After the Christmas feast comes one of my favourite parts — turning leftovers into something truly special. Using the turkey bones from Christmas Day, I simmered a rich, deeply aromatic broth full of festive warmth: ginger, garlic, carrots, celery, bay and a splash of light soy to balance everything beautifully. The result? A broth that tastes unmistakably like Christmas, but lighter, cleaner, and perfect for post-feast comfort.
Paired with my luxury mushroom wontons, this dish becomes something extraordinary. Each wonton carries its own symphony of textures — the tender bite of wood ear mushrooms, the deep umami of shiitake, and the juicy bounce of chestnut mushrooms — all wrapped in delicate skins and cooked until silky and plump.
The combination is pure harmony:
a festive broth that feels like a warm hug, and wontons that are juicy, silky, and full of flavour.
A beautiful way to elevate your leftovers and create a bowl that feels both restorative and indulgent. Perfect for Boxing Day, lazy winter evenings, or whenever you want something soothing after the Christmas overload.
Luxury Mushroom Wontons in Leftover Turkey Broth
Ingredients
Turkey Broth
- Leftover Roast Turkey Bones
- 1 Carrot chopped in half
- 2 Celery Sticks chopped in half
- 3 to 5 slices Ginger
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 Onion chopped in half
- 2 to 3 liters Water
- Salt to taste
- White Pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
Mushroom Wontons
- 24 Wonton Skins
- 200 g Chestnut Mushrooms finely diced
- 3 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms
- 3 to 4 Dried Wood Ear Mushrooms aka Black Fungus
- 2 Shallots finely diced
- Pinch Salt
- Pinch White Pepper
- 3 tbsp Oil Vegetable, Rice Bran, Ground Nut
- 2 Spring Onions Finely Chopped
Instructions
Turkey Brosth
- Place your picked turkey bones into a large stock pot
- Cover with roughly 2 to 3 litres of water
- Add carrot, celery, ginger, onion, bay leaf
- Gently bring to a simmer
- After an hour add your soy sauce
- Check seasoning and add your salt and white pepper to taste.
- Once you are happy with the seasoning, strain your broth through a sieve and a muslin cloth
Mushroom Wontons
- Place your dried shiitake and wood ear mushrooms into a large bowl and cover with boiling water
- After 10 minutes drain the water and chop your mushrooms into a fine dice.
- Heat your oil in a wok of frying pan
- Add in your shallots and fry until translucent and tender
- Now fry your chestnut mushrooms until they tender
- Add in your diced shiitake and woodear mushrooms and continue to fry for 1 minute
- Now add your salt and white pepper tasting to adjust the seasoning.
- Once mushrooms are cooked and you are happy with the seasoning place onto a large plate to cool.
Making the Wontons
- Take a wonton wrapper and place it in the centre of your hand.
- Add a tsp of the cooled mushroom filling into the centre of the wonton
- Brush 2 edges of the wonton with water or a whisked egg
- Bring corners of the wonton wrapper together to create a triangle
- Gently pinch along the edges of the wonton triangle to expel any trapped air and sealing the wonton
- Lay wonton on a flat surface and egg wash or wet two points of the triangle
- Bring these corners together to create a gold ingot shape
- Repeat until all the filling has been used.
- Place a large pan of water onto a boil.
- Once boiling cook wontons in batches of 6 to 8
- Once they begin to bobble to the surface they will be cooked, this normally takes 2 to 3 minutes.
Serving
- Once cooked place into a bowl
- Sprinkle with spring onions and sesame oil
- Pour over your hot broth and enjoy
For more recipe checkout my Chinese Made Easy Cook Book
