Chicken Wantan Mee

Ingredients

Chicken char siu

• 600 g boneless chicken thighs, skin on
• 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
• 2 cloves garlic, grated

Chicken wantans

• 200 g minced chicken thigh
• 100 g raw prawns, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp corn flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 24 wonton wrappers

Soup

• 1.2 L chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

Shallot oil and noodle sauce

• 60 ml cooking oil
• 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp sesame oil

Noodles

• 400 g fresh thin egg noodles (4 nests)
• 200 g choy sum, cut into 8 cm lengths
• 4 tbsp pickled green chillies, to serve

Method

1. Mix the hoisin sauce, honey, oyster sauce, both soy sauces, sugar, five-spice and garlic. Keep 2 tbsp of it for glazing and rub the rest over the chicken thighs. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
2. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a tray with foil. Roast the chicken skin side up for 20 minutes, brush with the reserved glaze and roast for 8–10 minutes more, until the edges are dark and sticky. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice.
3. For the wantans, mix the minced chicken, prawns, soy sauce, sesame oil, corn flour, salt and pepper and stir hard in one direction for 1 minute until sticky. Put 1 tsp of filling in the middle of each wrapper, wet the edges, fold into a triangle and gather the corners into a little bundle. Press to seal.
4. For the shallot oil, put the oil and sliced shallots in a small pan over medium-low heat and fry for 6–8 minutes, until the shallots are golden. Strain the oil and keep the crisp shallots. Mix 4 tbsp of the shallot oil with the oyster sauce, both soy sauces, sugar and sesame oil and divide this sauce between 4 serving bowls.
5. Bring the stock to a simmer with the salt and pepper. Add the wantans and simmer for 4–5 minutes, until they float and the filling is cooked through. Keep the soup hot.
6. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Blanch the choy sum for 1 minute, lift it out and drain.
7. Loosen one nest of noodles and cook it in the same water for 30–40 seconds, stirring. Lift it out, dip it in a bowl of cold water for 5 seconds, then back into the boiling water for 5 seconds, so the noodles stay springy. Drain well and toss in a serving bowl with the sauce. Repeat with the rest.
8. Top each bowl of noodles with sliced chicken char siu, choy sum and crisp shallots. Serve with the wantan soup and pickled green chillies on the side.

Tips

• Fried wantans: deep-fry some of the wantans at 170°C (340°F) for 3 minutes, until golden and crisp, and serve them on top of the noodles.
• Make ahead: uncooked wantans freeze well on a tray, then in a bag, for up to 1 month. Cook them from frozen for 6–7 minutes.
• No prawns: use 300 g minced chicken in the filling.
• Pickled green chillies: slice 6 green chillies and cover them with 60 ml rice vinegar, 60 ml water, 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. They are ready in 30 minutes and keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.