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Monday, February 11, 2013

Chinese New Year 2013

February 10 marked the beginning of Chinese New Year 2013, and people across the universe will be celebrating in a variety of ways.  To read more about Chinese New Year, go to this feature from EarthSky http://earthsky.org/human-world/chinese-new-year-2013-rings-in-year-of-the-snake.   




Like most other holidays, food is a big part of everyone's CNY celebration.  To learn more about some of the foods associated with Chinese New Year click on this link:  http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesenewyear/p/food.htm.

In honor of Chinese New Year I decided to make another recipe that I've always wanted to make but thought was too complicated, and I was wrong, again.  Please enjoy making this hot, tasty Miso Won Ton Soup for your own celebration.

Miso Wonton Soup 
Broth:
10 cups water
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup scallions, cut in thin strips 1" long
1/2 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup white miso paste
fresh ground black pepper
Filling:
1 pkg. Melissa's Won Ton Wraps
1 pkg. Melissa's Organic Tofu (Hawaiian Style)
1/2 cup minced carrots
1/2 cup minced chives
1 cup chopped Napa cabbage
1 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
3 Tbsp. soy sauce (low sodium)
1 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. corn starch
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
extra corn starch for won ton staging



In a mixing bowl, mash up the 2 tofu cutlets, then add in the minced carrots, chives, fresh ginger, Napa cabbage, and spinach and stir to combine.  Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and corn starch, and mix together.  In a saute pan coated with vegetable oil, saute the filling mixture until the cabbage softens and the spinach wilts.  Set aside to cool.

Place 1 won ton wrap at a time on a plate.  Using your finger, spread a thin line of water around the edges of the won ton, and place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center.  Starting with one corner at a time, bring up all the sides to meet in the center, squeezing at the top to close.  On a sheet of parchment lightly sprinkled with corn starch, place each bundle as they are completed.

In a large soup pot, add the water, shredded carrots, scallions, and celery.  Bring to a boil.  Add the white miso and continue cooking until the miso has dissolved.  Season with fresh pepper and reduce heat to a slow boil.  Carefully place each won ton bundle into the slowly boiling broth and cook about 2-3 minutes.  The won tons will rise to the top of the pot.

Turn off the stove, serve the soup nice and hot, and get your Chinese New Year party started!

3 comments:

  1. Happy Valentine's Day & belated Happy Chinese New Year! Loved your post. Your wontons look delicious and the soup sounds great too. Thanks for the reminder to experiment more with miso.

    I'm curious about why you saute the filling until the cabbage etc softens, instead of sauteing the vegetables alone and then adding the tofu, sesame oil, etc.?

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    Replies
    1. Happy V-Day and CNY to you both too. I think I sautéed everything together to create a more cohesive filling. My style of forming the won tons made cute little bundles that I think are more forgiving than other ways. I love white miso - it has such a great, light fermented flavor and fragrance.

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  2. It's great that you added all the links. I just enjoyed reading several of the posts. Were all those soups at the meeting? I'd love to know your favorites (probably better by email).

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