Won Ton Soup
I am LOVING how the Ericas spurred a blitz of comments on the subject of coffee – that is, what you like to have with it in terms of experiences – besides chocolate, cookies and scones (not that there’s anything wrong with that) – making me want to eat komish and yoyos with my grandma and sit in silence by the water and drive to the cabin in the cold pre-dawn. It’s lovely to read about those little things that make people happy, what is considered bliss, and how food plays a role in those moments.
Tonight was not nearly as inspiring. Awhile ago, I made pork won tons to stash in the freezer to drop into simmering chicken stock for instant won ton soup. (Or wor won ton with some bok choy, carrots, shrimp, noodles, scraps of leftover chicken or pork, etc.) And tonight I called them into service.
Mike loves Ichiban noodles. He doesn’t eat them often, but I did come home early once and bust him and W sharing a bowl, and I haven’t quite forgiven him for introducing them. I never make the stuff. But tonight, it was blizzarding outside, there was a minor flood down at the space where Mike’s band practices (the jam pad, if you will) underneath the Crossroads Market, so he was down there hauling out gear and I had a meeting to go to and couldn’t find any of my notes, and so I just heated a pot of water, threw in some frozen won tons, when they rose to the surface I threw in the noodles, the packet of spicy chicken powder and a couple mini bok choy, separated at the base. It’ll do. W just got the noodles and won tons.
Wontons are easy. Buy some wonton wrappers, thaw them, and a pound of ground pork. Add to the pork any or all of the following: a tablespoon or so of soy sauce, a few chopped green onions, a spoonful of grated ginger, a clove or two of crushed garlic, a drizzle of sesame oil. Put a small spoonful of the mixture on the middle of a wonton, dip your finger into some water and run it along two (connected) sides, then fold it over like a triangle and press to seal it, pressing out any air bubbles so that it doesn’t become a flotation device in the pot of soup. Now you could leave it like a triangle, or bring the two flappy ends together and attach with another dab of water. Freeze them on a cookie sheet (so that they don’t stick together) and then transfer to a freezer bag, and you can throw them frozen right into your pot of soup to cook. (They’re done when they rise to the surface – it should only take a few minutes.)
One Year Ago: Moroccan Braised Carrots, Squash and Chick Peas over Couscous
Your bowl is beautiful!!!
Beeeautiful bowl for a very worthy cause! Tonight was CIFB long term volunteer appreciation night. I have the pleasure of volunteering with some amazing people, some of whom have been there for over 20 years! I’m a newbie at only 2 years, very inspiring night despite the weather. I’ve seen the lines get longer (and longer and longer) first hand. I also saw the Heebee Geebees get James to do “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” with them lol.
Thank you Julie! 😀
Your bowl is beautiful!
I made the thai coconut soup (from Starting Out) last night. It was fantastic! Do you know if there’s such a thing as low sodium fish sauce?
The bowl is beautiful..and I love won ton soup..off to read more about the bowl..
The Bowl is wonderful!
The link to bid/view the bowls doesn’t work.
Love your Bowl, Julie!
I would LOVE to bid on it but will be out of work in two weeks so…
Made the Romesco Dip last night for a gathering tonight. Soooo good and I know it will be even better after a day of flavour-blending.
Will think of you when I serve it!
Julie — question from a fellow Calgarian — where can you get wonton wrappers? Are they available at Superstore/Safeway/Co-op or do I have to go to an Asian grocer? And if I can get them at the “regular” grocery store, what section should I be looking in?
Totally available at grocery stores. At Superstore they’re in the refrigerated section beside the deli, with the Asian noodles and cheeses and stuff. In Safeway they’re in the freezer section. Depends on where you shop!
Great work on the bowls. I do like yours very much but, to be fair, everybody did a super job. I applaud all your efforts at giving back. You are truly inspiring! 🙂
I think Hubby would kill me if I brought another bowl into the house, but I’m still going to look closely! I am in love with yours, but I have a weakness for polka dots.
Julie, wontons would be right up there with pyrohy for a good activity bee.
And once again… if only I lived closer!
The bowl is beautiful but i think the best part about getting that bowl would be the personal delivery!
What an excellent design on your bowl. I’m afraid the bidding is already out of my ballpark, but good luck in making much for the food bank. Oh, did I say yet that your bowl looks really great? (P.S. It was fun seeing all the other bowls too!)
So pretty!!!
Blizzarding??!? Tell me you’re lying!
Wow..how gorgeous is that? You are so your Mom’s daughter!
For those looking for wonton wrappers, they are also next to the packaged herbs by the jalapenos and stuff in the produce section at Safeway. This is great because then you don’t have to let them thaw. Also they are extremely good for making make shift ravioli.
Swhoops! forgot to mention that your bowl is ridiculous, Julie! Best of the bunch, for sure.
And, of course, I meant ‘Whoops’ not Swhoops. Sigh.
Yes, of course all the bowls are spectacular! We tend to get into a little friendly competition when the auction begins!
And no, I wasn’t kidding about the blizzard. TONS of snow on the ground. Icy roads. Icicles off the eaves, even.
I’m loving the spotty bowl. Nice work!
I’m not, however, loving the snow. I think it was a big F-you from Mother Earth.
Have you ever made shrimp won-tons? Easy? Hard? Fussy?
Julie – your bowl looks great and so does everyone else.
Could you please tell me where I can buy matcha tea powder in Calgary? Thanks! I keep running into recipes with matcha tea powder in them, including yours and can’t figure out where to buy some. Sorry for the unrelated question!
Totally! It’s sometimes hard to find… Community Natural Foods sometimes has it, and you could try Steeps in Mount Royal Village. But I get mine from my excellent friend Nicole at http://www.tnik.com – she lives in Ramsay and will deliver your tea anywhere! It’s really good stuff, too. And she takes Canadian Tire dollars at par. (For real. They do lots of renos.)
What a great auction. We had a “dinner in a bowl” fund raiser here to benefit a local arts council. A potter made all the bowls and you were given one to fill with choices from a fabulous buffet. A lovely summer evening event with musicians performing etc. Feeding the hungry is a higher call for sure. Congrats to all who have given of themselves for such a cause. Your bowl is beautiful.
On wontons…Does the pork go in raw and cook in those few moments in the broth? Thank you for another freezer dinner gold mine 🙂
I made wontons for the first time recently but mine weren’t nearly as gorgeous as yours. It reminded me of how terrible I am at origami! I’ll have to try your technique next time. Kudos!
my first visit to your site…was looking to where to buy frozen won tons in calgary. Thanks for the info and now Im enjoying going thru your recipes. So far Im really enjoy it. Thanks 🙂