Wonton Soup

INGREDIENTS:

Wontons:

• 10 ounces extra-firm tofu
• 5 tablespoons / 2.5 ounces cream cheese
• 1/3 cup chopped scallions
• 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/3 cup minced kale, de-stemmed
• 1 seranno pepper, minced
• zest of one lemon (optional)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 packet of square wonton wrappers

Peanut-Scallion Sprinkle:

• 1/3 cup of salted peanuts, toasted and cooled
• 4 scallions, chopped/
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, lemon olive oil, tangerine olive oil, or chile oil

Spicy Miso Broth:

• 3 1/2 cups of water
• 1/2 onion, sliced into thin crescents
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 cup shredded green cabbage
• 1 teaspoon sriracha, tobanjan, Calabrian chile paste, or curry paste (plus more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon miso

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start by making the wonton filling:

1. Crumble the tofu into a medium bowl. Like, really get in there with your hands to turn the tofu into a small, pebble-like, uniform crumble. Add the cream cheese, 1/3 cup scallions, curry powder, kale, serrano pepper, lemon zest, soy sauce, sea salt, and black pepper. Use one hand to squish and smash all the filling ingredients until it looks uniform in appearance. Taste and adjust to your liking. You can store the filling, refrigerated, for up to five days, until you’re ready to make wontons.

Prepare the wontons:

1. To fill the wontons, arrange 8 wrappers on your work surface. Working quickly scoop 1 teaspoon of filling just off-center of each wrapper. Using your finger, paint the edges of a wrapper with warm water. Bring one corner of the wrapper across to meet the other, forming a triangle. Press to seal well, working to press out any air bubbles. Set the wonton on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and repeat in batches of eight until you have the number of desired wontons. For each bowl of this soup, I like to make 10-14 wontons.

Make the peanut-scallion sprinkle:

1. Combine the peanuts, scallions and oil in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.

Make the wonton soup broth:

1. Combine the water, onion and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Slice the carrot in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4-inch thick it into half circles. Add this to the pot. When the water comes to a simmer, and once the carrots are tender, stir in the shredded cabbage as well. Allow to come back to a simmer and then remove from heat.
2. In a small cup combine the sriracha (or other spicy component) and miso with a generous splash of the broth. Stir to combine and then add this to the saucepan. Taste and adjust with more salt or more of your spicy component if you like. It should taste delicious!
3. As you’re working on the broth bring another medium saucepan of water to a boil. You’re going to boil your wontons in a separate pot. Salt the water a bit, and drop 10-14 wontons into the boiling water. You’re going to work in batches. Boil for a minute or so and use a spider to transfer the wontons to your serving bowl. Pour half the broth over the cooked wontons and top with half of the peanut mixture. Repeat with another 10-14 wontons and enjoy!

NOTES

Serves 2 – with extra wontons for future meals. Makes about 50 wontons.