Wontons in Gingery Broth

Happy New Year! We do not have any New Year’s Eve (or day) traditions, though I’d like to make this soup a repeating occurrence.

For many, cooking is purely functional—a thing you do so you can eat. If you’re in that boat, this soup might seem like far too much work, as it asks you to make not just the soup base but also the wontons. For me, cooking an activity in itself, almost—if not more—as enjoyable than the eating. If you’re a let’s-cook-something-interesting DIY-type, this recipe is right up your alley. I admit to one shortcut that I always take: buying wonton wrapper dough. You can find wonton wrappers in the freezer aisle of most Asian Markets (try H Mart or Pacific Ocean).

Making little wontons is fun (they’re cute!) and the soup is fantastic. Any day off from work (even just a standard Sunday) is perfect for this recipe.

Wontons in Gingery Broth

Published January 7, 2020 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 70 minutes

---

Ingredients:

For the Broth:

8 cups chicken broth

2 green onions, roots and white parts removed

1 inch of ginger, cut into thin slices (coin shapes)

3 cloves garlic

For the Wontons:

1/2 pound ground chicken, turkey or pork

2 green onions, roots and dark green parts removed, then minced

1 inch ginger, grated on microplane

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/16 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 package (30-40 count) soup wonton wrappers, thawed (you can find these frozen at most Asian Markets)

For the Soup:

1 cup snow peas

1 cup shiitake mushrooms

1 carrot, cut into matchsticks

Salt, to taste

For garnish: 2 green onions, sliced

For garnish: 1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds for garnish

For garnish: Red chili flakes

Directions:

1. Prepare the wonton filling: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine ground chicken with the minced green onion, garlic, and grated ginger. Add salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Mix until ingredients are well distributed.
2. Assemble wontons: Prepare your work station by setting up a clean work surface (I use my counter, you can also use piece of parchment paper), and filling a medium-sized bowl with 2 cups of cold water (this will be used for sealing wontons). Working in batches, lay several wonton wrappers out flat on your work surface. Scoop 1 teaspoon of filling into center of wonton wrappers. Be careful not to overfill the wontons, as they will not seal properly. Using a finger dipped in your bowl of cold water, lightly dampen the edges of the wonton wrapper. You need just enough water to get the dough to stick. Now, fold the wontons (see image above as reference): Fold the bottom right corner up to meet the top left corner, creating a triangle. Press the edges with your fingers to seal the wonton. Then, fold the top-right corner of the triangle into the middle of the wonton, followed by the bottom-left corner, using a drop of water to make them stick. Place wontons in a large container with lid (ie., a pyrex or Tupperware). Repeat this step until the wonton filling is all used up. Place lid on container, and set in fridge until ready to use (Can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 3 hours).
3. Prepare the gingery broth: Pour broth into a large soup pot. Add green onions, ginger slices, and whole garlic cloves. Cover, and bring to a simmer for 15-20 minutes to develop flavor. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove garlic, ginger, and green onions from broth and discard.
4. Assemble soup: Slice the shiitake mushrooms, and remove and discarding the stems. Place mushrooms in the soup and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the carrots, and then working one at at time, carefully lower the wontons into the soup with a slotted spoon. Gently stir occasionally to prevent the wontons from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once all wontons are in, bring the soup back to a gentle simmer and cook for another 2 minutes, until wontons have floated to the top. Add snow peas to the soup, stirring gently. Cook for 1 more minute, until snow peas are bright green and tender. Taste broth, and season with salt as needed. Remove pot from heat.
5. Serve: Label soup into bowls, and top with sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, and red chili flakes to taste. Enjoy hot!

Restaurant-Inspired Instant Pot Chicken & Split Pea Korma

Two months ago, my mom and I made a trip to Washington D.C. We stayed in an Airbnb in the Adams Morgan neighborhood, which we discovered is the perfect location for finding amazing restaurants. The first night, after flying in, we wandered straight to Lapis, an Afghan Bistro. My mom ordered chicken korma with split peas. After one bite, it was all I could think of the rest of the week. I got home that very night and Googled the dish name, but came up short. Days later you could find me translating “chicken korma” to Pashto and then Googling that. My searches were unfruitful yet relentless. Slowly I pulled a few pieces together:

First, that you can’t skip the garam masala. Please don’t skip it.

Second, that Sun Brands makes a dang good curry powder.

And third, that “korma” actually is a very generic term—but I did my best to recreate that dish from Lapis. The result is one of my favorite Indian Curries I’ve made yet.

P.S., We also ate at Tail Up Goat, Line Hotel Restaurant, and Blüprint Chocolatiers. All are highly recommended, but something about that korma outshined the rest. It was a (wonderful) weekend of wining and dining, to say the least.

Restaurant-Inspired Instant Pot Chicken & Split Pea Korma

Published November 5, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 45 minutes

---

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

1 jalapeño, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 sixteen ounce can of diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon garam masala

2 tablespoons Madras curry (try Sun Brands)

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup yellow split peas

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 1/2 cups broth

Salt

To serve: cooked Batsmati rice, cilantro for garnish, plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Place butter in Instant Pot and set on Sauté setting. When butter is melted and hot, add onions, garlic, and ginger. Add a pinch of salt. Sauté until onions turn translucent.
2. Add minced jalapeño to the pot, and stir. Add tomato paste, and stir again. Cook for 3-5 minutes, to develop the flavors, stirring occasionally.
3. Add canned tomatoes, garam masala, Madras curry powder, and black pepper. Stir, and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
4. Add chicken thighs and split peas to the pot, and pour in the broth. Add an additional pinch of salt. Stir.
5. Place lid on Instant Pot and switch to “Bean/Chili” setting. Set timer to 16 minutes, with the vent set in the sealed position.
6. When timer goes off, release the pressure. Remove the lid, and stir. Add additional salt to taste as needed (amount will largely depend on the broth you use).
7. Serve korma over rice, garnished with cilantro. Top with a dollop of yogurt. Serve hot.

Kombucha Chicken with Brew Dr.

Did the title of this recipe cause some furrowed eyebrows? Chicken and kombucha may seem like an odd combo—it’s certainly off the beaten path. I had the same furrowed eyebrow reaction when I first heard of using kombucha in savory meals. But kombucha, a bit acidic and a little bit sweet, has all the makings of a great marinade. The same way you might use lemon juice or orange juice in a sauce, you use kombucha here.

Always game to try new things, odd-ball recipes spark my imagination. I wanted to try my hand at a 'bucha flavored marinade. What ultimately pushed me over the edge was talking to the team over at Brew Dr. They asked if I would make a recipe, which was the perfect opportunity to get creative.

This recipe uses Brew Dr.’s new orange-hibiscus kombucha (named Power Flower). It is a limited edition flavor. If you’re unable to find it at your local grocery store, try their Ginger Turmeric or Lemon Ginger Cayenne...) The orange salsa on top brightens the whole dish, like summer has already arrived!

This is a sponsored post: Foraged Dish partnered with Brew Dr. for this recipe. Writing, recipe, and photography is all my own. Working with brands to develop wholesome recipes is one way I keep Foraged Dish going!

I tried this recipe stove-top and grilled. While it works both ways, I strongly recommend grilling. The hot flames sears in flavor.

Kombucha Chicken with Brew Dr.

Published April 30, 2019 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 4   |    Active Time: 20 minutes

---

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon Sriracha hot sauce

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 inch piece ginger, minced or finely grated

1/2 cup orange kombucha (Brew Dr. Power Flower)

1 lb chicken breast cutlets

For the orange salsa:

1 orange (try cara cara, navel, or valencia)

1/4 cup minced cilantro

2 tablespoons minced red onion

1 small jalapeño, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large Tupperware, combine Sriracha, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and kombucha. Stir to combine.
2. Place chicken in Tupperware, covering it in the marinade. Cover and place in fridge for 4-12 hours.
3. Make salsa (this can be done ahead): place orange on a cutting board, and slice off peel. Then, cut segments from orange (here is a good video on how to do this). Discard veins and peel. Dice segments, and place in a small bowl with minced cilantro, red onion, and jalapeño. Drizzle with olive oil and stir.
4. Light grill to medium-high. When grill is hot, use tongs to place chicken cutlets on grill. Allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Use tongs to turn chicken to other side, and brush with extra marinade. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through (165°F internal temperature with an instant read thermometer). Remove from heat.
5. Spoon orange salsa over chicken and serve hot.