Pork Belly and Vegetable Wontons in Corn Broth

Preparation

Make Dumpling Wrappers

Make two portions of dumpling wrappers, or use 1 pack of store bought.

Prep Cabbage

Finely mince the cabbage and put into a large mixing bowl, throw in 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix with fingers, incorporating salt throughout. Let cabbage sweat out water for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, put the rest of the filling ingredients into a large bowl.

Make Filling

After the cabbage has sweated out all its water, place onto a thin dish towel or a few layers of thick paper towels and wrap around the cabbage to enclose. Using your hands and brute strength, squeeze out as much excess water from the cabbage as you can through the towel. Transfer cabbage to the rest of the filling mixture and use fingers to mix all that juicy meat mixture goodness together. Use a circular motion with your fingers until the filling looks homogenous and sticky, about 3 minutes.

Assemble Wonton

Place a small dab of meat (about a third of the size of the wrapper) into the middle. Bundle the wonton together loosely by squeezing the wrapper around the meat. Repeat until you've run out of filling or wrappers. Set aside in the fridge while you make the broth.

Make Broth

Cut corn from the cobs and put on sheet pan, mix with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste (save the cobs for later use!). Place the corn in oven and roast for 8 min on 400 degrees. While the corn is cooking, dice the onion into rough chunks. Melt butter in a pot and add the onion and shiitake mushrooms. Cook and stir until the onion is semi translucent but not completely sof, about 5 minutes. Once corn is ready from oven, pour the corn kernels into a large pot with the onion and give it a little sizzle in the pot for a couple minutes.

Add water until it’s about an inch or two above the ingredients, add saved cobs (will give that extra flavor to your soup). Let the ingredients simmer at a low boil for about 20-30 minutes, taste periodically for desired amount of saltiness and salt to taste. Once you have the desired flavor of soup, take out the cobs and pour everything into a blender. Blend, make sure to add salt and pepper to taste if it needs more. Take your blended soup and pour it through a sieve for a smoother texture. Set aside while the wontons cook.

Cook Wontons

If Steam-Frying — Add generous dab of oil and place dumplings bottoms down and fry on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water and place a lid on top (add water quickly to avoid too much splattering) and steam for 6-8 minutes on medium-high heat. If water evaporates before 5 minutes, add a little bit more. Once the water has evaporated, give the pan a little shake and stir to give the wontons an even browning, then take dumplings out to serve.

If Steaming — Place wontons in a bamboo steamer that's lined with parchment paper (make sure there are holes in the parchment for the steam to come through). Cover and steam for 12-15 minutes until cooked through and serve.

Plate Wontons

Pour broth into a shallow bowl. Place wontons in the middle and garnish with fennel fronds, sliced green onions, black sesame, and a little sprinkle of paprika. Drizzle green scallion oil and serve.