Destination
Hong Kong
The story
Wan tan mee is Hong Kong noodle-house perfection: a small nest of springy, thin egg noodles at the bottom of a bowl, five or six pork-and-prawn wontons piled on top, a scoop of blanched greens (choy sum or gai lan) to one side, and a clear savoury broth ladled over everything to just cover. Sold at every noodle house in the city, from Michelin-starred Mak's Noodle in Central to the corner shop in Sham Shui Po. Every Hong Kong local has their favourite spot; every serious noodle house is judged by three things: the springiness of the noodles, the balance of the wonton filling and the depth of the broth.
Method
Combine all the filling ingredients (except wrappers) in a bowl. Stir vigorously in one direction with chopsticks for 3 to 4 minutes until sticky and slightly stretchy. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Working with a small pile of wrappers at a time (keep the rest covered so they don't dry out): place a wrapper on your palm, add a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre, wet the edges lightly with water, and fold the wrapper in half diagonally to form a triangle. Bring the two long corners of the triangle together and pinch to seal, forming the classic bonnet shape. Repeat until all filling is used.
Combine the stock, ginger, spring onion whites, dried shrimp, soy sauce and salt in a pot. Bring to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Strain into a clean pot and keep warm. Taste for salt.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Bring a smaller pot of water to a simmer separately (for cooking the wontons).
Drop the choy sum or gai lan into the large boiling pot for 45 seconds until bright green. Lift out with tongs and drain.
Drop the wontons in batches of 8 to 10 into the simmering water. They'll sink, then rise. Once they float and puff (about 3 to 4 minutes), lift out with a slotted spoon.
In the large boiling pot, cook the noodles for 30 to 45 seconds only (Hong Kong noodles cook fast). Drain immediately and rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking and keep the springy texture. Divide between 4 bowls.
On top of each noodle nest, arrange 5 or 6 wontons and a small pile of greens. Ladle over hot broth to just cover the noodles.
Grind over a little white pepper. Serve immediately with chilli oil and black vinegar with ginger on the side for those who want them.
Tips
- Fresh Hong Kong wonton noodles are essential. These thin, springy yellow egg noodles (sometimes called "HK style thin egg noodle") are what make wan tan mee taste right. Sold fresh in fridge sections at Chinese grocers. Dried noodles are a distant second.
- Cook the noodles very briefly. 30 to 45 seconds only. Hong Kong noodles overcook fast; anything more than a minute gives you soft, mushy noodles that ruin the dish.
- Rinse the noodles cold, then reheat in the broth. This is the Hong Kong noodle-house technique: briefly rinse the cooked noodles in cold water to stop the cooking, then ladle hot broth over them in the bowl to warm through. The cold rinse preserves the springy texture.
- Prawn-heavy wonton filling. Hong Kong wontons are about 70% prawn, 30% pork. Adjusting to more pork gives you a Shanghai-style wonton, which is a different dish.
- Broth should be clear and light. Wan tan mee broth is savoury but never heavy. If your stock is very rich, thin with a splash of water; the wontons and noodles should be the focus, not the broth.
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