Wonton Noodles is a popular noodle dish in Southeast Asia and can be served dry or with soup. This noodle recipe is very easy and quick to make and takes only 20 minutes to prepare. If you have all the accompaniments (protein, vegetables and condiments) already available and prepared earlier, then preparing the noodles itself will only take a jiffy to be ready.
It’s gloomy outside of my window as I type this. The days are getting shorter and it gets dark so early. I could use a pick-me-up on this, and there are a few ways to do so. Today I choose what’s top on my list of pick-me-ups! If you already know me, you would have already guessed it right by saying food! I am kind of craving for a childhood favourite street food – Dry Wonton Noodles. Today I am going to serve my 20-min dry wonton noodles with char siew chicken as I have run out of wontons. It’s still a complete and balanced meal though!
WHAT IS WONTON NOODLES?
Wonton noodles are made from Wheat and Egg, like a kind of thin stringy pasta. They are sold fresh or in dried form and in ball like coils. I usually buy the fresh type. The simple preparation is to blanch the noodles and then toss the noodles in a garlic sesame soy sauce. Then I serve it with a protein, usually wontons or chicken or both, leafy greens and my pickled green chillies.
COOK’S TIPS :
Just like all fresh pasta, fresh Chinese egg noodles should be kept in their original sealed package in the refrigerator until ready to cook, and once opened, will last only a couple of days. Unopened, they should be good for about a week, but remember to check the expiration date!
VERSATILE DISH
Today’s dry wonton noodles will be without the wontons. All I had in the fridge was a pack of chicken thigh fillets and some Bak Choy and Choi Sum. I usually prepare the wontons a day ahead, making them fresh. However, I did not have the time to buy the ingredients, let alone prepare the prawn and chicken filling. The fresh wonton noodles I have are expiring in 2 days, so Wonton Noodles it is then for dinner. Besides, I need my quick noodle fix too!
BLANCHING
Wonton noodles come in a tight woven ball or coil, so I loosen the noodles with a pair of chopsticks as I blanch it, bobbing the basket in and out of the boiling water. I do this for about 30-40 seconds. Any longer and the noodles become soggy.
I usually blanch my noodles in a special noodle strainer/blanching basket. What I do, is to put the noodles in the strainer basket and bob it in and out of the pot of boiling water. You can just put the whole batch of noodles in the boiling water too, then scoop it out and drain – this is how I blanch the vegetables though.
SERVINGS
My personal preference is to blanch individual servings of noodles and place into serving bowls separately instead of blanching all servings at one go. This way I am able to stick to 1 serving and not go overboard with my sugar levels (I am pre diabetic). Any dish in noodle or pasta form is tops on my husband’s favourite list, so he always goes for a second serving. 😛
SAUCE
PICKLED GREEN CHILLIES
Wonton noodles bring back childhood memories in Malaysia. I love my Wonton Noodles served with pickled green chillies. This dish is never complete without the pickled chillies! I usually have a jar in the fridge so it is always readily available. However, I tend to run out of it at times, so making it on the same day as your noodles is fine, it just needs 2 hours soaking in the vinegar solution. However, making the pickles a day ahead would give you best results. You can get a jar of pickled chillies from the Asian store but I prefer making my own. Home-made pickles are the best with fresh ingredients minus the preservatives. This pickle can last up to 1.5 months if kept in the refrigerator.
CHAR SIU CHICKEN
‘Char Siu’ actually means a Chinese dish of roast pork marinated in a sweet and savoury sauce. My recipe however, is the healthier version of chicken marinated in the same sauce. Grilled Char Siu Chicken is an asian style of BBQ Chicken and it goes superbly well with Dry Wonton Noodles and even Jasmine Rice.
VEGAN CHAR SIU CHICKEN (recipe coming soon)
You may like to try :
Grilled Char Siu Chicken
Pickled Green Chillies
20-min Dry Wonton Noodles
Ingredients
- 400 grams fresh or dry wonton noodles (egg noodles) I used fresh
- ½ bunch choy sum washed and cut into 2-inch lengths OR 2 bak choi cut into halves. I used both Bak Choi and Choy sum
- pinch of salt optional
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- Ground white pepper to taste
- Spring Onions/Scallions optional garnish
- 500 grams Protein Accompaniment – store bought or home made vegetarian or chicken char Siu and /or wontons. Char Siu is sliced into bite-sized pieces
- Pickles chillies OR few Fresh long green chillies sliced and added to soya sauce in a sauce dish optional
TOSSING OIL – for each individual serving of noodles
- 2 teaspoons thick dark soy sauce OR thick Sweet Soya Sauce (Kecap Manis)
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce OR Hoisin Sauce bean paste with Chinese 5 spices
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2-3 teaspoons Garlic Oil OR shallot flavoured oil store bought OR home-made
HOME MADE GARLIC OIL
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Prepare the pickled chillies from 2 hours to a day in advance
- Have your Protein accompaniment Ready and set aside (Wontons/Char Siu Chicken/vegetarian Char Siu). See my blog links to Chicken and Vegetarian/vegan char siu recipes
PREPARE GARLIC OIL
- Heat the oil in a pan and fry the minced garlic over low-medium heat until it starts to turn lightly golden in color and crisp. Transfer immediately to a heat proof bowl and set aside.
PREPARE VEGETABLES
- Wash and rinse vegetables. Cut each head of bak choi into halves. Set them aside. For choy sum, cut into 2-inch lengths.
- Bring a medium or large pot of water to the boil. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and a pinch of salt (optional). Blanch the vegetables. Remove, drain and set aside. Do not discard the water. It will be used to blanch the noodles as well.
- Prepare 4 serving plates with cutlery – chopsticks and Chinese soup spoon or just a fork.
PREPARE NOODLES
- In each shallow serving bowl, place 1 serve of the tossing sauce.
- With the same boiling water used for blanching the vegetables, bring it to a boil. Using a pair of chopsticks, add individual servings of noodles into water to cook, stirring continually, for about 25-30 seconds (100 g or adjust quantity depending on each person).
- Use a large sieve to drain the noodles and run it under cold running tap water for 5 seconds, then dip the noodles in the boiling water again just to warm it up.
- Lift up noodles using noodle sieve basket. Do not discard water.
- Transfer the noodles into the serving bowl and toss them in the tossing sauce.
- Add a dash of white pepper (optional)
- Place individual servings of vegetables, char siu chicken and/or wontons in each plate of noodles.
- Garnish noodles with spring onions/scallions – optional
- Serve immediately wth pickled green chillies and a bowl of wonton soup OR clear chicken/vegetable broth with a little white pepper and scallions as flavour and garnish.
Notes
- If you like it spicy, but wish to opt out of the pickled green chillies, then mix the noodles with some Sriracha chilli sauce, chilli paste or any favourite plain sambal of your choice.
- You can prepare and mix the tossing sauce enough for 4 servings in a bowl and divide servings into 4 plates.
- Recipe of Grilled Char Siu Chicken : https://www.sweetsharings.com/recipe/grilled-char-siu-chicken
- Recipe of Quick Pickled Green Chillies : https://sweetsharings.com/recipe/quick-pickled-green-chillies
