Hong Kong Style Vegan Pork and Shrimp Wontons
When it comes to a bowl of wonton noodles, the dumpling needs to be packed with filling, dumpling skins need to be thin and the noodles need to be alkaline and "snappy".
There are 3 parts to any wonton noodle soup: the wontons, the soup and the noodles. I'll be focusing on the wontons in this recipe as I use TVP and vegan shrimp to mimic the original wonton filling, which traditionally is flavored with just white pepper, salt, sugar and the secret ingredient of ground flounder powder (substituted by my vegan fish sauce).
We use a simple vegetable broth for the soup base, but traditional wonton soup is a made with a mix of savory meats like pork and chicken bones and a fresh seafood flavor brought with dried flounder meat. Because soup is added to a mix of soy sauce and sesame oil before the noodles are served, I personally feel the addition of vegetable broth provides a flavorful enough addition.
Finally, we go to the noodles. It is quite hard to find a vegan substitute to good wonton noodles. I think the noodles are as big of a part to wonton noodles as the wontons themselves because the taste and texture is so unique. Wonton noodles are made with eggs and the really good ones are made from duck eggs to give an added richness. In addition, potassium carbonate is added to the noodles to give them a basic, alkaline flavor. Furthermore, the noodles are continously kneaded to work the wheat gluten and give the noodles that perfect amount of snap when eaten.
Hong Kong Vegan Shrimp and Pork Wontons
(Makes 35-40 wontons)
- 1/2 pound vegan shrimp, diced into cubes
- 1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP), rehydrated with 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, more for plating
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch sugar
- 1 teaspoon vegan fish sauce
- 1/2 package wonton wrappers
For Platng:
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 stalks scallions, cut into thin 2-inch strips
- warmed vegetable stock
- noodles, cooked according to packaged instruction
Directions
- Combine rehydrated TVP with garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper salt, sugar, soy sauce and vegan fish sauce.
- In a bowl, mix together the TVP and vegan shrimp.
- Wet the edges of the wonton wrapper with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons of filling to the center. Fold the edges and pinch tightly to close seal.
- Finished wontons can be frozen or cooked in simmering water until it floats, about 1 minute for fresh wontons.
- To assemble the noodles, add about 1 tablespoon of soy sauce to the bottom of the bowl. Add in sesame oil scallion strips. Add in the noodles and then the wontons. Finally pour warmed vegetable stock on top.