Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Chard and Tofu Wontons in Sambal Soy Sauce


Be prepared for some time in the kitchen to make these wontons. It doesn't take too long, but you do have to hand fold about 30 wontons which does take a bit of time. I just cranked up the music and sipped some wine while putting these together and it was kind of meditative. And yum did they taste good! Way better than frozen wontons you can buy at the store. But if you do use wontons from the store, this sambal soy sauce recipe is delicious so try and make that on your own.

I did have one issue though when I made the wontons ahead of time and froze them. They stuck together because I let them sit on top of each other in the freezer bag, so definitely free them on a parchment-lined baking sheet before transferring them to the freezer bag. Cooking them practically tore them apart when I cooked them in a big lump.

The recipe calls for "baked soy-seasoned tofu" which I could not find anywhere. I used a recipe for Basic Baked Tofu from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's "Appetite for Reduction"which is my favorite vegan cookbook. Cut pressed tofu into 8 equal pieces and marinade in ¾ cup vegetable broth, 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce, 1 tsp. dried thyme and 3 cloves of minced garlic. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, spoon on some marinade and bake for another 10.

Chard and Tofu Wontons in Sambal Soy Sauce
Serves 10

Wontons
2 tsp. roasted sesame oil
1 medium carrott, finely chopped (½ cup)
4 cups chopped Swiss chard leaves
6 oz. baked soy-seasoned tofu, chopped
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
⅛ tsp. ground white pepper
1 12-oz. pkg. wonton wrappers
3 green onions, chopped, for garnish
¼ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish

Sambal Soy Sauce
6 Tbs. Chinese malt vinegar or 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar plus 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
6 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sambal oelek
4 tsp. maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

To make Wontons: Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add chard, and cook 5 minutes, or until wilted. Transfer mixture to food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add tofu, and pulse until combined. Transfer to bowl, and stir in soy sauce and white pepper.

Set 1 wonton wrapper on work surface. Spoon 1 tsp. tofu mixture in center of wrapper. Brush wrapper edges with water, and fold wrapper into triangle around filling. Press edges to seal, and place on lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook 10 Wontons at a time in boiling water 90 seconds. Remove from pot with slotted spoon, and place in bowl.

To make Sambal Soy Sauce: whisk all ingredients together in small bowl. Top Wontons with Sambal Soy Sauce, and garnish with green onions and cilantro.

Per serving (5 wontons plus 1½ Tbsp. sauce): 168 cal; 8 g prot; 3 g total fat (<1 g sat fat); 26 g carb; 3 mg chol; 736 mg sod; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugars

Love is all around you... Enjoy!

- Rachel

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