To China!

It's been hovering between the 90's and the low 100's this summer, so clearly my palate craves hot soup. I was able to slide it under the radar by cooking a mega sized pot of wonton soup for a friend who recently underwent surgery. 

To begin with, I used wild turkey (the bird, not the booze) to make a stock and added a touch of canned broth to increase the volume as needed. I make broth with bones and some meat, simmered in lightly salted water, accompanied by large chopped carrots, celery, and onion. Simmer for at least one hour, better if two. Strain and store for later or continue with the recipe below!

However, if you don't have the time or energy to make your own broth you can still make a wonderful broth. If you're starting from scratch, include onion and carrot in the following list:


For the broth.

To at least 1.5 L of broth add:
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
6-8 garlic cloves, sliced
5-7 dried shiitake mushrooms, whole
3 pieces of kombu, approx 4inches by 2 inches (kombu is nothing like wakame-- don't try to substitute it!)
1 Tbsp black peppercorns

Simmer these ingredients 30 minutes to 1 hr, depending on whether you're starting with your own stock or canned. Strain the broth and hold onto the mushrooms for later.

To this broth add:
2 Thai chilis, sliced as much or little as you prefer
2 carrots, sliced as you desire-- I prefer matchsticks for this soup
3 bunches of bok choi (remove green leafy part from the stems, add the stems now)
1/4 Napa cabbage, sliced into ribbons

While the broth is simmering, you can add some diced or shredded chicken meat (I used the turkey and it was fabulous). When the vegetable are nearly cooked through, add the bok choi leafy greens and the shiitakes, which should have the chewy stems removed and the caps should be sliced thin. Add up to 4 Tbsp shoyu (soy sauce. You all know I prefer the sweet, less abrasive flavor of Aloha Shoyu) and a dash of white, rice, or cider vinegar.

The end result is a complex broth with flavors that range from deep (owing to the kombu) to high (the spice), from woodsy (the mushrooms) to bright (the veggies) and oh so peppery and perky!

The wontons I made were pretty easy. You can seal them in whichever shape you wish as long as they are sealed with egg and there is as little air inside as possible. I suggest freezing the resulting wontons until they are desired, then you can poach them in the broth for about 5 minutes.

The filling:

1/2 lb ground chicken/turkey
1/4 Napa cabbage, shredded and chopped
3 spring/green onions (scallions), minced
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp mirin (you can substitute cooking sherry)
1 tsp potato starch or flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Put about 1/2 Tbsp into the wonton wrapper and seal. I like bringing all four corners together at the top of the filling ball and sealing the sides all the way down, but folding them in half tastes just as great!

Note: This recipe is the only one I've ever made that my boyfriend has craved as leftovers. A good sign!