I'm back... with wonton noodle soup.

YAY! My partner, BF, found the camera cable last night! So I am back and have a backlog of pictures to blog about. I'm very happy, because I found I wasn't very inclined to taking photos of what I was cooking whilst I wasn't able to blog about them. So hopefully I will be back better than ever!

I've been waiting to share my wonton noodle soup for a while... and I couldn't do this one without photos. You see, I made a large batch of wontons a while ago, and popped the unused raw ones into the freezer to use at a later date. When I got them out a couple of weeks ago to use, I realised that I had packed them all into the same container, with nothing to separate them, not even a piece of baking paper. Result? One big block of frozen wonton!
There were more than I wanted to use for one meal, however, I was unable to separate them without partially defrosting them. And then when I did separate them, most of the wrappers broke, leaving the precious filling exposed. What to do? Use all of them and indulge in way too many wontons! (BF did not complain!)
Thankfully, when I cooked them, they stayed intact, and tasted just as good as usual. A lesson learnt though!

Wontons
You can put pretty much anything in wontons - prawns, crab, garlic, different sauces - these are the ones I make because they are quick and simple - and BF doesn't like prawns! The water chestnuts are important, as they provide crunch to an otherwise texturally unexciting mix.

1 pack wonton wrappers (found near the fresh pasta in the fridge section of the supermarket)
150g pork mince
2cm ginger, chopped
2 spring onions, chopped
water chestnuts, chopped, add to taste
soy sauce, to taste
rice wine vinegar, to taste

Mix all ingredients (except wrappers) in bowl. Place small amount in centre of each wrapper, wet edges of wrapper with paper, and bring all sides together and pinch shut. Aim for the look of a money bag. Makes about 30.

Keep aside 6 per person and freeze the rest, separated by baking paper, for next time.
Chicken stock
2 chicken carcasses, washed under running water, any large bits of fat removed
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
4 parsley stalks, all leaves removed (use stalks only)
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
5 whole black peppercorns

Place all items in a large pot and cover completely with COLD water. Bring to the boil, turn down to low simmer, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Skim off any fat or scum that rises to the surface and discard. Strain, and discard all solids. Stock can be frozen in small portions and defrosted when required. I usually make stock in large batches, so it is always on hand when needed.

Wonton Noodle Soup
2 blocks asian instant noodles (similar to 2 minute noodles)
1 carrot, sliced very thin
2 choy sum, base removed, washed thoroughly
10 snowpeas
2 chillies, sliced
2cm ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
12 wontons (recipe above)
chicken stock (recipe above)
soy sauce, to taste

Bring stock to a simmer in large pot. Cook noodles in stock according to packet instructions. Remove from stock and divide between serving bowls. Put wontons into stock and cook until floating and cooked through. Whilst wontons are cooking, arrange carrot, snowpeas and choy sum on top of noodles.
When wontons are cooked, place on top of noodles. Fill bowls with the stock, top with chilli and ginger, and serve with soy sauce so you can each add as much as you like! Serves 2.