Curry Elvis Cooks - Fusion Cuisine Recipes and Food Philosophy

NOTE: This is the starter course of a single fusion-cuisine meal (Mexican, East Indian, Chinese, and French) that I served for friends two summers past. Here is a related article from my Cooking For One Or Two blog.

Equipment

• 1 small food brush. Substitute a finger if you don't have a brush.
• 1 cookie tray, preferably lined with parchment paper, or lightly oiled (vegetable/ canola) to prevent wontons from sticking.
• 1 teaspoon for spooning the wonton mixture into wonton skins

Wonton Ingredients

• 1/2 lb of ground pork, fresh or well-thawed.
• 2 stalks green onions, finely minced.
• 1 tsp soya sauce.
• 1 tsp sesame oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flake [optional].
• Wonton skins (round or square), or square eggroll skins cut into quarters.
• 1 cup of water, in a small dish.

Soup Ingredients

• 4-5 cups of water
• 1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 12-16 prepared wontons (3-4 per serving)
• 1 tsp soya sauce or oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce (made with mushrooms)
• 1 stalk green onions, sliced thinly on an angle.

Wonton Preparation

• In a shallow mixing bowl, mix all of the wonton ingredients, except the last two, until items are well distributed. Do not overwork the mixture or it'll get sticky.
• Wash your hands with warm water and soap, then dry them thoroughly.
• Place a wonton wrapper on the parchment paper in the cookie tray. (You can also place the wrapper in your left palm - or right, if you are left-handed - if you don't want to use parchment.)
• Spoon about 1/2 tsp of wonton mixture into the center of the wrapper. Don't overstuff or they'll explode in the soup.
  
• Dip your index (first) finger (or food brush) into the water. Lightly dampen the edges of the wonton wrapper. Don't use too much water or the wrapper will get gummy. When the wrapper edges are slightly sticky, pinch them all together at the top to form a sort of tear-drop shape. Make sure that there is no open area, else the contents will leak into the soup. If the wonton does not stay closed, dampen its edges a bit more.
  
• Place the completed wonton on a dry surface, preferably a plate or cookie tray lined with parchment.
• Repeat the process for each wonton.
• When all wontons have been made, you can put the plate or tray in the fridge until it is time to make the soup.
• Note: The wonton ingredients listed above, in the quantities specified, will produce far more than you need for the soup recipe listed below. If you will not be using all the wontons the same day, place them in a flat food storage container lined with parchment. Don't stack the wontons or they'll stick together and rip later. Once they are frozen, however, you can stack them.

Soup Preparation

• Fresh wonton soup only takes 12-15 minutes to make. (Note: frozen, pre-cooked wontons take 6-8 minutes.) Fill a cookpot or stock pot with the water and stock, add sesame oil, then set on a stove element at high. (If you will be adding more than 12-16 wontons, use a very large pot and about another 1/2 cup of water for every 3-4 wontons that you add to the recipe. You'll need to add a touch more seasoning as well.)
• When water is boiling, add your dried or frozen wontons and reduce heat to medium high. Keep an eye on the soup, but avoid stirring or your wontons may break. (Don't add any salt. The soya sauce added later will be enough. You can also individually season each bowl.)
• After 12 minutes, using a slotted spoon, remove one wonton to a small plate. Use a fork to cut the wonton open. If the meat is still a bit pink, let the soup cook for 3 more minutes. (Don't put the wonton back in the soup, unless you don't mind the ingredients leaking and making a mess. Otherwise throw it out, as the meat is still raw.)
• When the wontons are cooked, turn off the heat.
• To the pot, add a dash of soya sauce and stir the soup gently. If you like a slightly thicker soup, add a tbsp of oyster sauce - which is thick, so you want to make sure it dissolves before serving.)

Presentation

• Add the chopped green onion and ladle into bowls.
• Serves 4.

(c) Copyright 2005-present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://curryelviscooks.blogspot.com