WON TON NOODLE SOUP
2 min readIf you ever get the chance，I would highly recommend a trip to Hong Kong to see how they make the‘bamboo’noodles for this dish.A stiff dough consisting of flour，duck eggs and lye water is mixed up and the chef then sits on top of a trunk of bamboo and bounces his entire body weight on to the dough to knead it repetitively as though he were riding a seesaw.The end product is an amazing noodle that even after blanching still maintains a bite.Some Hong Kong restaurants take the serving of this dish one step further.In order to prevent thenoodles from overcooking by sitting in the broth from the time the dish leaves the kitchen to its arrival on the dining table，some chefs layer the elements so the won tons are at the bottom with a spoon sat on them and the noodles placed on top of the spoon so that they are lifted just clear of the broth.
This is my all-time favourite 3am snack.Each time I had it in Hong Kong，I would wake up the next day unsure whether it had tasted so good because I was so inebriated the night before or because there really was something special inside.After months of research，I learned that the secret ingredients in an authentic won ton soup are the dried flounder and shrimp roe powders，which give the broth that extra，highly addictive dimension.We make our broths in the restaurant using these ingredients，though they have not been the easiest to source in the past and I have had to resort to‘unconventional’methods to get them into our kitchen！
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1000ml chicken or pork stock
2 tablespoons dried flounder powder
12 prepared Won Tons
200g fresh alkaline noodles
50g Chinese chives，chopped
10g dried shrimp roe powder
1.Bring the chicken or pork stock to the boil in a large wok，then add the dried flounder powder and simmer for 30 minutes.
2.Towards the end of the simmering time，bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the won tons for 5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 60°C.Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3.Add the noodles and blanch for just under a minute to prevent overcooking.Drain immediately and rinse well in cold running water to prevent further cooking and to wash off the alkaline odour.
4.Add the precooked noodles and won tons to the hot stock and heat through briefly，then transfer to serving bowls.
5.Sprinkle over the Chinese chives and the dried shrimp roe powder.Serve immediately.
CHEF’S TIP
If you can’t find dried flounder powder or dried shrimp roe powder，use dashi powder or fish bouillon powder.
