a sojourn...for the perfect wontons.

wrapped wontons, ready to be cooked

and the chinese food streak continues! this time, it's wontons. wontons are a tricky thing for me, although slightly less so than dumplings. in the same vein as my post from last week regarding the lack of recipes in my family, it's been nearly impossible to replicate the wontons my mom used to make when i was a kid. consequently, i've made it somewhat of a mini life mission to scour scores of wonton recipes from any source i can lay my hands on and tweaking this here, that there, and you guys - i think my wonton journey has finally come to an end. this, i present to you, is my ideal of the perfect wonton recipe.

scallion ombre

the main ingredients (from top): scallions, soy sauce + sesame oil, bak choy, ground pork, ginger

i think there's somewhat of a preconceived notion that wontons are hard to make, but let me set the record straight right now: they're not. they're practically one of the easiest, most delicious things you could ever make; it's literally a one bowl dish, and they cook in one pot. see? that doesn't sound so hard.

wetting down the edges of a wrapper

the recipe that follows is my preferred wonton filling, though if you're adventurous (or vegetarian), you can definitely try adding/substituting ingredients as you please. my only caveat is the actual wonton soup recipe that follows isn't exactly fancy by any means (read: super traditional), but this one's entirely the wang family's own - i like to call it 'the quick and dirty chinese soup'. it's essentially a glorified mixture of hot water, soy sauce, sesame oil and white pepper, super quick to put together but oh so delicious and perfect wherever broth soup is needed in a chinese dish.

pork and bok choy wontons

serves 6-8

for the wontons:

- 1 cup finely minced bok choy (*see note)

- 2/3 pound ground pork

- 6 scallions, finely minced

- 2 tb ginger, finely minced

- 2 tsp soy sauce

- 2 tsp sesame oil

- one package square wonton wrappers

*note: a traditional meat/vegetable filling uses napa cabbage, but i prefer the heartier taste of bak choy. if you wish, try both versions and see which one you prefer.

for the soup broth:

- two quarts chicken stock or water, two cups set aside (divided)

- large handful of scallions, chopped into 1" pieces (optional)

- one inch of ginger root (optional)

- two whole cloves of garlic, peeled (optional)

- soy sauce, sesame oil, thinly sliced scallions and white pepper for serving

to make the soup broth (start on this first while making the wontons):

- put all ingredients together (except for those for serving and the reserved two cups of broth) into a large stockpot and bring to a boil. once at boil, bring down to a simmer while you're preparing the wontons.

to make the wontons:

- combine all ingredients except for the wrappers in a large bowl. mix thoroughly. note this can also be done up to two days ahead of time, kept in the fridge.

- take about a teaspoon worth of filling and place in center of wonton wrapper, and with the tip of your finger, wet two adjacent edges of the wrapper with water (it helps to have a little dish of water next to you while doing this). press the other side onto the wet side to seal the wonton (while also working out excess air), you'll end up with what looks like a little stuffed triangle. make sure to seal completely, the wontons will expand while cooking and burst wontons are a sad sight. note: i usually just fold them into triangles to keep the process quick, but if you're feeling extra super fancy, you could moisten the tip of one of the long ends of the triangles and press it together with the opposite tip, forming a little "crown" shape.

to put everything together:

- bring the soup back up to a boil and once at a rolling boil, stir the soup in a circular motion and drop the wontons in one by one while continuing to gently stir the soup in a circular motion - this prevents the wontons from "settling" at the bottom of the pot and to each other, so they don't stick together.

- continue to gently stir the soup in a circular motion, taking care not to puncture or burst any wontons, and bring back to a full boil. once at a full boil, take the two cups of reserved broth and pour into the hot soup mixture. bring back to a boil. the wontons are done when they float on the surface of the soup.

to serve:

- ladle wontons and the accompanying soup into bowls (avoid the chunk of ginger and garlic cloves at the bottom of the pot), and add soy sauce to taste. top with a light drizzle of sesame oil, a scattering of scallions and just a dash of white pepper, serve immediately.

one final note: wontons freeze very well. if making this for only a meal or two, line up the wontons on a cutting board and pop in the freezer. once individually frozen, you can then put them into a tupperware to cook as needed (the individual freezing process makes sure they don't stick to each other while freezing - really bad). the cooking method is the same, cooking time will just take a few minutes longer.

food & heritage.

we don't mess around with soy sauce.

i'm first generation chinese.  that statement in and of itself doesn't necessarily mean anything, but there are certain differences between cultures that aren't as obvious; for instance, the use of recipes.  i may be totally presumptuous here, but i feel like recipes are distinctly european - many of the old school chinese folks you might talk to could never accurately tell you the exact ingredients in exact quantities that make up a dish, it's just something that they innately know and is passed on from generation to generation through repetition and practice.  i specify i'm first generation because my mom, for instance, doesn't understand the concept of recipes nor could she write one to save her life, even if it's for a dish she's been making since she was a kid.  i've been on a chinese food kick lately ever since finally making a day out my trip to flushing (i'll bring my camera next time), so i was thrilled, over the moon elated when i was able to find a few recipes online (!) for dishes i distinctly remember having had as a kid that i couldn't even begin to describe to you in english.

thus far this week i've already made winter melon soup, rice cake with pickled cabbage and pork and last night's dinner consisted of tilapia with scallion ginger sauce and crispy tofu with snow pea and mushroom stir fry.  if it sounds like i've gone a little nuts, let me assure you: i have.

trimmed snow pea ends.

crispy tofu.

the rice cake with pickled cabbage and pork was probably my favorite dish that i've had so far, but also because that dish holds very fond memories for me.  i didn't think to document that recipe as i was making it, but i'll likely be making it again soon enough with some adaptations to the original recipe, so i'll post that when the time comes around again.  in the meantime, the below recipes for crispy tofu with mushroom and snow pea stir fry and tilapia with scallion ginger sauce makes one heck of a solid chinese dinner any night of the week (don't forget the rice!).  the tilapia recipe is one of my favorite recipes for fish (any white fish will do) and one of the quickest to boot.  total win-win situation.  

baked white fish with scallion and ginger sauce

serves 2-4

1/3 cup dry white wine

dash of sugar

1/2 tsp lemon juice

2 tb soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

2 large (or 3 small) scallions, sliced thinly

1 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

1 tsp finely minced garlic

1 pound your white fish of choice (*see note)

thinly sliced scallions for serving

- heat oven to 400, and place your fish in walled baking dish.

- mix all other ingredients together in a separate bowl, and pour all over fish.  wiggle the fish a bit so the sauce can get underneath the fish in the baking dish.

- bake fish for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  test fish first at 10 minutes, bake in increments of two minutes at a time until done.

- sprinkle sliced scallions on top right before serving.
- *note: you can use any cut of fish you'd like here, but if you're going for an authentic chinese interpretation, try baking a whole fish (cleaned and de-scaled).

crispy tofu with mushroom and snow pea stir fry

serves 4 (adapted from the kitchn)

for the sauce:
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
3 tb low sodium soy sauce
1 tb rice vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tb corn starch

for stir fry:
3 tb vegetable oil, divided
4 tb corn starch
14 oz firm or extra firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
8 oz package mushrooms (white or baby bella), roughly sliced
1/2 pound snow peas, ends trimmed
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tb minced ginger
2 scallions, cut into 1" pieces

- mix all sauce ingredients and set aside.
- in a separate bowl, toss tofu with corn starch to evenly coat all sides.
- heat 2 tb oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat, and crisp tofu by letting it "set" in the oil on each side until evenly golden brown.  remove from pan and keep warm.
- heat 1 tb oil in pan and stir fry the mushrooms until soft, then add snow peas and cook until slightly underdone, only about a minute.
- add in garlic and ginger, and stir fry about 30 seconds.
- stir the sauce from the first step just to re-incorporate ingredients, and pour into mushroom/snow pea mixture.  bring to a boil, and cook until sauce is almost at desired thickness (sauce will thicken additionally as it cools).
- toss scallions with mixture right before serving.