This was definitely a pretty involved recipe, but we're stuck at home, why not challenge ourselves? Also, the broth looked really interesting, and I figured I could use it with some ramen noodles for lunch on another day.
The pay off: WORTH IT! High praise from Caesar AKA my husband:
The specialty a good restaurant would offer
The vegan meal outshone the meat he put on top
It's something you'd get at a restaurant handpicked by our foodie friend
Source: Wicked Healthy | Serves: 6
Time: 1 hr (broth) + 30 min (dumplings)
What I changed: quite a bit. Go ahead and click the link above if you want to see the original. Shockingly even more complicated than what I have here.
Ingredients
Broth
6 large ears #corn, shucked
3 quarts water
1 14 oz coconut milk
1 #jalapeño, halved lengthwise
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh ginger
¼ cup garlic cloves (8 to 12 cloves), crushed
10 fresh mint sprigs, stems and all
1 bay leaf
1 star anise, optional
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
Dumplings
¼ cup raw #cashews, quick soaked in boiling water
2½ cups cooked kernels (from the cobs used in the broth)
3 tbsp vegan butter
1 clove garlic, peeled
½ cup corn meal
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 tsp minced dried lemongrass
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp sea salt
Black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
Spray oil for steaming
1½ to 2 cups coconut corn broth
Chile oil, for garnish
McCormock Thai basil or more sliced green onions, for garnish
Instructions
Broth
Snap or cut the ears of corn in half.
Bring the water to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the corn and everything else except the lime juice. Cut the heat to medium, then bring the liquid to a slow simmer. Let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the corncobs and cut the kernels from the cobs. Save the kernels to use in the dumplings if you'd like. Return the naked cobs to the broth along with the lime juice. Continue simmering gently over medium heat for another 30 minutes.
Shut off the heat and let everything cool down a bit in the pot. Strain the warm broth through a fine-mesh strainer into quart containers, then use immediately or refrigerate for a week or two before using. Since the dumplings are involved, I made the broth the day ahead to make life easier today.
Dumplings
Transfer 2 cups of the corn to a blender (set aside the remaining ½ cup kernels).
Add the butter to the blender and blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the drained cashews and garlic and blend until smooth. The puree should be nice and thick. Scrape it into a mixing bowl
Add corn meal to the cashew cream in a mixing bowl along with the reserved corn kernels, green onions, lemongrass, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
To assemble the dumplings, set the bowl of filling, a small cup of water, your dumpling skins, and a baking sheet on a work surface. Scatter some cornstarch over the baking sheet (to help keep the dumplings from sticking to the pan).
For each won ton, mound about a teaspoon of filling in the center. Dip your finger in the water and moisten two edges of the wrap. Fold and pinch ends with your fingers.
These won tons are best steamed. I used my Instant Pot. Spray a steamer basket with oil. Put the dumplings in the steamer in batches, place over simmering water, cover, and steam until the dumplings are tender, about 3 minutes.
Gather 4-5 serving bowls and place 6-7 won tons. Pour about ¼ cup broth around the won tons in each bowl so a little broth comes up the sides of the dumplings. Serve with Thai basil or green onion.