WANTON NOODLES
Wanton Noodles (云吞面 in chinese) or Wanton (Wonton) Mee or Dumplings Noodles , a Cantonese dish is usually a breakfast item but can be taken during lunch and dinner as well. The Cantonese word literally translated as 'swallowing of cloud', and refers to a particular version of the minced meat dumpling common in Chinese cuisine .
The wanton are actually pork dumplings that are cooked and served with thin yellow noodles. The noodles are first boiled then dipped into cold water and brought back to the boiling water again. This process makes the noodle springy and chewy, due to the expansion and contraction caused by the temperature change. The sauces that are added to it would include dark soya sauce and chilli. It is strongly recommended that you eat it with chilli because the soya sauce, chilli and noodle combination blends really well to make a great meal.
Wanton Noodles is served with pork dumpling, slices of Char Siew (slow barbequed sweetened pork) and leafy vegetables and a bowl of soup. The dumplings contains mostly meat and sometimes you may find very small pieces of chestnuts to give the dumplings added crunch and taste. For the soup, it is usually cooked with yellow soya beans and fried ikan bilis (anchovies) to make the soup tasty.
A good Wanton Noodles dish is where the dark soya sauce is not too salty and the chilli taste very well with the soya sauce. Be sure to mixed the noodle, soya sauce and chilli well. The dumplings should have suitable amount of fillings and the dumpling skin should not be too thick.
Another variant to the Wanton Noodles is the Prawn Dumpling Noodles. Prawn dumplings are bigger because more meat and usually half a prawn is added to it. It is usually not served with slices of Char Siew and leafy vegetables. For Prawn Dumpling Noodles, what is important is the freshness of the prawns. It should not be powdery, an indication that it is not fresh. You would most likely find very small chunks of chestnuts in the dumpling.
Served dry or in soup, Wanton Mee comes in two distinct versions, the Hong Kong-style version or the Malaysian and Singaporean version.
Hong Kong-style Wanton Mee is usually served in a clear broth, with dumplings filled with ingredients such as prawns and pork. The thin noodles are blanched quickly, giving it an al dente texture. Extremely popular in Cantonese restaurants, a good Hong Kong-style Wanton Mee should feature slightly crunchy noodles and plump dumplings with a translucent skin, filled with goodies such as prawns, pork and black fungus.
The Singaporean and Malaysian versions are largely similar, offering slices of Char Siew (barbecued pork), in addition to bite-sized dumplings and leafy vegetables. The local version is often eaten dry, and sometimes comes with deep-fried dumplings as well. The sauce for dry Wanton Mee varies from stall to stall, with the Malaysia version made with black soy sauce, and the Singaporean version consisting of tomato sauce, chilli sauce and sesame oil.
Char Siew plays an important role in local Wanton Mee, with succulent and charred slices considered the best. Egg noodles are also used, and are usually yellow, springy and flat. Char Siew is also eaten with rice, together with a sweet barbeque dipping sauce. Char Siew marbled with fat is the most flavourful, as it gives it a distinct charred taste. However, lean Char Siew has become more popular with the health-conscious.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs
The wanton are actually pork dumplings that are cooked and served with thin yellow noodles. The noodles are first boiled then dipped into cold water and brought back to the boiling water again. This process makes the noodle springy and chewy, due to the expansion and contraction caused by the temperature change. The sauces that are added to it would include dark soya sauce and chilli. It is strongly recommended that you eat it with chilli because the soya sauce, chilli and noodle combination blends really well to make a great meal.
Wanton Noodles is served with pork dumpling, slices of Char Siew (slow barbequed sweetened pork) and leafy vegetables and a bowl of soup. The dumplings contains mostly meat and sometimes you may find very small pieces of chestnuts to give the dumplings added crunch and taste. For the soup, it is usually cooked with yellow soya beans and fried ikan bilis (anchovies) to make the soup tasty.
A good Wanton Noodles dish is where the dark soya sauce is not too salty and the chilli taste very well with the soya sauce. Be sure to mixed the noodle, soya sauce and chilli well. The dumplings should have suitable amount of fillings and the dumpling skin should not be too thick.
Another variant to the Wanton Noodles is the Prawn Dumpling Noodles. Prawn dumplings are bigger because more meat and usually half a prawn is added to it. It is usually not served with slices of Char Siew and leafy vegetables. For Prawn Dumpling Noodles, what is important is the freshness of the prawns. It should not be powdery, an indication that it is not fresh. You would most likely find very small chunks of chestnuts in the dumpling.
Served dry or in soup, Wanton Mee comes in two distinct versions, the Hong Kong-style version or the Malaysian and Singaporean version.
Hong Kong-style Wanton Mee is usually served in a clear broth, with dumplings filled with ingredients such as prawns and pork. The thin noodles are blanched quickly, giving it an al dente texture. Extremely popular in Cantonese restaurants, a good Hong Kong-style Wanton Mee should feature slightly crunchy noodles and plump dumplings with a translucent skin, filled with goodies such as prawns, pork and black fungus.
The Singaporean and Malaysian versions are largely similar, offering slices of Char Siew (barbecued pork), in addition to bite-sized dumplings and leafy vegetables. The local version is often eaten dry, and sometimes comes with deep-fried dumplings as well. The sauce for dry Wanton Mee varies from stall to stall, with the Malaysia version made with black soy sauce, and the Singaporean version consisting of tomato sauce, chilli sauce and sesame oil.
Char Siew plays an important role in local Wanton Mee, with succulent and charred slices considered the best. Egg noodles are also used, and are usually yellow, springy and flat. Char Siew is also eaten with rice, together with a sweet barbeque dipping sauce. Char Siew marbled with fat is the most flavourful, as it gives it a distinct charred taste. However, lean Char Siew has become more popular with the health-conscious.
thanks to all the sources : Wikipedia ; SingaporeLifestyle ; YourSingapore ; MakanTime ; and all the other sites and blogs