Beef Wonton Mami with dumplings, fresh egg noodles, and flavor-packed broth is comfort food at its best. It's a tasty and filling midday snack or main mealโperfect for cold weather!
I'm back from the Philippines after a two-month trip for business/vacation. It was the dead heat of Summer when I arrived in June, and it was the start of the rainy season by the time I left the last week of July.
Tropical weather is interesting; you never know what to expect. One minute, you're drenched with sweat; the next, you're chilled to the bones sa malakas na ulan. Some days, we'll have a refreshing avocado sago jelly merienda to keep us cool, and then, come dinner time, we'll be craving a bowl of piping-hot beef wonton mami to warm our bellies!
The soup, which consists of tender beef, fresh egg noodles, wontons, vegetables, and flavorful broth, definitely hits the spot every time. It's filling and delicious; comfort food at its best!
Ingredient notes
- Beef- Low and slow cooking turns the meat tender and juicy. Cuts great for soups are brisket, chuck roast, cross-cut shanks, or bone-in short ribs.
- Wontons- made with soft, chewy wonton wrappers and ground pork filling with green onions, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.
- Mami- fresh noodles made from eggs and wheat flour
- Broth- from cooking the beef with added depth from bouillon, star anise, and brown sugar
- Vegetables- onions and garlic are aromatics that serve as the base for ginisa dishes; napa cabbage for color and bulk
- Toppings- garnish the soup with green onions and fried garlic bits before serving
Make the dumplings
You can make wontons using the easy recipe below or use ready-made dumplings available in most Asian supermarkets' freezer aisles.
- Combine ground pork, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Gently stir until well distributed.
- Separate wrappers into individual sheets. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of meat mixture on the middle of each wrapper, gathering the sides to form a "cup" around the mixture. Cover with a kitchen towel until ready to use to prevent the wrappers from drying out.
How to make beef wonton mami soup
- Heat oil in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic until softened. Add beef and sear until lightly browned.
- Add water and bring to a boil, skimming scum that floats on top. When cleared, add star anise, brown sugar, and beef bouillon. Stir until dissolved.
- Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 ยฝ hours or until the beef is fork-tender. Gently add the wontons and simmer until the filling is cooked through. Season the broth with salt and pepper to taste.
- In another pot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add egg noodles and cook for about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove noodles, rinse with cold water to stop cooking, and drain well.
- Add napa cabbage and cook briefly just until wilted. Drain well.
- Divide mami noodles equally in bowls. Add beef and wontons and pour hot broth over them. Garnish with fried garlic bits and chopped onions. Serve hot.
Helpful tips
For the best texture, blanch the noodles and the cabbage very quickly in the boiling water as they will continue to soften in the hot broth.
More mami recipes
- Chicken Mami-a homemade broth takes this noodle soup from good to great!
- Bulalo Mami-a hearty soup made with bone-in beef shanks
Serving suggestions and storage instructions
- Enjoy this beef wonton mami soup alone or with siopao asado as a filling midday snack or light meal. Serve hot with toppings of choice, such as chopped green onions and fried garlic bits, and additional flavorings like calamansi, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce.
- This Filipino-style noodle soup is best enjoyed freshly cooked as the mami and wonton tend to soak up all the liquid and lose texture in the broth. It doesn't freeze well, as frozen and thawed ingredients turn mushy.
- If you plan to store it for future meals, I suggest keeping the meat with broth, noodles, dumplings, vegetables, and toppings in separate containers. They'll keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Combine all the elements in a large pot and reheat to 165 F.
More soup recipes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 pound beef brisket, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 cups water
- 2 pieces star anise
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tablespoon beef base
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 package (16 ounces) Mami (fresh egg noodles)
- 1 small napa cabbage, shredded
- fried garlic bits
- ยฝ cup green onions, chopped
For the Wontons
- 1 pound ground pork
- ยผ cup green onions, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon pepper
- 15 pieces wonton wrappers
Instructions
- In a pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until aromatic. Add beef and cook until lightly browned.
- Add water and bring to a boil, skimming scum that floats on top. When it clears, add star anise. Add brown sugar and beef bouillon. Stir until dissolved.
- Lower heat, cover, and cook for about 1 to 1 ยฝ hours or until beef is fork-tender.
- Gently add wonton dumplings one at a time and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the filling is cooked through.
- Season broth with salt and pepper to taste.
- In another large pot, bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil over medium heat. Add egg noodles and cook for about 10 to 15 seconds. Remove noodles and rinse with cold water. Drain well.
- Add Napa cabbage to the pot and cook for about 20 to 30 seconds or just until wilted. Drain well.
- Drain noodles equally into bowls. Add beef, wontons, cabbage, and pour hot broth. Garnish with fried garlic bits and chopped onions. Serve hot.
For the Wontons
- In a bowl, combine ground pork, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Gently stir until well-distributed.
- Separate wrappers into individual sheets. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of meat mixture on middle of wrapper and then gather sides to form a "cup" around mixture.
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Marlon S Mangubat says
Fairly easy to prepare, tastes almost exactly like the ones bought from Chowking or henlin, if not better.
Kimmy says
Prepped it in the IP and it turned out delish!! Will be a go-to recipe from now on!!
Hazel says
Love this! How long does it take to prepare this dish?
Lalaine says
HellO hazel,
It would take about 1 1/2 to 2 hours ๐
Geal says
How long till beef is tender?
Geal says
And how long to cook wontons?
Lalaine says
Hello Gail
About 5 minutes, just until the filling is cooked.
Lalaine says
About 1 to 1 1/2 hours ๐