    • Reply
  • Sounds wonderful! I love star anise as a flavor in soups 🙂

    • Reply
  • There are definitely days when you need a quick recipe! Some nights both my husband and I get home late, so having a comforting soup like this one is great. (+ the hubby loves wonton and similar soups!)
    I guess I could prepare the broth in the morning to use at dinner time, just adding the wontons?

    • Reply

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