Chinese New Year is all about reuniting generations of family with a good feast around the table. It’s typical to enjoy many different dishes, but especially those with fish, which is considered a ‘lucky’ food that represents prosperity. When combined with another lucky food – dumplings, which represent wealth – consider two boxes ticked.
RECIPE
Prawn Wonton Noodling
Jo Yee, from website Candids By Jo, was kind enough to share her recipe with us – inspired by generations of her family. She says: "Wonton noodle soup is not the most classic of lunar new year dishes.. it is laden with symbolism of good fortune."
Serves: 10 | Time: 1hr10
INGREDIENTS
Fish Stock
- 3cm Piece ginger, sliced
- 1 Celery stick, halved
- 1 Small onion, quartered
- Shells and heads from ten raw king prawns
- 2tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2tsp Fish sauce
Wonton & Noodles
- 10 Raw king prawns, deveined and chopped
- 10 Blades of chives, chopped finely
- 5-6 Pieces tinned straw mushrooms, drained & sliced
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 Small egg, separated
- Cornflour, to dust
- 20 – 22 Wonton wrappers
- 2 – 4 Parcels fresh egg wonton noodles
- 1tsp Sesame oil
- 2 Spring onions, chopped
- 1tsp Chinese chilli oil
METHOD
In a large pot, add ginger, celery stick, quartered onion, prawn shells and heads and then cover with water and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 30-minutes. Using a sieve lined with muslin, drain the stock into a saucepan and set aside.
Combine the water chestnuts, mushrooms, prawns, salt and white pepper along with 1/2 of egg white into a bowl. Mix until the ingredients are well incorporated and the texture is sticky.
Lightly dust the cutting board or work surface with cornflour and spread wonton wrappers over it. Scoop 1 heaped teaspoon of prawn mixture into the centre of the wonton wrapper and then brush the edges with egg yolk. Bring the bottom left hand corner of the wrapper over the mixture to meet the top right corner so that it is triangular in shape. Press down on the edges of the wrapper to ensure the filling is held in securely. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Unwind the parcels of noodles and drop into the boiling water, making sure the noodles are not clumped together when dropped in the water). Cook for one-minute and remove from the pan with chopsticks or a slotted spoon, but keep the water boiling, and place noodles in a colander. Rinse the noodles under a cold tap to stop the cooking process (and to remove gumminess in the noodles for a springy bite). Shake off excess water and return noodles to the boiling water for 30-seconds or until warmed through. Remove noodles and drain in a colander. Add a light drizzle of sesame oil to keep the noodles from sticking together. Place in serving bowls and set aside.
Over a medium heat, warm through the saucepan of fish stock. Add the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and fish sauce along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, in the large pot of boiling water (that the noodles were cooked in), add the wontons and cook until they float to the surface – leave them in the pot for another 30-seconds and then remove with a slotted spoon. The cooking process should take between 4-5 minutes and the filling should be firm to the touch. Shake off excess water and place on top of the noodles in serving bowls. Ladle in hot stock until covered and add spring onions. Serve with chilli oil on the side.
PAIR WITH
Jade Sword
When enjoying savoury Asian dishes – or any food for that matter – a well-made glass of tea might be all you need to finish the experience. For light recipes like the above, we’d recommend something green and bursting with freshness. To complement Prawn Wonton Noodling, we’d recommend our most accessible green tea: Jade Sword. Grassy, spring-fresh and refreshing, it complements the traditional flavours of this wonton very nicely.
