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How to cook Wanton mee

Wanton mee is a Singapore noodle dish of thin egg noodles tossed in a dark, savoury, slightly tangy sauce with garlicky chilli, topped with sliced char siew, blanched greens and pork wontons, and served with a small bowl of soup. This home version builds the char siew, wontons, sauce and chilli from scratch.

Ingredients

For the char siew (roast pork)

• 400 g pork collar (neck), in one or two thick strips
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tbsp honey, plus 1 tbsp for glazing
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder

For the wontons

• 200 g minced pork (some fat is good)
• 100 g raw prawns, peeled, deveined and chopped into small pieces
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1 tbsp water
• 24 wanton wrappers (thin yellow square wrappers)

For the soup

• 1.2 litres water
• 30 g ikan bilis (dried anchovies), heads and guts removed
• 300 g pork bones or ribs
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced, for garnish

For the noodle sauce (per bowl, multiply by 4)

• 1 tbsp lard or neutral oil (see tips), for 4 bowls use 4 tbsp total
• 4 tbsp light soy sauce, total
• 4 tbsp oyster sauce, total
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce, total
• 2 tsp sesame oil, total
• 1 tsp sugar, total
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper, total
• 4 tsp rice vinegar or Chinese black vinegar, total
• 4 tbsp hot water from the soup pot, total, to loosen the sauce

For the garlic chilli

• 8 red chillies (long, medium heat), roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

For assembly

• 400 g fresh thin egg noodles (wanton mee noodles), loosened
• 300 g choy sum, cut into 8 cm lengths
• 4 tbsp pickled green chillies with a little of their brine (optional side)
• 1 tbsp fried shallots, for sprinkling (optional)

Steps

1. Marinate the pork10 min
   Mix all the char siew ingredients except the glazing honey in a bowl. Add the pork and turn to coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight for deeper colour and flavour.
2. Roast the char siew50 min
   Heat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Place the pork on a rack over a tray lined with foil, with a little water in the tray to stop drips from burning. Roast for 20 minutes, brush with marinade, flip, and roast another 15 minutes. Brush the 1 tbsp honey over the top and finish for 5-8 minutes, until the edges are dark and sticky and the thickest part reads 70°C or the juices run clear when pierced. Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
3. Make the wonton filling10 min
   In a bowl, mix the minced pork, chopped prawns, soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper, salt, sugar, cornflour and water. Stir firmly in one direction for about 2 minutes until the mixture turns tacky and holds together. Fry a small spoonful in a pan to taste and adjust salt.
4. Wrap the wontons20 min
   Place 1 heaped tsp of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Dampen the edges with water, fold into a triangle, press out air, then bring the two bottom corners together and pinch. Place on a lightly floured tray, covered with a damp cloth. Repeat to make about 24.
5. Simmer the soup45 min
   Put the water, ikan bilis and pork bones in a pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 40 minutes. Strain, discard the solids, and season with salt and white pepper. Keep hot over low heat.
6. Make the garlic chilli8 min
   Blend the chillies, garlic, vinegar, sugar and salt to a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat, add the paste, and stir for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and the oil separates slightly. Cool and set aside.
7. Mix the noodle sauce5 min
   In a small bowl, stir together the light soy, oyster sauce, dark soy, sesame oil, sugar, pepper and vinegar. Divide into 4 equal portions in 4 serving bowls, add 1 tbsp lard or oil to each, and set aside. Add 1 tbsp hot soup to each bowl just before tossing the noodles.
8. Cook the wontons8 min
   Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the wontons in batches and cook for 3-4 minutes. They are done when they float and the filling is cooked through with no pink pork remaining (cut one open to check). Lift out with a slotted spoon into a bowl of hot soup.
9. Blanch the greens3 min
   In the same boiling water, blanch the choy sum for 1-2 minutes until bright green and just tender. Drain well and divide among 4 plates or bowls.
10. Cook the noodles5 min
    Loosen the fresh noodles by shaking out the clumps. Cook in the same boiling water in 4 portions for about 30-40 seconds each, until springy but not mushy. Drain well, shaking off excess water, and drop straight into the prepared sauce bowls.
11. Toss and assemble5 min
    Toss each portion of noodles thoroughly with the sauce until every strand is glossy and coated. Top with choy sum, sliced char siew and 5-6 wontons. Add a spoonful of garlic chilli on the side, sprinkle with fried shallots if using, and serve at once.
12. Serve with soup2 min
    Ladle hot soup into small bowls, add a few spring onion rings, and serve alongside the noodles with pickled green chillies on the side.

Tips

• Use lard for the sauce base if you can get it, since it gives the noodles their characteristic glossy richness. Neutral oil works if you prefer.
• Do not overcook the noodles. Thirty to forty seconds is enough, and the quick cold-to-hot shock keeps them springy. Alternative: for extra bounce, rinse the cooked noodles briefly in cold water, then dip them back in boiling water for 5 seconds before tossing.
• The vinegar is what gives the sauce its tang. Add a splash more at the end if your noodles taste flat.
• The char siew and garlic chilli can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated, which makes the final assembly much faster.
• Freeze any extra uncooked wontons on a tray, then bag them. Cook from frozen, allowing an extra minute.

Food safety and allergens

Make sure the pork wontons and char siew are cooked all the way through (no pink in the filling, juices running clear). Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 2 days, reheating until piping hot.

Contains: egg, fish, sesame, shellfish, soy, wheat

Watch it being made

• Wonton Mee for Uncle Roger @mrnigelngAndy Cooks · 42,655,335 views · YouTube
• Wanton Mee - 云吞面The Meatmen Channel · 359,741 views · YouTube
• Simple & Tasty Wonton Noodles | Konlo Wantan Mee RecipeHome Cooking with Somjit · 323,308 views · YouTube

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