Wanting Wontons

Ever since making wonton soup for my Hawaii relatives, I've been wanting to make it again. It's fun, it's not too complicated and it tastes really clean and delicious. Another rainy day was good incentive to work on my wonton soup technique.

This time, I made them with ground pork rather than ground turkey and I spiced up the insides rather dramatically with fresh grated ginger and pepper. I also sauteed green onion and minced mushrooms along with the pork, so the filling had more character than last time.

The broth was better this time, too. I used boxed broth but thinned it half-and-half with water for a milder flavor, then stirred in about a tablespoon of white miso while it was heating gently.

After filling, folding and sealing the wontons with a little egg wash, I dropped them into a pot of boiling water and cooked them just for a very few minutes, perhaps five in total, until they puffed and floated to the top - the filling is already cooked, so you needn't worry about food poisoning. I didn't bother to gather the ends into a pucker this time, just left them as triangles and I actually like them better this way because it showcased the delicacy of the wrappers.

To plate, all you do is put some frozen peas and uncooked, sliced green onion in the bowl, ladle in some of the chicken-miso stock and then add your wontons, perhaps three or four per serving. The hot stock will thaw and cook the peas just enough and heat the green onion to a brighter color.

The whole thing used only about 1/16th of a pound of ground pork, so it's a very economical dish as well as a wholesome, filling and delicious one. Even if you make it with spendy organic ingredients, as I did, it's still a bargain for that much flavor and nutrition.

As with all things, the more you do it, the better you get. My wonton technique improves with each repetition. I might try war wonton soup next, My Beloved's favorite.

Asian Inspiration

The only meal I prepared in Hawaii that I thought was worth talking about was an Asian-inspired wonton soup. We had all been to the Punahou carnival and eaten all kinds of less-than-healthy options there, so I thought that a leaner meal at home was in order.

But, since we were chaperoning my brother's two teenage progeny while he and his lovely wife of 20 years were sampling the peaceful luxuries of a marvelously upscale retreat on the island of Lanai, it had to be tasty, too. Teenagers, no matter how well raised, won't hesitate to tell you if they don't like the food.

I had never made wontons in my life, so this was a bit of a challenge for me. Luckily, all the ingredients were easily available in the local grocery store and wonton instructions abound on the interwebs. I bought the wonton wrappers, the ground turkey, green onions, fresh ginger, Maui onion, organic vegetable broth and shiitake mushrooms all in a single stop.

I started by finely chopping the onion and mushrooms, then sautéing them in a wide pan. Once they were ready, I added the ground turkey, salt, pepper and a grating of fresh ginger, cooking them together for just a few minutes. The wonton wrappers are square, so I brushed two adjoining edges of the wrappers with a little beaten egg, put a teaspoon or so of filling in the center, folded the wontons over and sealed them with the egg to make a triangle around the filling, then dipped one of the tips in the egg and pulled the two tips together to stick them into a sort of dumpling shape.

With all the wontons set aside, I heated the veggie broth and, when it was briskly boiling, added the wontons to it, cooking them until they floated to the top - really, just a very few minutes. Ladled it into bowls over the green onion slices, just to briefly cook them but leave them bright green. The photo I took in their gently lit dining room doesn't do justice to the soup. It was very clean tasting and pure, with just a hint of ginger spice when one of the wontons gave way to the bite. Another time, I think I'd use my own clear chicken broth but this broth-in-a-box was tasty and very quick.

The whole meal took less than half an hour to make, start to finish, including chopping and all. The Youth slurped it down and complimented the cook - no ughs, no faces, just apparent enjoyment all around. If they lied, they both are destined for a career on the stage.