Sunday, January 23, 2011

Gluten-free Wonton Soup (or Ravioli :)

Are you all staying warm these days? That seems to be a struggle for us here on the East Coast, as we keep getting hit with one snowstorm after the other. Now I've got a sick little one and a craving for soup. But not just any soup...wonton soup!

Wontons: little magic bundles of porky deliciousness (except, these here are more Texas-sized). Who knew that getting pork filling to taste restaurant-good could be soo easy? But only thanks to a certain tasty recipe that provided the inspiration for this cooking adventure.

I've been craving wonton soup for months now, no--probably more like years (you GF folks know how it is to have an unsatisfied craving for ages!). I finally gave in and decided to experiment. Here are the results of my first experiment...

What I learned:
We're not going to have as much elasticity using gf flour to make wonton wrappers as we would using all purpose flour. Surprise! ;) But why should we let that stop us from experimenting?!

The good thing about this wonton dough recipe is that it's quite forgiving. I tried making the wonton wrappers (or squares) as thin as possible, and ended up with a few holes. Patching them up was fairly easy. Just use an extra bit of dough, if necessary. Keep a glass of water on the side to dip your index fingers in, so that you can use the water to "glue" the patch on. Smooth out the surface with more water. There were a few that didn't tear because I made 'em thick, but they ended up being thicker than I would've liked.

This dough is also pretty sturdy, because the wontons didn't fall apart after getting into some hot water (or chicken broth) with a few chopped green onions :). This particular recipe makes enough for 12 whole wontons, but the wonton filling (meatball) recipe makes enough for about 24.

When experimenting, I like to start off with small batches. You can just double the dough recipe if you like, or throw in a few meatballs without wrappers. They also won't dissolve in the soup :).

I think this recipe would make tasty homemade ravioli--give it a try and let me know how it works out for you!

I've also been experimenting with croissants! Yes, so far I've made them twice. Stay tuned for a croissant post in the very near future. (As in, not months from now. I promise to keep my resolution ;).

Finally...the recipe and a quick photo tutorial. Because of the elasticity issue, I decided to fold these more like ravioli than traditional wontons. :)

Wonton Wrappers, makes 12 complete:
2 tsp potato flour (not potato starch!)
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup sweet sorghum flour
1 large egg
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup and reserved 2 tablespoons cold water

about 1/4 cup more white rice flour reserved, for rolling out wontons

Mixing instructions-create the flour blend first, then add the salt and xanthan gum. Mix well. Add the egg and water (2tbsp last). I divided the dough into smaller portions and covered the portions I wasn't using with a towel. You can either roll out with a rolling pin or use your hands (I found it easier to use my hands--like making tortillas). Then cut out individual squares (about 4 inches) with a pizza cutter; I filled each wonton with about 1.5-2 tsps of meat.

Wonton filling (ground pork):
1/2 pound ground lean pork
1 tsp mirin
1/2 tsp dried onion
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Combine all ingredients, mix well.

Throw the wontons into a pot filled with 32 ounces of lightly boiling chicken broth. Add 1 tsp onion powder, and 1 tsp garlic powder. I also added 2 chopped green onions and a package of my favorite stir fry veggies (not traditional, but hearty :). I added the veggies at the very end, once the wontons were cooked (they should be firm, meatballs shouldn't be pink).







8 comments:

zebe912 said...

I've been wanting to make ravioli for quite some time, but not been able to get a flexible enough dough going to make it work. I can't wait to try this the next time I have a day to play.

Sweet Sins said...

YUM!!! These look sooo good!! You my dear are fearless at trying anything you crave and I think that is just so awesome!!

grace said...

excellent tutorial, sophie! this is a perfect winter soup.
meanwhile, i'm looking forward to hearing about your foray into croissant-making!

Anonymous said...

Waw, Sophie!!

You made your own gf wonton's!! That's terrific news!! And your filling looks so tasty too!

Thanks so much for the step by step guide!

Guess, What I will be making tomorrow?

Brittany said...

What an incredibly cute/ fun blog this is!! yay- so happy I found you :)
I love making wontons.. recently figured out a recipe for them gluten free myself!

ALSO- wanted to invite you to participate in a weekly event I host titled Seasonal Sundays. You have many recipes that fit the theme quite well :)
http://realsustenance.com
Happy Sunday to you!! xo, Brittany

Marysol said...

Sophie, your Wonton Soup is all I'd need to break out a smile (there's not a chance of me breaking a sweat in this weather).

In any case, the colors in your soup, the textures and especially, the bundles of porky goodness, would be welcome right now!

I hope your little one is feeling better.

Lia said...

These look delicious! I can't wait to try them!

Sophie said...

Zebe912: Thanks for stopping by, I hope it works out for your ravioli :).
Heather: Thank you, what a sweet thing for you to say!
Grace: Thanks! That's one of the few things I love about winter, soup!
Sophie: Thank you!
Brittany: Thanks for the sweet comment and the invite!
Marysol: Thank you, she is doing much better now :).
Lia: Thanks for stopping by :).