Recipe: Moosewood Restaurant Wonton Soup with Chinese Vegetable Stock and Homemade Wontons

MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT WONTON SOUP WITH
CHINESE VEGETABLE STOCK AND HOMEMADE WONTONS
Source: Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant
Servings: 6

A classic. If you've already prepared the wontons and stock, the final preparation is very quick.

1 1/2 cup shredded bok choy or celery cabbage
1 tbsp peanut oil
6 cups Chinese Vegetable Stock (recipe follows)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
25 wontons (recipe follows)
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

In a soup pot, saute the bok choy in the oil for 1 minute.

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the bok choy is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a separate pot, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil. Drop the wontons into the boiling water and cook until tender. Drain and add to the soup. Serve garnished with scallions.

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CHINESE VEGETABLE STOCK
Makes 9 cups

Soups that are brothy and have no added legumes or grains need to have a rich, concentrated stock that is flavorful on its own. This stock is seasoned with Chinese ingredients to create a strong base for vegetarian soups.

Double the amount of ingredients and there'll be enough to freeze three portions of stock for soup, or six 1-cup portions for sauces plus two 6-cup portions for soup.

4 dried shiitake mushrooms
hot water to cover
2 medium onions
2 large carrots, peeled
2 celery stalks
1 leek, thoroughly rinsed (or add 1 more medium onion)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 thin slices fresh ginger root (about the size of a quarter)
2 whole garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon whole Szechuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
8 cups water

Cover the shiitake mushrooms with hot water and soak for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the onions, carrots, celery, and leek.

In a soup pot, heat the vegetable oil for a moment. Add the chopped vegetables and the remaining ingredients, except the soaking mushrooms, soy sauce, and water. Stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes.

Add the soy sauce, water, and the mushrooms with their soaking liquid. Bring the stock to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about an hour. Strain. Cool to room temperature.

Freeze any stock that you won't be using within two or three days. Any stock you plan to use soon, but not immediately, should be refrigerated.

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WONTONS
Makes about 50 wontons

Piquant with scallions, garlic, and ginger, this recipe makes enough wontons either for a couple of hatches of soup or for soup and an appetizer for another day. A good dish to make when you can draft family or friends to form an assembly line for quick wonton production.

2 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger root
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 cakes tofu, frozen, thawed, and crumbled, about 2 cups
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
50 wonton wrappers
bowl of lukewarm water
cornstarch for dusting

Heat the peanut oil in a wok or heavy skillet. Sizzle the grated ginger root and the garlic in the oil for just a moment, then add the crumbled tofu and stir-fry for a few minutes.

Add the scallions, sesame oil, and soy sauce and stir well. Set this filling aside to cool for a few minutes.

Set up a work area with a stack of wonton wrappers, a small bowl of lukewarm water, the filling, and a platter dusted with cornstarch for the filled and folded wontons.

Place a wonton wrapper flat in front of you in a diamond position. Drop a heaping teaspoon of filling on the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip your fingertips in the water and moisten all four edges of the wonton wrapper. Pull the top corner down to the bottom corner, folding the wrapper over the filling to make a triangle. Press the edges firmly to seal. Bring the left and right corners together above the pocket of' filling Overlap the tips of these corners, moisten with water, and press together. Place the completed wonton on the cornstarch-dusted platter and go on to the next one.

FOR SOUP:
Drop the wontons into boiling water and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain. This recipe will yield about 10 servings for soup.

TO FRY:
Heat 2 to 3 cups of oil in a wok or deep fryer until hot. Deep-fry the wontons in batches until golden, about 2 or 3 minutes on each side. Drain. Serve with Duck Sauce or Dipping Sauce.

Uncooked wontons will keep in the freezer for at least 2 months if well wrapped. To fry, thaw them before frying. To use in soup, drop them still frozen into boiling water or simmering soup and cook 2 minutes longer than when fresh. If you prefer to make fewer wontons, this recipe can be halved.