FILLING MAKES ABOUT 40 WON-TON
SOUP SERVES 4 IN LARGE BOWLS, 6 TO 8 IN SMALL BOWLS
This is our version of won-ton soup, an admittedly zippy bowlful that is a full league away from the mild Cantonese classic. It is an unabashed bestseller, and a soup of which I never tire.
Making won-ton is a labor of love. Or at least it is a labor. Were I doing this soup at home, I would wrap the won-ton in the morning and serve the soup in the evening as a one-bowl meal to reward me for my fuss.
Won-ton are heavenly freshly made. Once poached, they may be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days but they lose their savor. To freeze these won-ton is to commit a crime, at least in my obsessive kitchen.
Given China Moon’s location in California, I’ve always called our Infusion “Roasted Garlic Broth” on our menu, lassoing in all those folks who, like me, believe in garlic’s curative powers.
¼ cup thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon finely chopped Chinese chives
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper Oil (page 11)
1 tablespoon China Moon Infusion (page 72)
1 pound coarsely ground fresh pork butt
About 40 thinnest possible 3-inch-square won-ton skins
2 egg yolks, beaten (optional)
8 cups China Moon Infusion
Kosher salt
Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt (page 5)
SOUP TRIMMINGS:
½ pound spinach leaves
½ cup finely shredded carrot
¼ cup finely chopped Chinese chives
¼ cup thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
1. To make the won-ton filling, combine the ingredients through the tablespoon of infusion in a large bowl. Add the pork and stir well in one direction until thoroughly blended. If working in advance, press plastic wrap directly on top of the filling and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
2. To shape the won-ton: Set a wrapper before you in a diamond position and put 1 teaspoon of the filling just above the center. With a small pastry brush or your finger, moisten the exposed edges of the wrapper with the egg yolks, or you can use water instead. Then bring the bottom of the wrapper up over the filling, press gently to expel any air, and seal the wrapper itself neatly in a triangle. Next, bring the 2 side points up over the filling, overlap the points, and seal with a bit of egg yolk or water by pinching the ends firmly together. As they are made, stand the won-ton with a bit of room between them on a baking sheet lined with parchment, waxed paper, or a thin dusting of flour, and cover with a light towel.
At this point, the won-ton may be sealed with plastic wrap and refrigerated for several hours or overnight. Poach them directly from the refrigerator so the wrappers don’t get sticky.
If you are bent on freezing won-ton, place them on their baking sheet in the freezer, then seal airtight once firm. Poach (see next step) only partially defrosted, adding up to several minutes to the simmering time until they are cooked through.
3. To poach the won-ton, fill a large wok or pot half-full with water and bring it to a simmer. Drop the won-ton into the water and stir gently to separate them. Poach for a full 2 minutes after the won-ton float to the surface, adjusting the heat so the water never boils. The wrappers will be translucent and the filling should be cooked through; slice open a won-ton to check. Remove the won-ton with a large mesh spoon and hold them briefly aloft to drain. Spread them apart on 2 or more baking sheets so they don’t stick together. If the pot is too small to comfortably hold all of the won-ton, poach them in 2 batches.
Sheer heaven is to eat the won-ton freshly poached. If you are working in advance, however, let them come to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate in their spread-apart form for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before rewarming.
4. To make the soup, heat the infusion to a simmer in a non-aluminum pot large enough to hold the won-ton as well. Season with enough kosher salt to bring out the garlic and then with a pinch or more of pepper-salt to tingle your tongue.
5. Slide the won-ton into the pot, stir gently, then allow the soup to regain a steaming near simmer, by which time the won-ton will have heated through.
6. Meanwhile, blanch the spinach 5 seconds to wilt it. Plunge it under cold water to chill, then press the leaves between your palms to remove the excess water.
7. Fluff the spinach leaves to loosen and portion among heated soup bowls. Remove the won-ton and divide them among the bowls. Ladle the infusion on top, garnish with big pinches of carrot, chives, and scallion, and serve at once.
MENU SUGGESTIONS: If someone else would make them for me, a plate of Pan-Fried Scallion-Chive Bread (page 382) or a big bundle of hot Mandarin Breadtwists (page 66) would be a wonderful addition to the soup, as would most any great loaf of hot, crusty bread.
Witness lunchtime or off-hours at most any Chinese-American restaurant and you will see waiters hunched around a table, folding won-ton as fast as the eye can see (and usually flipping them over their shoulders into a big bowl). If you are not gifted with the right gene pool or delicate fingers made for edible origami, the only surefire technique is practice. That aside, lightly moistening the wrappers evenly around the edges is the only advice I can offer.