Wonton Pleasures

Celebrating the second anniversary of Shruti’s Blog!

Wonton Pleasures

Two years, twenty-four months to the day

Eight scores and fourteen recipes away

Began my journey into the blogsphere

With tales, reminiscences near and dear.

Food and writing on the mind was constant

Pleasurable daily labour of love so wanton

What will she write next? What will she post?

Spare us the torture may think some, not most!

Why must I write? Why not only cook and click?

For me food triggers memories, myth and magic

My inheritance I recall in gratitude everlasting

The legacy I bequeath but a debt I am repaying.

How many more to go? Where will it all end?

I don’t know any answers, I go with the trend

Of my muse obstinate, and a crafty creative urge

Till then, let me in my wanton pleasures splurge.

8^th May 2014

Veg Wonton Soup

For the filling

3 cups finely chopped cabbage

½ cup finely chopped carrots

7-8 green beans, finely chopped

2-3 button mushrooms, finely chopped

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 tbsp light soy sauce

¾ tsp grated fresh ginger

¾ tsp minced garlic

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tsp peanut/canola oil

Salt to taste

Freshly grated black pepper

A pinch of ground white pepper

20 gowjee/wonton wrappers

For the broth

1 tbsp chopped green onion (white part)

½ tsp minced garlic

½ tsp grated ginger

2 cups vegetable stock (I make veg stock at home, so it’s fresh and salt free)

1 tsp soy sauce

1tsp rice wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to season

Water, as required

For the garnish

2 snow peas, thinly sliced

1 carrot, thinly sliced

2 tbsp sweet corn/sliced baby corn

2 tbsp green onions, finely sliced (green part only)

1 tbsp coriander leaves and tender stems

Method

In a non-stick pan, heat oil and add onions and sauté. After half a minute, add the garlic and ginger pastes and cook a little. Then add all the finely chopped vegetables. Cook for a few minutes on high heat, working the mixture all the time to keep it dry. Add all the spices, soy sauce, vinegar and salt. Adjust the taste. Cool the filling.

There are several ways of folding the wontons, depending on the shape of your wonton wrappers. I used gowjee wrappers, which are round.

Brush the edges of a wrapper and place a spoonful of the filling in the centre. Bring the sides together in the centre holding them to make a half circle and pinch little pleats on one side. Crimp both sides firmly together.

Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers and vegetable mixture. Cover with a damp cloth.  Place a lined steamer atop a saucepan half filled with water. Bring water to a boil. Place the wontons in the steamer and steam for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a medium sized pan and add oil. Then add the onion, garlic and ginger. Sauté for a minute and then pour the vegetable broth and some water and bring it to a quick boil. Add a little salt (check the salt levels if using readymade stock) and a dash of pepper to season. Add the soy sauce and vinegar to balance all flavours.

Place the hot steamed wontons in individual soup bowls. Pour the boiling hot broth into soup bowls over the wontons.

Garnish with sliced green onion, sliced carrots, snow peas and corn kernel/baby corn and coriander leaves.

Serve immediately, with a soupspoon and a pair of chopsticks, if you insist.