Coaching Cooking

Wontons are a staple in my house. I make a big batch of them then I fry some, boil some for soup and freeze the rest for quick dinners and snacks later (and they never last for more than a month). This time, I made a huge batch of the filling and decided to make some other interesting dishes.

Here’s a quick recipe for the filling:

Wonton Meat Filling

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground pork
1 lb. of ground beef (avoid the super-low ground beef because there’s less flavor and the texture is hard)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small can of sliced water chestnuts, finely-diced
4-6 tablespoons of soy sauce (season to taste)
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
3-4 dashes of sriracha chili sauce
3 pinches of salt

Directions:
Place the pork and beef in a food processor and add the remaining ingredients. Secure the lid carefully and pulse until the meat and other ingredients form a smooth filling. Use immediately or refridgerate for later use. This filling can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container. I also suggest putting the container in a large plastic bag, sealed tightly, to avoid freezer burn.

See this recipe for the wontons. The noodle soup is a quick creation involving packaged ramen-type noodles. You can use regular ramen or rice stick (my new favorite). See the recipe below. The last recipe is a stuffed pepper with black bean sauce. This is a dish that I love to eat at dim sum restaurants, but I think it can also serve as a tasty dinner.

Jenny’s Quick Noodle Soup with Meatballs

Ingredients:
2 packages of instant rice-stick soup (or two packages of ramen)
4 cups of water
1 cup of meat filling (see recipe above for Wonton Meat Filling)
2 green onions, chopped in a medium dice

Directions:
Put the 4 cups of water into a medium saucepan. Meanwhile, place a small, non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Shape the meat filling into small meatballs (about 1/2 inch in diameter). Pan-fry the meatballs for about 3-4 minutes. While the meatballs cook, bring the water to a boil and add the soup package contents from the two noodle packages. Add the meatballs and cook for about 7-10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked thoroughly (test one meatball by cutting it in half). Add the noodles and cook according to the package directions. Sprinkle green onions on top of the soup before serving. Enjoy!

Rather than inundate you with ONE more recipe…see my next post for Stuffed Peppers with Black Bean Sauce (and some tasty pics).