Dry Wonton Noodles - Mì Hoành Thánh Khô
4-5 Servings
00:45 Prep
00:25 Cook
Moderate - You'll be right
A barrier to introducing noodle soups to kids is it’s temperature. A common perplexing solution to this is waiting for the noodle soup to cool down before serving. However this often results in a pile of soggy noodles sopped in a puddle of luke warm soup.. riveting. Wonton and egg noodles can either be consumed together in a soup or with soup on the side. The dry version of wonton noodle soup is great for kids as it can be consumed over time without the texture of the egg noodles deteriorating. The preparation of the egg noodles are key to obtain the ideal texture.
As a 16 year old, Uncle Tai taught me to separate the egg noodles into a thin layer before placing it in the microwave for a minute. This dehydrates the egg noodles and changes is texture to that of something giòn (yourng) and dai (yai) - al dente with a bit of crisp. Over the years I have developed a method to slightly dehydrate the noodles and further emphasize the characteristics synonymous to egg noodles. It involves spreading the noodles in a thin layer and baking it for 10 minutes in the oven at 40 C, prior to briefly boiling it in salted water, removing and stunning it with cold water briefly. For this recipe, immediately dress the warm egg noodles with a soy sauce based mixture. This way the noodles will absorb the sauce like a sponge but retain their textural features.
Dry wonton noodle soup is like instant Indomie Mi Goreng (Indonesian dry instant noodles) but with sauce and seasonings which you have complete control of. If you would love to introduce your kids to wonton noodle soup, do your kids a favour and give the dry version a whirl first to get them hooked on it’s inviting flavours!
Ingredients:
Garlic oil:
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
Sauce:
8 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons garlic oil
½ teaspoon anchovy salt or sea salt
3 teaspoons sugar
Wonton:
500g prawn cutlets
500g pork shoulder minced
½ bunch spring onions thinly sliced
1 ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
½ teaspoon anchovy salt
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon white pepper finely ground
250g (approx 25) wonton wrappers
Other:
400g fresh egg noodles
2 bunches of choy sum or bok choy
½ bunch coriander optional
½ bunch spring onions thinly sliced
Fried shallots
Method:
How to make garlic oil:
1. Place a small milk pan or pot on medium heat.
2. Add oil and garlic and cook until garlic is golden. Immediately remove from pot to avoid garlic from boiling.
How to make wontons:
1. Separate tail third of prawn from main body and cut tail third of prawn into small pieces and set aside.
2. In a food processor, add the main body of the prawns, ¼ teaspoon anchovy salt, ½ teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon sugar and process into a paste like texture then add to a mixing bowl.
3. Add remaining wonton mixture ingredients (except wrappers) into the mixing bowl and mix well with hands until well combined then gently fold through prawn tail pieces.
4. Place 1 teaspoon of wonton mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper then bunch together with light but firm pressure with your fingers to seal wonton. Continue with remaining wonton wrappers.
Duncan’s tip: Left over wonton mixture? Place in the freezer and defrost when feeling like wontons or use in my Vietnamese pumpkin soup recipe.
5. Boil in batches in lightly salted water for 4-5 minutes or until they rise to the top.
6. Remove, strain and set aside.
How to cook egg noodles:
1. Spread noodles out on a baking tray to create a thin layer, and bake in oven for 10 minutes at 40°C. Alternatively spread out on a large plate and microwave for 1 minute.
2. Add all sauce ingredients into a large bowl and combine well.
3. Boil egg noodles in lightly salted water for 45 – 60 seconds, then place in a cold water bath and strain well.
4. Briefly return noodles to boiling water for 5 seconds to warm through then remove, strain and place into the mixing bowl and combine well to coat noodles with sauce
5. Serve in a bowl with wontons, blanched seasonal greens and garnish with spring onions and coriander and a teaspoon of fried shallots
