Wonton soup is the perfect food for many occasions; It’s great for when you want something hot, something light, or something that fills you up. Somehow it manages to achieve all of these things while being healthy and delicious. Clearly wonton soup is one of those things you would have to adjust for a vegan diet if you wanted to continue being a happy herbivore. I got the inspiration for these when I made the eggplant meatballs a few weeks ago. I was amazed, and a bit grossed out, by how truly meaty the dumplings were, and wondered how else this could be used. When I first went vegan, I tried to make wonton soup and it was disgusting, almost inedible. But it taught me some very important lessons.
First, not all meatballs are created equal. I initially used frozen premade dumplings for my soup, and they were okay, but nothing special. Since then, I discovered Trader Joe’s vegetable gyozas, which are crisp, light, and have a nice ginger flavor. So now, I eat them when I want a quick dumpling. But in order for my wonton soup to be amazing, I knew I would have to start from scratch.
wontons
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and cut into 1/4″ to 1/2″ cubes
6 green onions finely chopped
3/4 cup of walnuts
salt and pepper
2 cups of dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup firm tofu, processed until smooth
8 chopped water chestnuts
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 1/2 inches ginger finely grated
1/4 cup of carrot chopped very fine
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound fresh wrappers (These are most easily found at a Chinese market; make sure they don’t contain egg. Don’t worry if you can only find potsticker or shu mai wrappers. These work well)
Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the eggplant and cook until just tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the green onion and cook briefly. Transfer to a large bowl.
Process walnuts with 1 cup of the eggplant-onion mixture. Pulse until smooth. Return to the eggplant mixture. Add the breadcrumbs, tofu, water chestnuts, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and cornstarch and mix well with a fork, being careful not to crush the mixture. Taste the salt and pepper (don’t worry! No raw meat or eggs in this)
Lay the wonton wrapper flat. Place 1/2 tablespoon (approximately) of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Using your finger, paint half of the outer edge of the wrapper with fresh water. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together firmly. Now, moisten the two corners of your semicircle, fold them towards each other and bring them together. Repeat. Place prepared wontons on waxed or parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Vegetable broth is a variable beast. If you’ve been here before, you’ll know that I only recommend Swanson’s Pre-Made Broth. I’ve tried others, and they’re horrible. The broth is what ruined my first attempt at wonton soup, impregnating everything with the flavor of old vegetables. Blech! Vegetable broth, unlike chicken broth, does not improve over time. 30 to 40 minutes is fine and you’re done. Otherwise, it tastes like, you guessed it, old vegetables that have been sitting around for hours, which is what they are. So in order to make a successful wonton soup, I knew I had to make my own wontons and my own broth. And this time, it was great! Unfortunately, this isn’t much of a soup to freeze, but the filling and wrappers can be frozen, as can the broth, so you can thaw them and put them back together!
vegetable broth
2 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, quartered
1 daikon radish, coarsely chopped
1 bunch of chives, coarsely chopped
4 dried shitake mushrooms
handful of parsley
3 peeled garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
20 peppercorns
2 tablespoons of salt
Place all ingredients in a large pot with 3 quarts (12 cups) of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes. Strain the vegetables.
finish your soup
8 cups baby bok choy, chopped
1 sliced carrot
2 sliced green onions
Steam the bok choy in a pot with three cups of broth. Remove the bok choy and add the carrots. Cook until tender. Remove carrots and add wontons. Cover wontons with broth. Boil the wontons gently until the skin appears wrinkled, about five minutes, depending on the thickness of the wrapper. Add salt to taste, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of rice wine to the broth. Add bok choy, green onions, and carrots to the soup. Add more broth if necessary. Toss gently, drizzle with spicy sesame oil, and serve immediately.