Wonton soup

Level Up Your Luck:! Ring in the New Year with Wonton of Fortune and a Sakura Spritz Elixir

Like adventurers in a forgotten realm, we too yearn for renewal. In the South, black-eyed peas and pork symbolize luck and progress. This year, I crafted “Wonton of Fortune” (+10 Con, +4 Wis, +10 Luck) – dumplings of wealth, cabbage for luck, and pork for momentum.

But a quest requires provisions! The “Sakura Spritz” is no ordinary cocktail; it’s a luck buff elixir. The true magic lies in the 12 grapes eaten at midnight, one for each month of good fortune.

Raise your Spritzes, savor the Wontons, and may the new year bring you abundance and joy!

Tips

Preparing your wontons

Can I make this ahead?
The answer is yes and no. Making the dumpling filling ahead of time is actually recommended. We do a marinade and letting it sit for 24 hours is ideal. You should not stuff your wontons ahead of time. When i first made these wontons, I made a lot and didn’t cook them all. I came back the next day to soggy wontons. As Mary Berry would say, no soggy bottoms!. Whiles stuffing your wontons ahead can seem like a great time saver, but your wontons will suffer! If you find a way to keep your wonton’s structural integrity over night. Let me know your secret!

Pork selection

For this recipe I used pork shoulder. I take a large knife and work it back and forth until it turns into a mince. This is a labor intensive way, so please don’t feel like you have to do it this way. Getting some ground pork will work just fine!

how to fold the wontons

There are many different ways to fold wontons. I’ve decided to go for the “pouch” method, it looks like a bag of coins, further symbolizing wealth.
1. Form a circle with your index finger and thumb
2. Place a wonton wrapper over your formed circle. Try to center it best you can.
3. Take a teaspoon or two of filling, place through your circle’s opening.
4. Using the back of a wooden spoon, chopstick, or other thin utensil. Begin pushing the meat filling through circle. Be gentle, you don’t want to rip the wrapper. Once all the filling has been pushed through. Pinch the wonton wrapper to seal it.

Wonton soup

Preparation Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Serving size: 4 – 6

Gather

Wontons

makes about 50 wontons

• 12 ounces pork shoulder
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 package wonton wrappers

Broth

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups chicken bone broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small to medium-sized napa cabbage
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon chicken bullion 
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 scallion, chopped, for garnish
• Chili crunch, for garnish (optional)

Sakura Spritz

• 2 ounces sake
• 1 ounce cranberry juice
• ½ ounce lime juice
• Sparkling water, to top drink (maybe champagne???)
• 12 grapes, frozen
• Lime wheel or sprig of fresh mint, for garnish (optional)

Follow

Wonton

1. Preparing the pork: If you have a whole pork shoulder, slice it into small bits. (A sharp knife will help here.) Make slices first, and then cut into strips before cutting into small pieces; do not overwork or excessively mince. 
2. Rinse your pork while moving it around (like washing rice), which helps remove some of the blood and gives it a more delicate flavor. Strain, and push as much water out of the pork as possible. Set aside in a bowl.
3. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch, salt, white pepper, sugar, oyster sauce, water and chicken bouillon. Pour over the minced pork and stir until the pork is coated. Add sesame oil and scallions and mix again. Let marinate for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours. (Feel free to start broth if you are marinating for 30 minutes.)
4. Making the broth: In a large pot, add chicken broth, bone broth and water. Once boiling, add salt and olive oil. Add napa cabbage and cook for 6 minutes. Add fish sauce, sesame oil and white pepper. Taste and adjust for flavor.
5. Assembling the wontons: Make a circle with your hand using your index finger and thumb. Lay a wonton wrapper over the hole. Add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of pork filling. Using the blunt side of a spoon or chopstick, push the filing into the center and through the hole until the wonton wrapper starts to close up. Pinch the top closed. 
6. Drop the wontons into the broth pot; work in batches as needed. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes; move the wontons around the pot, softly, with a wooden spoon to help prevent the wontons from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 
7. Once complete, divide the wontons and cabbage into bowls, pour in the broth and garnish with scallions. Add some chili crunch for a kick! Snuggle up and enjoy your New Year’s dish. 

sakura spritz

1. Combine sake, cranberry juice and lime juice in a glass. Stir (do not shake). Top with sparkling water. Add 12 frozen grapes for ice. Garnish with mint or lime wheel, if desired