Wonton noodle soup (Vietnamese style)

Prepare

1. Mince shallot

2. Mash white bean

3. Seaweed soaked in water to soften, then minced

4. Tempeh minced

5. Dried mushrooms soak in hot water until soft. Wash and chop finely. Keep the soaking water

6. Chives cut to 2" long.

7. Leafy green vegetables wash and thinly slice

Making

1. Filling: Mix the prepared ingredients for the filling of wontons includes, shallot, white beans, seaweed, tempeh, seitan, mushrooms, and 1 tbsp soy sauce. If you want the wonton filling to be more dense (especially for the boiled wonton, add 1-2 tbsp corns/or tapioca/or potato starch) OR replace it with 1/2 tsp wheat gluten (best option for dense filling would be wheat gluten). Mix all together.

2. Because this dish is eaten with noodles, wontons are often filled with small (less) fillings, differ from steamed and fried wontons/dimsum eaten alone. Therefore, I only give just enough, each piece is about 1 tsp of filling.

3. How to seal a wonton: Prepare 1 bowl of water, dip your fingertips and rub the 4 edges of the wonton skin, then fold (see video tutorial on how to fold wonton). Where it is not sealed, you can use your fingers to dip a little water and then seal that part again. The completely seal will help keep the wontons from falling apart when boiled. You can use this filling to make fried wontons too. I fold easy triangle for fried wontons, like wonton noodle vendor in Vietnam.

4. Fried wontons: Heat the oil at medium heat, to avoid oil splashing when frying, you can sprinkle a little salt on the surface of the cooking oil, then add wonton to fry. Fry the triangle wonton until golden, skin turns crispy (you can use deep fry method, the skin will look evenly golden, more beautiful! For me, I use just enough oil to make the crust crispy.

5. The simplest vegetarian char siu but still delicious: Use baiye tofu (according portion), mix char siu seasoning and brush it all over tofu surface. Put in an air fryer, before frying, brush the sides with hoisin sauce. Air fry at 375F for 15 minutes.

6. How to boil wonton without making its skin becoming mushy: the secret when boiling is to add a little cooking oil (a tablespoon or little more), 1 tbsp soy sauce into the boiling water. Use a large pot. Wait until water boils, then gently drop the wonton into the pot, one-by-one. Do not drop too much, they will stick together. When the wonton begins to float to the surface like a boat, take it out and put it in a bowl of cold water. Then take it out to a plate. Leaving in a water too long would make its skin turn mushy.

7. How to boil noodles like in the restaurant: Use fresh noodle, remember to loosen the noodles before boiling. Prepare 1 large bowl of cold water, if there is ice, the better. Use large a pot of water when boiling so that the noodles don't become mushy. If you don't have large enough pot for boiling noodle, try to boil smaller amount of noodles (each portion per time). When the water is rolling boil, quickly add the noodles (Make sure the noodles are loose, don't drop a lump in it), stir the noodles quickly in a circular motion so that the water can penetrate all the noodles for 10 SECOND. Then immediately take noodle out to the bowl of cold water. Boil noodle just before eating for best result.

8. Served with vegetables, so that the vegetables are crispy, not bruised, beautiful green: chives and leafy greens can be blanched beforehand, but usually if leafy green is thin enough just put in a bowl and pour hot broth is enough for this vegetable to be cooked and look vibrant green.

9. Vegan Wonton Noodles Broth: 1 part sea-flavored kombu broth, add mushroom soaked water (remove the residue at bottom of the bowl) and 1.5 parts vegetable broth. Season with a little soy sauce, salt and mushroom seasoning to taste. Bring to a boil and then pour it into the bowl. Before bringing the broth to a boil, make sure you plate noodles with all ingredients ready.