The Chinese New Year to welcome in the new lunar year began last week and continues until February 6. This year is the Year of the Dragon. I enjoy getting into the spirit of the celebrations by cooking Chinese dishes and going out with friends for a Chinese banquet.
Wontons are little Chinese dumplings that are usually filled with pork. In the vegetarian wonton recipe today, the pork is replaced with mushrooms and tofu. They are tasty morsels.
Wonton or wantan is the Cantonese name for the dumplings and in Chinese character means ''swallowing clouds''. They certainly resemble clouds when floating in broth. Dumplings originated in Northern China more than 2000 years ago and have spread throughout China and beyond.
They can be used in a few different ways; they can be poached and added to a clear broth as in short soup, or they can be deep fried or steamed and eaten as a snack or yum-cha dish with tea.
Fresh wonton wrappers or skins can be bought from Asian grocers. It is fun to make your own wontons and really doesn't take long. Once the filling is made it is just a matter of assembling them. There are several different ways to wrap them which you may like to try. I have formed them into simple bundles, like money purses, which is quick and easy. Wontons can be frozen for later use. There is no need to defrost them first.
Today's other recipes are for two simple, tasty dishes that can be prepared quickly. Singapore curried vegetables are quite mild and the dish shows both Indian and South-East Asian influences. It's a handy one, because you can vary the vegetables and use what you have in the fridge.
People ask me sometimes for simple ways to use tofu. I asked my Taiwanese friend, Patty Yang, how she cooks it and this is her recipe for tofu home-style. It is quite delicious and takes about two minutes to cook. It is important to check the use-by date on the tofu packet and use it within three days of opening. Keep it covered with water in the fridge and change daily.
Eaten together, these dishes make a nutritious family meal, especially when served with nutty brown rice.
For dessert, I offer cut seasonal fruits, which at this time of year could include lychees, peaches, pineapple, melon and grapes.
The recipes are for Chinese-sized servings as you would have in a restaurant. If cooking for more people, you can easily increase the quantities.
Diana Lampe is a Canberra writer, dlampe@bigpond.net.au
TOFU HOME-STYLE
Serves 3-4
375g firm tofu
3-4 spring onions, cut into 4cm to 5cm lengths
1 slice ginger, peeled
1 red chilli, for garnish
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp caster sugar (optional)
tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
Have the serving dish keeping warm in a low oven. Cut the tofu into 2cm cubes, similar sized rectangular pieces or into slices as you like and leave to drain on a kitchen towel while you prepare the other ingredients.
Cut the lengths of spring onion right down through the middle, then gather together and cut into fine julienne pieces. Set aside in separate piles of white and green. Cut the ginger and chilli into fine juliennes as well. Alternatively, you could slice the spring onions and chilli diagonally if you prefer.
Mix the soy, sugar and sesame oil together in a small dish.
Heat a frying pan or wok over medium-high heat and tip in the oil. Carefully add the tofu and fry until lightly golden on the first side and then turn over and fry the other side or sides. Push tofu to one side of the pan and lower the heat.
Add the ginger and white part of spring onions and stir for a moment until fragrant.
Move the tofu back and sprinkle with the soy, sugar and sesame oil to taste (you may not want to use it all) and turn in the pan to coat.
Lastly, throw in most of the green spring onions (keep a few for garnish) and cook for a few seconds.
Transfer to the warm serving dish and garnish with remaining green onion and chilli julienne pieces. Serve straight away with steamed rice and a green vegetable.
SINGAPORE CURRIED VEGETABLES
I like the combination of cauliflower, zucchini, carrot and green beans in this recipe and sometimes add a few small button mushrooms as well. Other vegetables that can be used as an alternative are Japanese eggplant, red pepper or sugar snap peas. You could throw in cubes of tofu to add a protein element to the dish.
Serves 3-4
1 small onion, halved and sliced lengthways
2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
1 thumbnail-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1 tomato, preferably peeled and deseeded
2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
tsp ground turmeric
tsp ground coriander
tsp ground cumin
500g mixed vegetables: carrot, zucchini, green beans, cauliflower
3-5 small button mushrooms (optional)
1 small can ( cup) coconut milk
sea salt, tsp sugar and freshly ground pepper
1-2 tsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Prepare all the ingredients and have them set out within easy reach. Mix the garlic, ginger and chilli together in a small dish. Slice the tomato into segments. Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they can easily be eaten with chopsticks and will cook in the same time. The carrots should be sliced thinly as they take longer to cook. Cut the carrots and zucchini into diagonal slices, beans into 3cm lengths and cauliflower into florets. If including button mushrooms, leave them whole if small, otherwise cut in half.
Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat and toss in the onions. Stir-fry for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir-fry briefly, then sprinkle in the spices and cook a little longer. Add the tomato and fry for a minute.
Throw in the vegetables and the mushrooms (if using) and stir-fry to coat with the curry paste. Pour in the coconut milk and season with salt, sugar and pepper. Once boiling, lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Stir occasionally and add a dash of water or a little more coconut milk if needed. Add soy sauce to taste. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve with steamed brown or white rice.
VEGETARIAN WONTONS
Makes 50 wontons
1 packet square wonton wrappers (skins)
4-6 dried shiitake mushrooms, depending on size
1/2 cup finely shredded spinach or Chinese cabbage
150g button mushrooms, chopped
4 chopped (1/4 cup) spring onions
2 tsp grated ginger
225g firm tofu, drained and mashed
1 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
Seasoning
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar and
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tsp cornflour to bind
To make the stuffing, soak the shiitake mushrooms in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Prepare all the other ingredients. Toss the spinach or cabbage with a pinch of salt and set aside. Mix the seasoning sauce ingredients together in a small dish. Drain the shiitakes (keep the water for stock) and squeeze out the water, cut off and discard the stems and slice the caps thinly. Heat the oil in a frying pan and stirfry the shiitakes, button mushrooms, spring onion, cabbage or spinach and ginger for a few minutes. Add the seasoning sauce and cook for a few moments. Taste and adjust as needed; it should be tasty. To fill the wontons, working in batches of 10 lay the wonton skins out on the bench in front of you. Drop a teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each. Then for each wonton, draw the four corners in together above the filling, press the top together to seal and forma little bundle. To help seal the wonton, you can run a finger dipped in water around the wrapper first if you like. Dust them lightly with cornflour and store in the fridge if using that day or freeze until needed.
SHORT SOUP
Serves 4
16 to 20 fresh or frozen wontons
3-4 chopped spring onions, white and green
2 baby bok choy, baby spinach leaves or other Chinese greens, washed
1 scant tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp low-salt vegetable stock powder or 2 stock cubes
4 cups boiling water
Bring about 1.5l of water to the boil in a large saucepan ready to blanch the greens and poach the wontons. Cut root ends off the bok choy and separate the leaves. Cut the larger leaves in half lengthways. Put the soy sauce, sesame oil and spring onions in a large serving bowl or individual bowls. Plunge the bok choy into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Baby spinach leaves don't need to be blanched. Place the bok choy or other greens in the bowl or bowls as well. Combine the stock powder or cubes with the hot water in a saucepan and place on low heat to keep hot while you poach the wontons. Drop the fresh or frozen wontons, a few at a time, into simmering water and poach gently for a minute or two until they float to the surface. Remove with a small spider or slotted spoon and set aside on a tea towel to drain while you poach the others. Pour the hot stock into the serving bowl or individual bowls to mix with the soy sauce, sesame oil and greens. Carefully add the poached wontons to the broth and serve short soup straight away in small bowls.
Long and short soup variation
Prepare the bowl of soup as in the recipe. Cook about 100g of thin, fresh Chinese egg noodles in the pan of water and add to the bowl of soup. Then poach eight to 12 wontons and add them too.
Fried wontons with sweet and sour dipping sauce
If serving wontons this way, allow three or four for each person. Deep fry the fresh or frozen (take care if frozen) wontons a few at a time in peanut or vegetable oil heated to 180C. Hold the bottom of the wonton in the oil for a few seconds at first so they don't sink to the bottom and stick. Turn them in the hot oil and fry until golden. Lift out and drain on absorbent kitchen paper. Serve hot as a starter with the dipping sauce.
Dipping sauce
1/2 cup tomato puree (passata)
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp light soy sauce to taste
Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for five minutes. Serve warm or cold with fried wontons.
Steamed wontons
Steam wontons over simmering water until cooked for three to five minutes. Serve with a dipping sauce made with soy sauce, sesame oil and a little sliced red chilli.
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