One of the hardest things about being vegetarian (in my view) is not being able to eat soups in most restaurants. Most often, chicken, beef, or fish stocks are used rather than vegetable broth. Adam, Jeremy, and I went out to a Chinese restaurant a few weeks ago, and since then I've been yearning for some Wonton Soup. Because of this broth issue, I decided I should just make it myself rather than search the Bay Area for a vegetarian version. To accompany my Vegetarian Wonton Soup, we made absolutely fantastic Scallion Pancakes. What a perfect, comforting meal! (Although I must warn you that it leaves your kitchen looking a bit like a war zone.)
Vegetarian Wonton Soup
We did not do this, but I would add 1 Tbs. of soy sauce and a splash of rice wine vinegar to the broth for a more Asian touch. We added a bit of extra heat at the end by topping our soup with some Sriracha hot sauce. Also, these dumplings would be great as potstickers, if you want to make a huge batch and freeze the rest or later. And, the wonton wrappers, since you probably won't use them all, can be frozen up to 2 months in an air-tight container and saved for a later date (I'm sure I will have something soon using the rest of the wrappers).
8 cups water
3 vegetable bullion cubes (or your preferred vegetable stock option, equal to 6 cups of water)
10 thin slices of ginger
1 package oyster mushrooms, chopped
1 stalk bok choy, chopped
1/2 cup bean sprouts
12 to 15 wonton wrappers
2 to 3 oz. tofu, crumbled
1 tsp. garlic, minced or crushed
2 tsp. ginger, grated
1 stalk bok choy, minced
1 carrot, grated
2 scallions, sliced
1. Prepare the broth by bringing the water, bullion, and ginger to a boil.
2. While the broth is boiling, begin to prepare the wontons by heating a drizzle of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the crumbled tofu, garlic, and ginger. Allow the tofu to brown slightly. Add the bok choy and carrot and saute for 2 minutes. Add the scallions and mix thoroughly. Take off the heat and allow to cool while prepping the wonton wrappers.
3. Have a small bowl filled with water handy for wetting the wrappers and making the dumplings. Place a damp paper towel over the unused wrappers to keep them from drying out. Take one wrapper and place it flat on a baking sheet covered in wax paper. Put a small Tbs. of the filling mixture into the center of the wrapper. Brush water along the edges of the wrapper. Pull two opposing sides together and press so that they stick. Pull the other two sides up to meet the others; press so that there are no holes or gaps. This style of wonton is called the beggar's bundle. (It doesn't matter how beautiful they look, they will taste fantastic.)
4. Meanwhile, reduce the broth to a simmer and add the mushrooms and bok choy. (You may want to add the mushrooms before the bok choy to help add more flavor to the broth.)
5. Once the bok choy has become tender, add the dumplings and bean sprouts to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes at a strong simmer, or until the dumplings have become translucent.
Scallion Pancakes (Ming Tsai, www.foodnetwork.com)
This recipe came with a recipe for a ginger dipping sauce. We took the basics of the sauce and made our own mixture of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, scallions, and red pepper flakes.
2 cups flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup scallions, sliced
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 cup canola oil (we only used 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. chili oil)
salt and pepper
1. In a bowl, sift flour. Slowly add water in a steady stream while mixing with a wooden spoon. Keep adding water until a ball is formed. With the same procedure, one can use a food processor with a metal blade. Let ball of dough relax for about 30 minutes and cover with a damp cloth.
2. On a floured surface, roll out dough into a thin rectangle. Brush on oil mixture, cover with scallion and season with salt and pepper. Carefully roll dough like a sponge cake. Cut into 4 pieces. Take one piece and twist 3 times. Make a spiral out of this and roll again and flatten to achieve a 5 to 6 inch pancake. In a hot non-stick pan, coat with canola oil and pan sear both sides until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve immediately with dipping sauce.
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