Tofu and Chive Wontons in Chili Broth
Homemade Tofu and Chive Wontons filled with homegrown garlic chives from my garden! I used frozen tofu that creates this much meatier texture. I boiled my wontons but you can also steam or even deep fry yours. I served my wontons with an aromatic chili broth.
Author: Thefoodietakesflight/Photo credit to thefoodietakesflight.com
Ingredients
- WRAPPERS
- 25 wontons wrappers mine were 3” squares, SEE NOTES
- FILLING
- 7 oz extra firm tofu frozen overnight then thawed
- 3.5 oz fresh garlic chives
- Neutral oil for cooking
- 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce or stir-fry sauce
- ¼ tsp Chinese five spice powder
- ¼ salt or to taste
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- CHILI BROTH
- ½ cup wonton broth water used to cook wontons or hot water
- ½ tbsp soy sauce or more to taste
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce , adjust according to desired heat (homemade sauce recipe here)
- 1 tsp doubanjiang or more chili sauce
- 1 tsp sugar adjust according to desired taste
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar adjust according to desired taste
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- To Serve
- More chili sauce
- Chopped scallions for garnish
Instructions
- WRAPPERS
- If using frozen wonton wrappers, be sure to thaw it at room temperature.
- Be sure to completely thaw your wrappers and allow it to come to room temperature so they'll ne very pliable. This will make it easier to handle and work with the wrappers to make your worntons.
- PREPARE THE FILLING
- Freeze your block of extra firm tofu at least overnight. No need to press.
- Be sure to completely thaw you’re tofu. Afterwards, press the tofu. The tofu will release a lot of water!
- Finely chop the chives. Then crumble the tofu.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in the oil. Saute the chives and tofu for 3-4 minutes. Allow any excess liquid from the tofu to evaporate. Season the mixture with vegetarian oyster sauce/stir-fry sauce, five spice powder, and salt. Mix well.
- Add in the corn starch and the mix well. This will help absorb any excess moisture and help bind the mixture together.
- Turn off the heat and transfer the filling to a bowl and leave to cool before using.
- MAKING THE WONTONS
- You can watch the video for a complete step-by-step.
- Prepare a small bowl with water. Carefully separate the wrappers. It’s best to work with the wrappers at room temperature so they’re pliable and won’t easily break.
- Place 1 wrapper on a flat surface or on your palm.
- Dip your finger in the bowl of water and trace the edges of the wrapper. Add ½ – 1 tbsp of the filling (note that the amount of filling will depend on the size of your wrapper and type of fold you’re doing).
- Press down the filling to pack it tightly. Fold the wrapper into half until you have a triangle.
- Carefully press down on the filling to remove any air pockets. Then seal the edges tight.
- Flip over the triangle. Carefully press down the centre of the triangle. Dab one bottom corner of the triangles with water.
- Afterwards, bring both ends together. Press down both tips to seal well. Repeat this for the rest of the wrappers until you have all your wontons.
- While you work on each wonton, you can cover your made wontons with a towel to prevent them from drying out.
- IMPORTANT WONTON FOLDING TIP: Be sure to keep the sides/edges of the wrapper cleaning try not to get any of the filling on it. This way you'll be able to seal the wontons well. When filling gets on the edges of the wrapper, some of the oil will make it slippery and hard to seal the wrapper together.
- So the bottomline: keep the edges as clean as possible! 🙂
- COOKING THE WONTONS
- Heat a large pot with water. Add a pinch of salt. Leave to boil over medium high heat. Once the water is boiling, add in 8-10 wontons, or depending on the size of your pot.
- Leave to boil for 2-3 minutes, moving around with a spoon to prevent the wontons from sticking to the bottom, until the wontons float and wrappers are translucent. Remove from the water and transfer to a large plate or bowl. Repeat this for the rest of the wontons.
- Don’t discard the water after cooking since it’ll be used for the broth.
- PREPARE THE CHILI BROTH
- Mix the broth, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a bowl. Feel free to adjust according to your desired taste. Pour over the cooked wontons. Enjoy while hot!
- If you want another dipping sauce instead of the chili broth, you can also check out my dumpling dipping sauce recipe here!
- STORING AND FREEZING WONTONS
- Place wrapped uncooked wontons on a tray. Make sure there is enough space between each one so they don’t stick. Cover the tray/container. Leave to freeze for 3-5 hours until hardened before transferring to a container or bag.
- Make sure to seal the bag/container very well to prevent the wontons from possible drying up. Too cold temperatures can cause the wrappers to dry up and cause cracks.
- To cook frozen wontons:
- Boil the wontons directly from frozen, do not thaw.
