How to Make Hoanh Thanh (Pork Wontons in Dried Squid and Radish Broth)

Method

1. Blanch the pork bones and neck bones in boiling water, then rinse them clean. Peel the shallots and fry them golden. Toast the dried squid, then rinse it with the dried shrimp. Peel the daikon and cut it into chunks, slice the salted radish thinly and blanch and rinse it. Soak the shiitake until soft and boil it in water with shallot and ginger. Rinse the spring onion, garlic chives and cilantro and cut them into lengths.
2. Simmer the bones with the dried shrimp, dried squid, salted radish and daikon for about 3 hours to build the broth.
3. Mix 1kg ground pork with 15g seasoning powder, 1g black pepper and 20g finely chopped spring onion, then wrap it in 200g wonton wrappers.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon cooking oil and blanch the wontons briefly so they do not stick, then lift them out and cool them.
5. Strain out 6 liters of broth, season with 80g seasoning powder, 17g salt, 72g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend and 17g MSG, and bring back to a boil.
6. To serve, blanch the wontons again until hot, put them in a bowl with the neck bones, scatter over spring onion, garlic chives and cilantro, ladle in the broth and finish with 5g black pepper.

Tips

• Blanching and rinsing every piece of bone before the long simmer is what keeps the broth clear.
• A little cooking oil in the blanching water stops the wonton wrappers from sticking together.
• Cooling the blanched wontons in ice water keeps the wrappers springy when they are reheated.
• A low simmer and steady skimming keep the broth clear, while a hard boil clouds it.
• The dried squid has to be grilled fragrant before it joins the pot, as skipping that leaves a fishy note in the broth.