v:gourmet

I was reorganizing the kitchen the other day and found a few small size format cookbooks that had gotten lost at the back of a shelf. One was 200 Veggie Feasts by Louise Pickford that my son gave me for Christmas 2 or 3 years ago. It’s a little gem I have to say, and is the inspiration behind these jeweled yam and mushroom wontons. Pickford’s were a little simpler – no onion or yams. But I decided to amp them up a bit and throw in a little extra heft. Just make sure when you are buying your wonton skins you look at the ingredients label to see if they have egg if you want to go the full vegan route (Twin Marquis is a brand that makes both vegan and non-vegan wonton skins). And of course with the basics in hand you can make different shapes, different filings, for different dishes from soups to little appetizers.

For the wontons

2 tbsps olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 oz mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 jeweled yam, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 tbsp soy sauce

16 vegan wonton skins

For the chili dressing

1 tsp dried red pepper flakes

2/3 cup veggie stock

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsps maple syrup

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet. Add the onions and cook until they start to turn translucent. Add mushrooms and yams and cook over medium heat until they become soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes more until garlic becomes fragrant. Add soy sauce and cook, stirring, for another minute or two. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and heat over a low heat, stirring until hot but not boiling. Keep warm.

Put a teaspoon of the mushroom mixture in the centre of each wonton skin. Brush a little water around the filling and fold the wontons in half diagonally, pressing the edges together to seal.

Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a rolling boil, add the wontons, and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until they rise to the surface. Remove gently with a slotted spoon and transfer to warmed serving bowls. Drizzle liberally with the chili dressing and serve immediately.