Won Ton Boats
By Dennis Linden
Here’s a very tasty, slightly addictive, fun-to-make won ton recipe using Melissa’s Soy Ground as the main filling ingredient. Submitted by Melissa Martene, a member of our Events Team, the inspiration for her recipe is a twist on a family favorite.
“I come from a large extended family group of Chinese-American Hawaiians, this recipe has always been served at our family gatherings. The skill is in the fold! There are many techniques you can use to make won tons, but the “boat” is a family favorite! I simply substituted my family’s traditional filling of hamburger for the company’s Soy Ground but kept the rest of the supporting ingredients to come up with this healthier version that still retained the flavors that I like. I hope you enjoy!”
One of the collateral benefits of getting to cook up the recipe submissions for this blog is sometimes learning new skills for my own culinary tool box. This one gave me two! Melissa’s “boat” took me only three sacrificial wrappers to perfect. Hint: do not toss those first few failures, use them to test the heat of the oil before the whole batch goes in! The boat fold also has a couple of practical uses as it includes a ready-made handle for dipping and the boat itself can scoop up your dipping sauce of choice more readily! BTW, I used Melissa’s suggested soy sauce dip for my first batch; added ginger to the soy for my second and tried a hoisin-based dip for the last serving. No, not in one sitting. The filling keeps well in the ‘frig, so I constructed and cooked three batches of ten wrappers each over the course of a week. And I did have a favorite! Melissa’s recipe does make about 30 wrappers, so fry them in small batches even if serving a large group; not overcrowding the deep fryer provides for better temperature control and a more even golden coloring.
I must admit to being just a tiny bit skeptical of how this filling was going to turn out upon first reading of Melissa’s recipe. I use our Soyrizo all the time as a great alternative to the always delicious, though artery-clogging, chorizo. This was my first experience with Soy Ground. I was again pleasantly reminded that one should read books and taste recipes before judging either! Though the Soy Ground appears to have a dense texture, the filling melted on the palate with an unexpected lightness. Certainly void of the fat and cholesterol that Melissa removed with her ingredient swap, yet contributing a foundation that delivers the rest of the ingredients in the filling deliciously.
Melissa Martene is a part of the company’s Events Team, which stages in-store demonstrations and consumer education of the company’s products to shoppers in the Southern California region. “I am seldom in the office. My work days usually involve traveling from store to store where our products are sold to provide support and review for the produce departments regards any Melissa’s special promotions that are happening as well as consumer reach out. The most interesting aspect of my job is having the opportunity to work in the field face-to-face with both our retails clients and the buying public as well as in the office to assist in managing these store-level events. So I get to see the company from the outside/in from the retailers’ and consumers’ perspective as well as from the inside/out, so to speak, when I bring that understanding back to the office in preparing for the next event.”
When Melissa parks her car from a day on the road for the company, she enjoys anything involving the water. That includes surfing, paddle boarding, snorkeling or just taking her dog to the local dog park beach. Thanks for sharing, Melissa, I know there’s a fourth batch in this writer’s near future!
Soy Won Tons
Makes approx. 30 wrappers
Ingredients
1 package Dried Oyster Mushrooms, reconstituted / diced
1 package Melissa’s Soy Ground
½ cup Water Chestnuts, diced
4 Green Onions, small diced
1 package Melissa’s Won Ton Wraps
2 TBS Soy Sauce
2 tsp Salt
Water for sealing
Oil for deep frying
Preparation
Reconstitute dried mushroom per directions on package, then dice. In a mixing bowl combine Soy Ground, water chestnuts, green onions and mushrooms. Then add the soy sauce and salt. Mix well.
To form the won tons, lay out a wrapper on a cutting board with one corner at the top. Dip finger in small container of water and moisten the four edges of the wrap. Place a small dollop of the soy mixture in the upper center. Fold the won ton wrapper up to form a triangle and press to seal the 3 edges. Turn the stuffed wrapper around, moisten the top edge of the triangle and bring the two corners together so one overlaps the other, pinch and seal.
Heat up oil in deep-fryer or deep pan. Gently place each won ton in the oil until golden brown. Do not crowd, do in batches. Remove and place on paper towel for cooling. Enjoy with soy sauce for dipping.
Here’s a very tasty, slightly addictive, fun-to-make won ton recipe using Melissa’s Soy Ground as the main filling ingredient. Submitted by Melissa Martene, a member of our Events Team, the inspiration for her recipe is a twist on a family favorite.
“I come from a large extended family group of Chinese-American Hawaiians, this recipe has always been served at our family gatherings. The skill is in the fold! There are many techniques you can use to make won tons, but the “boat” is a family favorite! I simply substituted my family’s traditional filling of hamburger for the company’s Soy Ground but kept the rest of the supporting ingredients to come up with this healthier version that still retained the flavors that I like. I hope you enjoy!”
One of the collateral benefits of getting to cook up the recipe submissions for this blog is sometimes learning new skills for my own culinary tool box. This one gave me two! Melissa’s “boat” took me only three sacrificial wrappers to perfect. Hint: do not toss those first few failures, use them to test the heat of the oil before the whole batch goes in! The boat fold also has a couple of practical uses as it includes a ready-made handle for dipping and the boat itself can scoop up your dipping sauce of choice more readily! BTW, I used Melissa’s suggested soy sauce dip for my first batch; added ginger to the soy for my second and tried a hoisin-based dip for the last serving. No, not in one sitting. The filling keeps well in the ‘frig, so I constructed and cooked three batches of ten wrappers each over the course of a week. And I did have a favorite! Melissa’s recipe does make about 30 wrappers, so fry them in small batches even if serving a large group; not overcrowding the deep fryer provides for better temperature control and a more even golden coloring.
I must admit to being just a tiny bit skeptical of how this filling was going to turn out upon first reading of Melissa’s recipe. I use our Soyrizo all the time as a great alternative to the always delicious, though artery-clogging, chorizo. This was my first experience with Soy Ground. I was again pleasantly reminded that one should read books and taste recipes before judging either! Though the Soy Ground appears to have a dense texture, the filling melted on the palate with an unexpected lightness. Certainly void of the fat and cholesterol that Melissa removed with her ingredient swap, yet contributing a foundation that delivers the rest of the ingredients in the filling deliciously.
Melissa Martene is a part of the company’s Events Team, which stages in-store demonstrations and consumer education of the company’s products to shoppers in the Southern California region. “I am seldom in the office. My work days usually involve traveling from store to store where our products are sold to provide support and review for the produce departments regards any Melissa’s special promotions that are happening as well as consumer reach out. The most interesting aspect of my job is having the opportunity to work in the field face-to-face with both our retails clients and the buying public as well as in the office to assist in managing these store-level events. So I get to see the company from the outside/in from the retailers’ and consumers’ perspective as well as from the inside/out, so to speak, when I bring that understanding back to the office in preparing for the next event.”
When Melissa parks her car from a day on the road for the company, she enjoys anything involving the water. That includes surfing, paddle boarding, snorkeling or just taking her dog to the local dog park beach. Thanks for sharing, Melissa, I know there’s a fourth batch in this writer’s near future!
Soy Won Tons
Makes approx. 30 wrappers
Ingredients
1 package Dried Oyster Mushrooms, reconstituted / diced
1 package Melissa’s Soy Ground
½ cup Water Chestnuts, diced
4 Green Onions, small diced
1 package Melissa’s Won Ton Wraps
2 TBS Soy Sauce
2 tsp Salt
Water for sealing
Oil for deep frying
Preparation
Reconstitute dried mushroom per directions on package, then dice. In a mixing bowl combine Soy Ground, water chestnuts, green onions and mushrooms. Then add the soy sauce and salt. Mix well.
To form the won tons, lay out a wrapper on a cutting board with one corner at the top. Dip finger in small container of water and moisten the four edges of the wrap. Place a small dollop of the soy mixture in the upper center. Fold the won ton wrapper up to form a triangle and press to seal the 3 edges. Turn the stuffed wrapper around, moisten the top edge of the triangle and bring the two corners together so one overlaps the other, pinch and seal.
Heat up oil in deep-fryer or deep pan. Gently place each won ton in the oil until golden brown. Do not crowd, do in batches. Remove and place on paper towel for cooling. Enjoy with soy sauce for dipping.
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