Wonton noodles (, also called wantan mee or wantan mein) is a

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

dish of

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

origin. Wonton noodles were given their name, ''húntún'' (), in the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

(618-907 CE). The dish is popular in

Southern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone between ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. The dish usually consists of egg noodles served in a hot

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...

, garnished with

leafy vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by their petioles and shoots, if tender. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gree ...

s and ''

wonton A wonton ( zh, t=, s=馄饨, p=húntun, j=wan4 tan4, first=t) is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun, a transliteration from Cantonese zh, j=wan4 tan1, ...

'' dumplings. The types of leafy vegetables used are usually '' gai-lan'', also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale. Another type of dumpling known as '' shui jiao'' (水餃) is sometimes served in place of wonton. Shrimp wonton are mostly known as Hong Kong dumplings. The wontons contain

prawns Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (members of the order of decapods), some of which are edible. The term ''prawn''Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature's most ...

chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry, husbandry dating back to 8000–9000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooke ...

, and

spring onion Scallions (also known as green onions and spring onions) are edible vegetables of various species in the genus ''Allium''. Scallions generally have a milder taste than most onions. Their close relatives include garlic, shallots, leeks, chive ...

s, with some

chef A chef is a professional Cook (profession), cook and tradesperson who is proficient in all aspects of outline of food preparation, food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term (), the di ...

s adding

mushroom A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing Sporocarp (fungi), fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. ''Toadstool'' generally refers to a poisonous mushroom. The standard for the n ...

and black fungus. In

especially in

North Sumatra North Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan on the east coast of the island. It borders Aceh to the northwest, Riau to the sou ...

West Kalimantan West Kalimantan () is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five Indonesian provinces comprising Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital and largest city is Pontianak. It is bordered by East Kalimantan and Central ...

and

South Sulawesi South Sulawesi () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province in the South Peninsula, Sulawesi, southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital and largest ci ...

, wonton noodles are called ''mie pangsit''.

Regional variations

Guangzhou and Hong Kong

In Guangzhou and Hong Kong, wonton noodles are usually served in steaming hot soup with shrimp wontons and garnished with leafy vegetables. There are plenty of variations of this popular Cantonese dish, with different toppings and garnishes. For example, the soup and wontons being in separate bowls, the noodles being served relatively dry, served with toppings and garnishes, dressed with sauce, or dipping the noodles in the soup to eat it. Guangzhou and Hong Kong-style wonton noodles have a few predominant characteristics: The wontons are predominantly

prawn Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the intern ...

—with small amounts of minced pork, or no pork at all—traditional consisting of 70% shrimp and 30% pork. It is served with smooth

thin noodles Ximian () are a variety of Chinese noodle widely used in Southern China, especially in the cuisines of Hong Kong and Guangdong. It has also been selectively used in the dishes of Shanghai, Malaysia, and Singapore. Youmian is also used in some di ...

cooked ''

al dente In cooking, al dente (, ; ) pasta or rice is cooked to be firm to the bite. The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables. In contemporary Italian cooking, it is considered to be the ideal consistency for pasta and involves a brief cooking ...

'', in a hot, light brown soup (prepared from dried

flounder Flounders are a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuary, estuaries. Taxonomy The name "flounder" is used for several only distantly related speci ...

Garlic chives ''Allium tuberosum'' (garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek) is a species of plant native to the Chinese province of Shanxi, and cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in Asia and around the world. It has a numb ...

are often added as a garnish. In order to ensure that the noodles are perfectly ''al dente'', the noodles are blanched for only 10 seconds, after which they are rinsed under cold water and placed in the serving bowl atop the wontons. Hot

bouillon Bouillon can refer to: Food * Bouillon (broth), a simple broth ** Court-bouillon, a quick broth * Bouillon (soup), a Haitian soup * Bouillon (restaurant), a traditional type of French restaurant ** Bouillon Chartier, a bouillon restaurant fou ...

soup is then scooped into the bowl, on top of the wonton noodles. This style's soup is said to be characterised by its flavourful, savoury taste, yet not so strong as to overpower the taste of the wonton and the noodles which it accompanies. When served, the spoon is customarily placed at the bottom, with the wontons above the spoon and the noodles on top; this is done due to the belief that letting the noodles soak in the soup for too long will leave it over-cooked. Although the "wonton noodle" is synonymous with wonton and noodles served in hot soup, the dish may also be served "dry", as in

lo mein Lo mein () is a Chinese dish with noodles. When prepared in the Cantonese style, it is often topped with or accompanied by meat (such as char siu or beef brisket), wontons, or vegetables, and may be served with a bowl of broth for dipping. ...

(), where the

are placed on a large bed of

Cambodia

The dish has also been adopted into

Cambodian cuisine Cambodian cuisine is the national cuisine of Cambodia. It reflects the varied culinary traditions of different ethnic groups in Cambodia, central of which is Khmer cuisine (, ), the nearly-two-thousand-year-old culinary tradition of the Khmer pe ...

, where it is called ''mee kiev'' () in Khmer. The broth is clear, topped with

garlic chives ''Allium tuberosum'' (garlic chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, Chinese chives, Chinese leek) is a species of plant native to the Chinese province of Shanxi, and cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in Asia and around the world. It has a numb ...

and the dumplings are filled with seasoned minced pork and shrimp. Variations are often served with wheat vermicelli, a mixture of rice-wheat noodles or flat rice noodles (, ).

Indonesia

Indonesia has their own style wonton noodles called ''mie pangsit'' or ''pangsit mie''. It is usually served dry with a separate broth. Fried wonton locally called ''pangsit goreng'' is one of the ingredients.

Malaysia

Malaysia offers different versions of the dish, with different states having different versions of the dish and there are versions from

Johor Johor, also spelled Johore,'' is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. It borders with Pahang, Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the north. Johor has maritime borders with Singapore ...

Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

, and

Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...

. The Malaysian version differs from the original in having slices of

char siu ''Char siu'' () is a Cantonese-style barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' cha siu bao'' or pineapple buns. Five-spice powder is t ...

(barbecued pork) added to the dish, as well as the possibility of the soup and wontons being in separate bowls, the noodles being served relatively dry, dressed with

oyster sauce Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts,The Times, 22 January 1981; ''Cook Accidentally on purpose'' sugar, salt and water, thi ...

and garnished with chopped spring onions while the wontons are in a soup bowl usually with spring onions added in as well. Some stalls include deep-fried wontons in the dry versions as well. Often served wet, the Hong Kong version can be found at Cantonese noodle joints with it being dry or soup. In

Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...

, ''wontons'' are placed together with the noodles and ''wonton'' soup can be ordered separately. The Malacca version is also usually spicier than the other Malaysian versions due to the use of a special unsweetened chili sauce. Vegetarian ''wonton mee'' is also served in Malaysia in vegetarian restaurants. Instead of using pork to make

, wheat gluten is used.

Philippines

There are three distinct types of wonton noodle dishes found in

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. One is ''

mami Mami may refer to: People *Cheb Mami (born 1966), Algerian raï singer *Mami (given name), a Japanese feminine given name *Mami (goddess), a goddess in the Babylonian epic ''Atra-Hasis'' *Mami Wata, a pantheon of ancient water spirits or deities ...

'', which is a noodle soup that has egg noodles, wontons, and various vegetables in a hot broth. The name ''mami'' is derived from a Chinese phrase that means “pork noodles". Another type is ''

pancit molo Pancit Molo (also Molo Soup or Molo Balls Soup) or Filipino pork dumpling soup, is a type of soup made using wonton wrappers which originated from Molo district in Iloilo City, Philippines. It consists of a mixture of ground pork wrapped in m ...

'', which is similar to ''mami'', but the noodles used are the wonton wrappers themselves. The third type of wonton noodles is stir-fry egg noodles sold by hawkers and in small "stand-up" type stalls. Here, the noodles are stir-fried with

mung bean The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...

sprouts and vegetables, flavored with a range of sauces, and finally topped with wontons.

Singapore

Singapore wonton noodles includes noodles, leafy vegetables (preferably ''cai-xin''), barbecued pork (''

'') and bite-sized dumplings or ''wonton''. It is either served dry or in soup form with the former being more popular. If served dry, the wontons will be served in a separate bowl of soup. ''Shui jiao'' or prawn dumplings are served at some stalls and the original Hong Kong version is available at

restaurants and noodle joints. Fried wontons (wontons deep-fried in oil) are sometimes served instead of those boiled in the soup. The Singaporean and Malaysian versions of the wonton noodle are similar to each other, though the Singapore version uses significantly less soy sauce and is often served with chilli ketchup.

Thailand

''Wonton noodles'' (; ''bami kiao'') are also very popular in

, where, as in Malaysia and Singapore, the dish is often ordered together with barbecued pork which is then called ''bami mu daeng kiao'' (; ''mu daeng'' meaning "red pork"). As is customary with many noodle soups of Chinese origin in Thailand, chillies preserved in vinegar, dried chilli flakes, sugar, and fish sauce are added to taste. The dish is mostly eaten in soup form but it can also be served dry with the broth on the side.

Vietnam

''Súp mì'' or ''mì'' for short is a Chinese-Vietnamese noodle soup, introduced to Vietnam by Chinese immigrants. ''Mì hoành thánh'' (''mì vằn thắn'') is the Vietnamese version of wonton noodle soup. Noodles can be served with the soup or soup separately. Common ingredients are yellow wheat (egg) noodles with pork-based broth, ground pork, chives, and various meats and toppings.

References

{{Soups Cantonese cuisine Chinese noodle dishes Hong Kong noodle dishes Malaysian noodle dishes Noodle soups Singaporean noodle dishes