Chicken Wonton Soup

My family always loves Wontons, either cooked in soup or fried.  This recipe of mine is easy to prepare, and I will normally prepare a larger portion for the filling, with the leftover place in airtight container and keep in the freezer.  I will also keep the leftover wonton skin in airtight container in the freezer. If I want to cook again, I will remove both the filling and wonton skin from the freezer into the fridge the night before, and it will be ready for use. 

This time around, instead of using minced pork, I am using minced chicken.  I am using a combination of both chicken thighs and breast meat, cut into chunks and mince it using a food processor.  I do not prefer to over mince my chicken meat, instead with some small chunks is what I am looking for.

Click here for my Wonton Recipe.

Ready to serve!

Ready to cook...

Homemade Signature Wontons With Din Tai Fung Sauce

This homemade Signature Wontons have been in our Kuek Family for a long time.  My children and grandchildren are always happy to be home for a holiday, enjoying this favorite Wontons, especially the fried ones... crunch... crunch!

Once a while, I will buy a packet of wonton wrappers from the wet market, pack tightly, place in an airtight container and freeze them.  For the filling ingredients I am also doing the same, make a larger portions and freeze them.  It always comes in handy, if laziness strike me.

Since I still have some leftover of the Din Tai Fung Sauce in my fridge, as well as the wonton ingredients, I made it for my lunch, adding some blanched green veggies and sprinkle some crispy fried shallots and garlic over the top.  WoW!! Deliciously Spicy & Yummy... buurrrp! 

I am most happy to share my homemade recipes with all who are interested.  Click the link below:-

• Homemade Signature Wontons, click here
• Fried crispy shallots and garlic in oil, click here
• Din Tai Fung Sauce, click here

Hope you all enjoy cooking ~ cheers ~

Pork and Prawns Dumpling or Wonton Soup

 

Ingredients: 

Wonton wrappers

Filling:

200 g. ground pork

120 g. prawns (shelled, deveined and cut into small pieces)

2 fresh water chestnuts (peeled and finely chopped)

1 small woodear mushroom (soaked and cut into thin strips)

1 tbsp. spring onion (chopped)

Seasonings:

1 1/2 tsp. oil

1 tsp. Shaoxing wine

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

3/4 tsp. chicken stock granules

1/2 tsp. fish sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

3 dashes ground white pepper

Soup:

3 cups water

1 1/2 tsp. chicken stock granules (to taste)

3 dashes ground white pepper

1 sprig spring onion (cut into small rounds - for garnishing)

Methods:

1. To make the filling, combine all the filling ingredients and seasonings in a large bowl.  Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. To wrap the wontons/dumplings, place a piece of wonton wrapper on your left palm.  Scoop a tablespoon of filling onto the wonton skin.  Do not over fill.  Dip your index finger into a small bowl of water and circle around the outer edges of the wonton wrapper.  Fold the wrapper over and finish by pressing the edges with your thumb and index finger to ensure that the dumpling is sealed tightly and no leakage.   Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.  Place the wontons on a plate.  Cover them with a damp kitchen towel to prevent drying.
3. In a medium pot, add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add chicken stock granules and white pepper.  Taste for correct seasoning of your preference.  You can also use store bought chicken stocks or homemade.  Set aside the soup.
4. In another pot, bring water to boil.  Gently transfer the wontons into the boiling water and boil until they float to the top.  You may have to boil the wontons in more than one batch, according to the size of your pot.  Remove the wontons with a slotted spatula, drain the excess water, place them into a bowl, and cover to prevent drying.
5. Spoon the wontons into separate bowls.  Add some of the soup into the bowl, garnish with some chopped spring onions and serve immediately. I prefers to add some blanched green veggies into my wonton/dumpling soup.  I love to serve these wontons with pickled chilies.  Check out my pickled chilies recipe here.

Wontons ready for cooking

With leftover wonton wrappers and fillings, I normally place them in the freezer.  I will take them out and put into the fridge the night before.  I get to cook for myself a platter of fried pork and prawn dumplings, served with loads of sliced cucumbers and baby butterhead as my lunch.

Ready for frying...

Lunch is served!

This recipe is adapted from 'rasamalaysia.com' with slight adjustments to suit my cooking preference.

Simple Homecook Kolo Mee

Kuching's famous Kolo Mee is popular among all Kuchingnites; it's one of the most preferred breakfast food; and for some, they can even have it for lunch and dinner.

I always have a packet of dried Kolo Mee in my pantry.  Whenever I feel lazy to go out for my lunch, I will just grab hold of whatever available ingredients in the fridge and pantry, and cook myself this simple Kolo Mee with fried Chinese Meat Rolls aka Ngo Hiang, Wontons, some green veggies  and a must-have condiment, pickled chilies.  Buurrp...

 

The recipe link for my homemade Chinese Meat Rolls aka. Ngo Hiang can be obtain here.  Click here for my simple homemade Wontons; and  the pickled chilies click here.

An important and must-have condiment to use in this simple Homecook Kolo Mee is 'fried crispy shallots and garlic in oil.'  Click here for the recipe.

Simple steps to cook and assemble this yummylicious plate of Kolo Mee:

• Deep-fry the Ngo Hiang/meat rolls, dish and drain on kitchen paper. Slice and set aside.
• Wrap the wontons, add into boiling water until it floats up to the surface, dish using a slotted spatula, and set aside.
• In a small pot of boiling water, drizzle some cooking oil, add the green veggies and blanch for a quick minute, dish up using a slotted spatula and set aside in a plate.
• In a serving plate, add a tablespoon of oil from the fried shallots and garlic and a tablespoon of light soy sauce. Set aside.  (add a dash of salt, if you prefers more salty, I did not add).
• To cook the dried noodles/dried kolo mee; in a medium pot boil water, add the noodles when the water starts boiling.  Stir with a pair of cooking chopsticks, to test the doneness of the noodles, take a strand of noodles and bite on it (easiest way to tell) or normally, I will just test using my fingers, hold a strand and if it easily breaks then its done.  Do not over cooked the noodles!  Dish the noddles with a slotted spatula, place the cooked noodles over the plate of oil and light soy sauce.  Combine to mix well.  
• To assemble, place the sliced meat rolls over one side of the noodles; place the wontons over the other side; followed by the blanched veggies, and a tablespoon of crispy fried shallots and garlic over the top of the noodles.
• Serve immediately with pickled chilies over the side.
• Enjoy!

Homemade Wontons

Homemade Wontons have been a familiar dish in my family, either cooked as Wonton Soup or Deep-Fried Wontons.  My signature recipe, though its simple but is always well liked by my children and grandchildren.  The recipe can be viewed here  Since I have made the 'Spicy Wonton Sauce'  and shared in my previous blog article, I am also sharing this Wonton recipe, both from the same source to all who loves Wontons.  This is a yummy recipe and easy to make before hand, keep in the freezer, and as and when you don't know what to cook, this makes a life-saving meal.

Ingredients:

Wonton wrappers (store bought)

300 g. minced pork (with slightly more fat)

200 g. shrimps (peeled, deveined and finely chopped)

1 tsp. fresh ginger (peeled and grated)

1 egg yolk (lightly beaten)

1 stalk spring onion (finely chopped)

1 tsp. cornflour

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. light soy sauce

Dashes ground white pepper

Methods:

• Place all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Stir to mix everything.  Take care not to over mix so that your meat filling won't turn tough.  Let them marinate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• To wrap, get a piece of wonton wrapper, with a spoon, scoop the filling and place in the middle of the wrapper; wet the edges of the wonton wrapper to seal, push the air out as much as you can.  This will give you a nice and tight looking wontons once they are boiled.  Pinch to seal well, so your filling won't dislodge from the wonton.  Do not put too much filling inside the wonton wrapper, the filling may not be cooked through while the wonton wrapper is already turning soggy from all the boiling.
• Since I am making these wontons ahead of time, I arrange them on a large baking sheet lined with a parchment paper.  Place them in the freezer for 1 hour.  They will harden, but not 100% frozen yet.  You can transfer them to a freezer bag to save freezer space and they won't stick to each other anymore.  When ready to cook, do not thaw, just place them in boiling water, you may add a few seconds or a minute to make sure they are cooked through.

• To cook the wontons, bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add in the wontons and give them a quick stir so they won't stick to the bottom of the pot.  Do not overcook, about 3-4 minutes is what it takes, as the wonton wrappers are usually thin, turn mushy and torn apart from too much boiling.
• Using a slotted spatula, lift out the cooked wontons, divide them into separate bowls, drizzle the spicy chili sauce on the wontons.  The amount is up to you, adjust according to your preference.  Toss the wontons with the sauce. Garnish with chopped spring onions/parsley/coriander.

This recipe is adapted from 'what to cook today' with some adjustment to suit my cooking preference.

Crunchy Prawn Wonton

I am making this Crunchy Prawn Wonton for my Steamboat, a recipe adapted from The Informal Chef with some amendments.  To obtain the whole "Crunchy Prawn Wonton Soup" recipe click here

Ingredients:

Wonton wrappers

100 g prawns (shelled and deveined)

1/2 tbsp chopped spring onions (green part only)

1/2 tsp baking soda

Prawn marinade:

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tsp light soy sauce

a few drops of sesame oil

dash of grounded white pepper

1 1/2 tsp egg white

1 tsp cornflour

Methods:

1. Rub prawns with baking soda and set aside for half hour.  Rinse off with tap running water for a while, drain and cut into chunks.
2. Combine all marinade ingredients with the prawns and mix well.  Let it marinate for at least two hours in the fridge.
3. Just before wrapping, bring out the prawns from the fridge, add in the chopped spring onions and mix with a spoon to combine.
4. Wrap marinated prawns with wonton wrappers.
5. Boil wanton in a pot of boiling water for a quick 1/2 minute, dish with a slotted spatula and put aside on a plate.

Notes:  I only need to quick boil the wonton to get rid of the flour on the wrappers, so that my steamboat soup will not be starchy and secondly I still need to put them into the steamboat together with all the other ingredients.  

Healthy Wonton Vegetables Soup

I have been thinking, why is it that off late I have been going for something soupy for my lunch??  Can it be due to the drastic weather change since the start of the Lunar New Year, or simply a change of my taste buds??  Well, if it is for something better, which in this case 'healthy,' why not!

Today, I am cooking myself a 'one-bowl meal' of wonton with lots of vegetables: red carrot, bok choy and bittergourd.  A satisfying, simple yet yummylicious lunch to share with all...

Few simple ingredients: (1 serving)

• red carrot (sliced)
• bittergourd (sliced)
• bok choy
• some home-made wonton (refer to my recipe posting on 30 October 2014)

• 1 red onion (peeled and sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• 1 bowl water

Seasoning:

Chicken stock granules (to taste)

Dash grounded white pepper

Dipping sauce: (mix together)

2 chili padi (sliced)

1 small lime (obtain the juice)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

Few simple steps:

1. In a medium heated wok add cooking oil, saute the onion and garlic until fragrant, then add in the water.
2. As the water is about to boil add in red carrot, bittergourd and chicken stock granules, continue to let it boil for about 1 minute.
3. Put in the wonton, once the soup comes to a boil, taste for correct seasoning, add in bok choy and let it come to another boil.
4. Off the heat, dish into a bowl and sprinkle dash of grounded white pepper.
5. Serve hot with dipping sauce.

Lunch is served!

Chinese Dumpling - Wonton

Chinese Dumplings are of many different types, taste, shapes and even colours.  The most common of all is Wonton, which can either be cooked in soup or deep-fried.  This home-made recipe of mine is simple to prepare, and with ready purchased wonton skin it really has made easy the lives of many home-cooks ~ CHEERS ~

What you need:
1 packet of ready made wonton skin
1 tsp of light soy sauce, to seal the skin

Filling:
1/2 kg of minced pork
2 stalks spring onion (green part only), chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground pepper
1  1/2 tbsp of light soy sauce

What to do next?

1. In a big bowl mix all the filling ingredients together till well combined.  Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge, take out only when you intend to wrap.
2. For the wrapping, place a piece of wonton skin on your left palm (if you are a right hander, or else vice versa), use a spoon to scoop about 1 tsp of filling and put in the middle of the skin, then wrap according to your favourite style, seal with some light soy sauce and put on a plate, till all is done. 

Tip: If you are not cooking it immediately place a piece of damp cloth over the wrapped wonton to keep it moist as the wonton skin gets dry easily.

To deep-fry:

1. Heat enough oil in a deep wok for deep-frying.  When the oil is hot enough (not too hot as the wonton skin will gets brown easily), slowly put in about 8 wonton at a time (depending on the size of your wok) and flip over during the frying process to ensure that the wonton are cooked all through.
2. Drain and put on absorbent paper to remove the extra oil and serve hot on a platter with either tomato sauce or chili sauce.

What you need to cook wonton in soup:

1. Prepare broth for the soup, either use pork ribs, pig bones or chicken bones. 
2. Fried shallot and garlic to drizzle over the wonton soup.
3. Some leafy vegetables of your choice to serve together with the soup.
4. Grounded pepper (to sprinkle over the soup)
5. Spring onions (optional)

Few simple steps to cook:

1. Heat up the broth in a pot, when starts to boil season with salt and msg and taste to get the desired seasoning.
2. When the broth comes to a big boil, reduce the heat to medium and slowly put in the wrapped wonton, 
3. When the wonton floats to the surface it means that its cooked, add in the green vegetable, boil for another few seconds and off the heat.
4. Scoop the wonton into individual bowls, sprinkle some grounded pepper, put some fried shallots and garlic on the top and it's ready to serve!

Note:  I will be sharing in my next write-up on the few simple steps to fry crispy shallots and garlic, an item which is a must-have in our kitchen if we are a stay home wife, mum and grand mum, see you then.....