Ton or Tan, I Wan this Mee

It's been a long while since I had Wan Ton (Tan?) Mee. In fact, I think I've had it only once since I became a vegetarian 21 years ago (good lord, that's a heck of a long time. And did I just reveal how old I might be?). I don't know what it was exactly that made me want to eat it again recently but I decided that instead of heading out to the Chinese vegetarian shop, I'd try making it myself.

You can find this dish all over the country but the presentation and preparation of it may differ slightly in different states -- the Wan Ton Mee you find in Penang is not the same as the one in Johor, for example. However, there are two broad types of wan ton noodles: soupy and dry. I have always preferred the dry noodles as it has a sweetness (just slight) that is so different from any other noodle dish I've tasted. The dry noodles however do come with a light wanton soup on the side.

It's pretty easy to make but there are several things that differentiate a good plate of wan ton noodles from a really good one: First, its pretty important how you cook the noodles and for how long. Just like spaghetti, they should not be too mushy nor too hard. Oh, and they're cooked in boiling water, like the italian counterpart.

Next: the sauce in which you season the noodles determines its taste. You need a balance of sweet and salty. And not too much oil.

Having said that, it's not that hard.

Wan Ton Mee

Noodles

1 roll wan ton noodles

seasoning :

2 tbsp vegetarian oy

ster sauce

3/4 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp honey/sweet soy sauce

pepper

Cook noodles in boiling water for about 3 mins or until it ceases to stick together. Remove and blanch in cold water. Put the noodles back in another pot of boiling vegetable s

tock and cook another 3-4 mins or till it reaches the right texture. Meanwhile, mix all ingredients of seasoning in a bowl. When noodles are ready remove from fire and drain. Toss it in the seasoning till well coated.

Wan Ton soup

1. Mash some tofu and season with salt, pepper and light soy sauce. Add chopped chives and carrots and mushroom if you wish. Fill wan ton wrappers with filling and fry.

2. For he soup, boil vegetable stock and season. Add wan tons once soup is done and removed from fire.

Vegetable

Though its best to use a leafy vegetable, I used broccoli. Blanch the vegetable in the stock used to cook the mee.

Assemble and garnish with grilled vegetarian char siu .

Wan Ton Mee