Eggplant Wonton Soup

Ingredients

1 bell pepper
425 gr eggplant
2 jalapeno peppers
32 gr mixed herbs
5 saffron threads
95 gr extra firm tofu
48 round won ton wrappers
5 stock
2 carrots
24 snow peas
2 tomatoes
1/2 slices ginger
24 cilantro leaves
16 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Char pepper on all sides. Transfer to a covered bowl & set aside. Grill eggplants for at least 15 minutes. Rub off skins of both pepper & eggplant. Seed, devein & mince pepper. Cut eggplant lengthwise into 1 cm thick slices. Spray olive oil on both sides. Grill slices till golden & cut into 1 cm dice. Combine in a bowl the eggplant, pepper, jalapeno, herbs, saffron & tofu. Season lightly. Place about half tb of filling in centre of each won ton wrapper. Brush the edges of the wrapper with water & press one edge over the other, forming a semi-circle. Press tightly to seal the entire edge. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Lay a round of parchment paper in a steam basket. Cover it with a single layer of won ton wrappers & spray with olive oil. Top with a parchment round & continue to layer & spray won tons in between rounds of parchment. Cover pot & steam over boiling water for 5 minutes. Set aside covered. Place a soup pot over high heat. Add stock & reduce it to 3.5 cups. Lower heat & drop in carrots & cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add snow peas & tomato & cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat; add won tons, ginger & cilantro. Serve in shallow bowls, allowing 6 won tons to one person. Each serving can be drizzled with olive oil. Serve with Carrot Slaw & Pine Nut & Orange Wild Rice Salad for a lunch meal. Yamuna Devi, "Yamuna's Table"