Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Here are two recipes copied from my Cookbook - "You Can Be A Great Cook With Soups, Stews, and Chowders. Hope you enojoy them. And remember, recipes are just a starting point. Once you understand the basic recipe, feel free to change it, play with it, make it yours. That is the joy found in cooking.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Egg Drop Soup:
This soup originated in the East. It boasts the subtle flavors of chicken stock, celery, onion, and ginger. The egg strands add body, texture and color, as well as nutrition to this soup. All I can say is that it is good stuff.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 cup finely chopped green onion
2 large eggs well beaten
3 large button mushrooms, minced
1/8 tsp. Ground ginger
In a 2 quart pan, heat the broth to gentle boil. Add onion, ginger, and mushrooms. Cook for twenty minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Turn the heat down until the water quits boiling. It cant be boiling or it will tear up the egg strands.
Slowly pour the beaten egg into the broth, taking care to keep the bowl moving. The idea is to form long strands of egg. Do not stir.
Serve as an appetizer.
*
Won Ton Soup
Won Tons are great little noodles that can be simmered in liquid, or fried. When simmered, or steamed, they resemble ravioli noodles, but more delicate. Of course in this book, we will be simmering them in broth. But because of their delicate nature, we need to be careful that the broth is not boiling rapidly to avoid breaking the noodles apart.
Here is the recipe to get creative with. You can fill won tons with just about anything you desire. In this recipe, we will use chicken. Also remember, oriental foods always seek a balance of flavors; and the soups are light in flavor, and usually less salty than American soups.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Won Ton skins
2 lbs. cut up frying chicken
1/4 cup sliced and halved water chestnuts
1/4 cup coarsely chopped bamboo shoots
1/4 cup diced onion
2 stalks celery, diced
green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Ground ginger
2 tbs. Soy sauce
Scant dash of Chinese 5 spice powder
2 cups fresh Bean Sprouts, chopped
1 cup peanut or sunflower oil + 2 tbs.
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs. water
Skin and bone the chicken. Place the skin and bones in two cups of boiling water and cover. Turn heat down to simmer. Finely dice the chicken meat into small pieces. Heat 2 tbs. of the peanut oil in a steel wok, or large heavy skillet (I prefer seasoned cast iron if I'm not using my wok). Add the chicken and half of the salt. Cover with a lid and cook for about seven minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the cooked chicken to a large bowl (very large) and pour any juices from the pan into the boiling chicken stock.
Return the wok to the stove and reheat. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, bok choy, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Stir fry on highest heat setting for five minutes without lid. Remove the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken. Add the spices and soy sauce to the bowl and mix well.
Place the bean sprouts into the wok and cover. Add 1/2 cup water to the wok. Cook for seven to ten minutes until the bean sprouts turn white and loose the translucent quality. Add to the meat and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly. Place bowl where you can easily reach into it and let cool for ten minutes.
Remove the skin and bones from the broth and discard. Strain the broth through a fine sieve to remove any bone fragments. Add water to make four cups of broth. Use the broth as the soup stock. Bring broth to a boil, add chives to the boiling broth, cover and turn down to simmer. Fill and fold won ton skins (any left-over filling can be combined with fried or wild rice).
Folding the won tons is not difficult, but does require two or three practice won-tons to get into the swing of things. It is best to use multiple people to speed the process.
Here are step by step instructions.
1. Separate won ton skins and lay side by side on a large clean surface.
2. Make egg wash by combining the raw egg and 2 tbs. water in a bowl, then whipping with a wire whisk or fork until well blended. Brush the won ton skins with the egg wash.
3. Place 1 tsp. full of filling into the center of a won ton skin.
4. Fold the top edge of the skin until it just covers the filling.
5. Fold both sides toward the center and press lightly to seal.
6. Fold the bottom upward and press lightly to seal.
7. Place immediately into boiling liquid. Cook until the skins take on the characteristics of a cooked noodle. Serve as the first course in a Chinese meal.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Egg Drop Soup:
This soup originated in the East. It boasts the subtle flavors of chicken stock, celery, onion, and ginger. The egg strands add body, texture and color, as well as nutrition to this soup. All I can say is that it is good stuff.
Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
1/8 cup finely chopped green onion
2 large eggs well beaten
3 large button mushrooms, minced
1/8 tsp. Ground ginger
In a 2 quart pan, heat the broth to gentle boil. Add onion, ginger, and mushrooms. Cook for twenty minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Turn the heat down until the water quits boiling. It cant be boiling or it will tear up the egg strands.
Slowly pour the beaten egg into the broth, taking care to keep the bowl moving. The idea is to form long strands of egg. Do not stir.
Serve as an appetizer.
*
Won Ton Soup
Won Tons are great little noodles that can be simmered in liquid, or fried. When simmered, or steamed, they resemble ravioli noodles, but more delicate. Of course in this book, we will be simmering them in broth. But because of their delicate nature, we need to be careful that the broth is not boiling rapidly to avoid breaking the noodles apart.
Here is the recipe to get creative with. You can fill won tons with just about anything you desire. In this recipe, we will use chicken. Also remember, oriental foods always seek a balance of flavors; and the soups are light in flavor, and usually less salty than American soups.
Ingredients:
1 pkg. Won Ton skins
2 lbs. cut up frying chicken
1/4 cup sliced and halved water chestnuts
1/4 cup coarsely chopped bamboo shoots
1/4 cup diced onion
2 stalks celery, diced
green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Ground ginger
2 tbs. Soy sauce
Scant dash of Chinese 5 spice powder
2 cups fresh Bean Sprouts, chopped
1 cup peanut or sunflower oil + 2 tbs.
1 egg, beaten
2 tbs. water
Skin and bone the chicken. Place the skin and bones in two cups of boiling water and cover. Turn heat down to simmer. Finely dice the chicken meat into small pieces. Heat 2 tbs. of the peanut oil in a steel wok, or large heavy skillet (I prefer seasoned cast iron if I'm not using my wok). Add the chicken and half of the salt. Cover with a lid and cook for about seven minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the cooked chicken to a large bowl (very large) and pour any juices from the pan into the boiling chicken stock.
Return the wok to the stove and reheat. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, bok choy, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots. Stir fry on highest heat setting for five minutes without lid. Remove the cooked vegetables to the bowl with the chicken. Add the spices and soy sauce to the bowl and mix well.
Place the bean sprouts into the wok and cover. Add 1/2 cup water to the wok. Cook for seven to ten minutes until the bean sprouts turn white and loose the translucent quality. Add to the meat and vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly. Place bowl where you can easily reach into it and let cool for ten minutes.
Remove the skin and bones from the broth and discard. Strain the broth through a fine sieve to remove any bone fragments. Add water to make four cups of broth. Use the broth as the soup stock. Bring broth to a boil, add chives to the boiling broth, cover and turn down to simmer. Fill and fold won ton skins (any left-over filling can be combined with fried or wild rice).
Folding the won tons is not difficult, but does require two or three practice won-tons to get into the swing of things. It is best to use multiple people to speed the process.
Here are step by step instructions.
1. Separate won ton skins and lay side by side on a large clean surface.
2. Make egg wash by combining the raw egg and 2 tbs. water in a bowl, then whipping with a wire whisk or fork until well blended. Brush the won ton skins with the egg wash.
3. Place 1 tsp. full of filling into the center of a won ton skin.
4. Fold the top edge of the skin until it just covers the filling.
5. Fold both sides toward the center and press lightly to seal.
6. Fold the bottom upward and press lightly to seal.
7. Place immediately into boiling liquid. Cook until the skins take on the characteristics of a cooked noodle. Serve as the first course in a Chinese meal.
And believe me, that's not an easy thing to do. Thanks. It makes all the work worth it.
