Miso Wonton Soup

Hey babes,

If it isn’t evident from my recipe catalogue, I’m not heavily reliant on traditional Americana for my inspiration. Even though I was raised in the windy plains of Texas, my travels and various homes since then have let me sample flavors from a number of cultures, and searching for vendors that cater to Asian, African, and South American flavors have led me to discover that the world is so much more interesting than steak and potatoes.

So while I do try to feature recipes that would be useful to large groups of people, especially kids, my heart lives in delicious flavors from abroad. One thing I love especially is miso paste. Any time I don’t feel well, I live on oatmeal and miso soup. Heated gently so not to kill it, the delicious little bugs developed during the fermentation process of miso are extremely beneficial to your gut microbiome, and generally more popular than things like kimchee and kombucha for people not used to those strong flavors. But when I’m not sick, I like my miso soup a little heartier, and that is a perfect excuse to make wontons.

When I was a younger babe, I learned some traditional Chinese dishes from my language instructors as part of our curriculum (as well as Mahjong which is a rip-roaring good time), and the one I remember most is jiaozi, or Chinese dumplings, as they’re sometimes called. I’ll share my favorite way to make those later, but today, I want to talk about wontons. The techniques are similar, and though it’s tedious, I always end up with a bajillion of these things for my freezer, and can whip up the soup to put them in quickly.

A lot of Americans are probably most familiar with wontons being transformed into the popular crab Rangoon, made with cream cheese, imitation crab, and fried wonton wrappers. But wonton wrappers can do many more things than fry. Wonton soup is delicious and way healthier than a ball of saturated fat and cholesterol.

Now originally I thought to make this recipe with tofu. It’s traditional, it’s popular, you see it in almost every vegan version of wontons. But then I went back to the omnivore side to see the most popular versions there. Pork stood out like a beacon. Obviously, I’m not going to use pork. Pigs are wonderful, intelligent animals and I see no reason to do them undue harm just to please the palate, and I’d prefer to skip out on all of the health problems eating them can lead to. But I do know of a great substitute for ground meat that is cheap, healthy, and easy: TVP.

Textured vegetable protein is a valuable source of protein, fiber, iron and potassium, and has a crazy long shelf-life and takes mere minutes to rehydrate with whatever flavors you like. I tend to use vegetable broth or a faux chicken broth, but if I want a heartier taste I will also add liquid smoke and vegan Worcestershire sauce.

After that, I like to stick with simple, traditional ingredients for the filling. Napa cabbage, carrots, garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms make up the rest of the bulk. I discovered it was much easier to chop these things lightly and then pulse them in the food processor before adding everything to the mixing bowl. You don’t want to turn them into paste, but you’re going to hate life if you have to chop all of these things to the size of a matchstick head. I put the vegetables through first while the TVP and mushrooms are hydrating, then the rest, then mix it all together in a giant bowl. It’s not pretty, but holy moly is it tasty.

Now, when it comes to wrapping the wontons, it is much easier than it looks. All it takes is a little water, patience, and three folds. I even created an extremely high-tech diagram to help you sort it out. Shield your eyes if you’re susceptible to incredibly detailed infographics.

Yeah, it’s really that simple. You can get extra fancy and crimp it into some fancy pattern or give it a face with intricately patterned sesame seeds, but this method will give you a good seal so that your fillings don’t end up bursting all throughout your soup.

After that, the soup is simple. Add the kombu, broth, and water first and let them simmer for ten minutes. At five, add the amount of wontons you’d like and kill the heat when they start to float. For the remaining wontons, put on parchment paper and stick in the freezer for a couple of hours, then bag them and return to the freezer for future use. AFTER you turn off the heat, remove the kombu and add the miso paste, stirring gently. Miso will die in high heat and by now you’ve leeched all the iodine and flavor you need from the kombu. No need to overdo it.

After that, toss in the green onions and give it a taste. Add seasoning as needed, such as crushed red pepper or a light dose of soy sauce. If you want an even more robust meal, you can add greens like baby bok choy, spinach, or kale if you’re lazy like myself. A few remaining shiitake mushroom slices, napa cabbage, or julienned carrots also might be a delicious addition.

So give it a try and don’t be intimidated. Recipes like this are much easier than you think, even if there are several steps involved. Let me know what you think, and what you’d add to your delicious miso soup.