Wonton Soup

I've been wanting to try wanton soup for a while and I finally got up the courage to do it. I found a recipe on the internet and it turned out to be very tasty. It wasn't exactly like the wanton soup we had in China, but for being homemade with American ingredients we thought it was pretty close. If you've never had genuine Chinese food, you might think this has a bit of an odd flavor, but it's worth the try! They have many flavors in China that we do not have, so they like different tastes. They think some of our flavors are pretty strange just like we think some of their flavors are odd. For example, cheese to a Chinese person is one of the most disgusting things anyone could eat. How can American stand it!?

Wonton Soup

1/2 lb. ground pork
1 green onion (with tops), chopped
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
24 wonton skins
5 c. water
3 cans (10 3/4 oz. each) condensed chicken broth
3 soup cans water
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 c. spinach, torn into sm. pieces or 1 c. watercress

Cook pork and green onions, stirring occasionally, until pork is brown; drain. Mix pork mixture, 2 teaspoons filling on center of each wonton skin. Moisten edges with water. Fold each in half to form triangle down and overlap slightly. Moisten one corner with water. Pinch to seal. (Wonton can be covered and refrigerated no longer than 24 hours.)

Heat 5 cups water to boiling in Dutch oven. Add wontons. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 2 minutes (wonton will break apart if overcooked.) Heat chicken broth, 3 cans water and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to boiling in 3 quart saucepan. Add spinach. Heat just to boiling. Place 3 wonton and 1 cup hot broth in each soup bowl. 8 servings (about 1 cup each). 175 calories per serving.

I also found a sweet and sour vegetable recipe. It's a great way to dress up vegetables and make them tasty! This quick and easy sweet and sour recipe uses frozen Oriental vegetables and a sweet and sour sauce made with pineapple juice, brown sugar, and rice vinegar. Serve with rice, although I completely forgot to cook rice the first time I made it!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/4 cups (approximately) frozen Oriental vegetables
• Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Other:
• 1 tablespoon oil for stir-frying
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks

PREPARATION:

Mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Heat the wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the frozen vegetables. Stir-fry until tender but not overcooked. Add pineapple chunks and sauce, giving sauce a quick re-stir.

Cook until thickened and serve hot. Serves 3 - 4, as part of a multi-course meal.