Ingredients
- 3 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper, or more to taste
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely julienned or minced
- 2 scallions, trimmed and finely sliced on the bias, white and green parts separated
- A few sprigs fresh cilantro, finely minced, plus extra for garnish
- 12 won ton wrappers
- 6 whole cilantro leaves
- 6 free-run egg yolks, each in a separate dish
- 1 tsp sriracha sauce, or to taste
- 1 cup napa cabbage leaves, thinly sliced or chiffonade
- ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil
Method
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the broth, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper, ginger, white parts of the scallions and minced cilantro; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to very low—just to keep hot—and cover. Set up the open package of won ton wrappers, a plate and a dish of water for dipping your finger into when closing the won ton wrappers. Place one perfect cilantro leaf in the centre of the wonton wrapper, then slide a yolk gently onto the leaf. Squeeze a tiny drop of sriracha, or another favourite Asian chili sauce, onto the yolk, then lay another won ton wrapper on top and press the edges together. Use your finger to wipe a bit of water around all four edges of the wrapper. Don’t miss any spots; you need to create a perfectly tight seal with no gaps where water can seep in and bust open your little bundles of joy. Repeat these steps with all six yolks, then set aside. Bring the soup pot back up to that sweet spot between a vigorous simmer and a low, gentle boil. Add the cabbage and green parts of the scallion. Stir and add the won tons while the soup is still moving around. Try to keep them tons from sticking to the bottom of the pot; if this happens, you risk overcooking the yolk or tearing the wrapper and losing the yolk. Keep the soup moving around very gently while the won tons cook, about 1½ to 2 minutes for a runny yolk. Add a few drops of sesame oil and serve immediately. Garnish with more fresh cilantro leaves if desired, and more sriracha if you like it hot!
Excerpted from the Taste Canada-shortlisted book Happy Hens & Fresh Eggs: Keeping Chickens in the Kitchen Garden – with 100 Recipes, ©2015, by Signe Langford, Photography by Donna Griffith. Published by Douglas & McIntyre. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.
