A Great Idea For Leftovers: Wonton Soup and Sauteed Dumplings

My daughter loves dumplings! She really didn’t start eating them until I practically forced her to try them at several different occasions. Now, she wants to go eat dim sum every weekend. We go to a local Chinese restaurant to have the delicious dumplings. We sit down and the dumplings start coming our way immediately- we are literally done in 15 minutes- no joke! Sia covets everything stuffed with shrimp. My favorite is a chive dumpling- it is absolutely delicious. It is shaped like a fat disk and I can’t get enough of them. 

Packing lunch for Sia has always been a challenge. She does not like/eat sandwiches. She likes proper food- that’s what I get for not giving her a sandwich when she was really young. Anyway, I am always struggling to come up with different ideas. Once she started eating dumplings- I began buying them from Trader Joes and Whole Foods. They come in all different varieties- some that include veggies in them as well. I cook a few for her and put them in her thermos- she loves it!

Sia has been asking me how they make the dumplings at the restaurant. I usually explain the procedure to her, but, I am not sure if it actually registers- the glazed look on her face is usually not a good sign. She kept wondering why we haven’t made them at home yet- I really didn’t have an answer for her- there really was no reason we couldn’t. Especially since I have watched many people use them to make dumplings on television as well as fresh raviolis!  So, when I saw the wonton skins at the store the other day, I grabbed them. I decided to use all the leftover proteins I had in the fridge and make a wonton soup- which she loves; as well as the classic sauteed dumplings. Well, she was thrilled to be able to watch me put the dumplings together and most importantly, she loved the way they tasted-mission accomplished. I can’t wait to make my own raviolis now!

• 1 32 oz carton of chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Salt
• Pinch of sugar
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 green onion, white- chopped (use for the filling); green- cut thin at a bias

In a deep saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. In the meantime, add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and a pinch of sugar. Adjust seasonings if needed. Keep on a simmer while making the dumplings.

Filling

• 1 packet of wonton skins(You will use about 8-9 wonton skins in this recipe)
• One left over cooked piece of chicken drumstick with thigh attached, the meat picked over and minced
• ½ teaspoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
• The white part of the green onion

In a small bowl mix the minced chicken with soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro and the white part of the green onion. Check for seasoning and keep aside.
Stuff each wonton skin and fold according to directions on the back of the pack. A simple fold over to make a triangle is sufficient as well. Don’t forget to seal the edges with some water. Place the dumplings into the simmering chicken broth and cook for 3-4 minutes or till the dumplings begin to rise to the surface. Add the cilantro and green onion and serve.

Sauteed Dumplings

Filling

• Left over pieces of chicken thigh and sliced sausage from the paella, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
• 7-8 wonton skins
• 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil

In a small bowl, mix the minced chicken, sausage, soy sauce, sesame oil and cilantro. Stuff the mixture into the wonton skins. In a wide non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the dumplings and saute for 3-4 minutes on each side. Serve with desired dumpling sauce.