For me there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of home made won ton noodle soup. Perhaps similar in theory to Grandma's Chicken Soup I have found childhood memories of eating and wrapping the won tons with my grandmother, father, and sister. So what if mine were also the misshapen ones that managed to fall apart in the water? I can't eat the won ton soup from the local take out, the noodles are thick, the broth is like water and the filling is terribly hard blob of pork. For these reasons I always request it when visiting my parents who have moved to Florida several years ago. Now that the airline prices are so high and schedules are busy I decided to take it upon myself to finally figure out how to make it for myself. I would also love to carry on this tradition to future generations.
The ingredient list may seem like you need a lot of stuff but unlike some other cooking adventures the recipe calls for basic Asian items that can be used for a variety of recipes. I did go to Chinatown for the skins, noodles, and bok choy. The skins can be frozen and are also fun to use in other recipes. I estimated the total cost of the dish and it came out to an impressive $1.83 per generous serving. Not bad considering the cost at the local Chinese take out is about $3.00 with no noodles or veggies and most likely some MSG. I consider this a healthy dish since the only bad for you ingredient is pork and amount of pork per serving comes out to about 2 1/2 oz.
Recipe: makes about six servings-10 wontons per serving
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork, 1 teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 2 tablespoon cooking wine or rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, about 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions and 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, won ton skins (Hong Kong style), won ton noodles (fresh), bok choy, stock*, 1 egg beaten, 1/2 pound shrimp cut up into small pieces
Method:
1. Mix together all of the indigents up to cilantro and let sit for a bit (20 minutes to let the flavors fuse together)
2. Take one won ton wrapper and put a small amount of meat mixture (about a dime) along with a piece of shrimp in the center of the won ton skin and brush egg on the sides of the wrapper. Fold wrapper in half to form a triangle and than fold in the points and stick together using the egg as glue.
3. Heat up some stock/broth mix/won ton soup mix
4. To cook the won tons boil a pot of water and cook for about five minutes or until floating on top of the water (similar to ravioli).
5. Use a slotted spoon to add the won tons to the broth and also add some bok choy to the broth.
6. Using the same water from the won tons cook the noodles in the water for about 1 minute, drain and add noodles to the pot with the won tons and bok choy.
Enjoy!
Garnish with cut up green onions and cilantro. Serve hot mustard, rice vinegar with thinly sliced ginger and soy as dipping sauces.
*Tastes best with won ton stock made with pork bones and the shrimp shells but a good substitute is low sodium/fat free chicken broth with about 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of cooking wine/vinegar mixed in OR you can always buy won ton soup mix powder in Chinatown (just add water).
Servings: 6 servings with 10 won tons per serving
Total Cost: about $1.83 per serving or $10.98
Total Time: about 1 1/2 hours (mostly due to wrapping)
Nutrition Facts: Amount Per Serving
Calories 408.8 (YAY!!)
Total Fat 13.9 g (YAY!!)
Saturated Fat 5.3 gPolyunsaturated Fat 1.9 gMonounsaturated Fat 6.6 gCholesterol 157.1 mgSodium 1,860.0 mgPotassium 717.4 mgTotal Carbohydrate 42.1 gDietary Fiber 1.2 gSugars 1.1 gProtein 27.1 g (YAY!!)
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Weight Watcher points: 9
In the end it was incredibly easy to prepare. The only hassle was the time it took to wrap the won tons but I assume that would go quicker with some practice. I still consider this a fast and easy because this dish is something I am eternally searching for... the make ahead meal with individual freezable servings. Simply make and wrap on a Sunday afternoon and freeze on cookie sheets. When frozen the won tons can be placed in zip lock bags and stored in the freezer for up to two months (Otherwise they will stick together). What better than to come home tired after a late day of work and having a hot bowl of won ton noodle soup; especially when it requires only a few extra minutes than heating up a can of soup.