Cheater's Wonton Noodle Soup Broth

This morning I had a craving for something warm and brothy. Asian breakfasts are a little different than the standard American breakfast -- I would say there are very few Asian dishes that are known as breakfast specific dishes. Noodle soups, porridge, meat pies, pastries -- these are all things that can be eaten throughout the day. So having a noodle soup for breakfast is not uncommon. (Having ramen as a snack is not that uncommon either -- it's a miracle I don't weigh more considering my childhood eating habits) A while back, I had leftover filling from the curried turnovers and I used it as wonton filling and threw it into the freezer. This morning was the perfect opportunity to turn them into breakfast.

Just like the cubes I mentioned in my cheater's pho ga recipe, there are special seasoning cubes for wonton soup. "Hoanh thanh" is the Vietnamese translation of wonton (sound it out, it makes sense). I am not listing any specific measurements because this is really something to adjust by taste, and depending on how many bowls you're making. For the broth, a good rule of thumb is to start out with one cube, taste, then add more as needed. As for the toppings, it just depends on what ratio you want. My mom likes more broth than toppings, my dad wants as little broth as possible and lots of toppings. It's flexible.

The soup base is not really the star of this dish -- what makes this kind of soup is the toppings. Some good combinations which you can use with this broth:

Roasted duck + bok choy + duck egg
Roasted pork + bok choy + bean sprouts
Chicken + garlic chives + bean sprouts
Dumplings + bean sprouts + scallions
Tofu + shitake mushrooms + napa cabbage + garlic chives + bean sprouts

You get the idea. You can get adventurous and add chorizo + garlic chives + bean sprouts too -- a little fusian cuisine. If you follow a formula of protein + something crunchy, it'll work. This morning I used wontons + tons of garlic chives + a boiled egg on top of shrimp egg noodles.

That all being said, this isn't a typical recipe. For people who are used to cooking like this, stop reading. You probably stopped a while ago the first time you rolled your eyes and said "duh". For those who have never made this soup on their own before, keep reading to see how super easy it is and have fun throwing this together throughout the winter.

Ok I'll stop talking. Time for cooking.

(for 2 servings)

1 hoanh thanh seasoning cube
16 oz. chicken stock
2 cups of water
An egg based noodle
Wontons

Suggested condiments: Lemongrass chili oil (pictured below); white or red wine vinegar

Bring a mixture of the seasoning cube, water and chicken stock to a boil. Taste -- if too salty, dilute with water. If not flavorful enough, try adding more chicken broth.

In a separate pot, bring some water to boil. Cook the noodles according to the package directions. If using wontons, cook them in this separate pot as well. Place your toppings + noodles in a bowl, ready for its broth. I wouldn't suggest cooking these things in the broth itself -- sometimes it makes the broth murky.

Ladle the broth over the noodles + slurp.