Sesame Orange Beef and Wonton Noodles

Wonton Noodle Soup is one of my all-time favorites, and it was actually one of the recipes I really wanted to share when we started this channel, because my parents made this basically every other day for me as a kid. Like many of you, this dish brings up a ton of nostalgia for me.

In Cantonese, wontons are pronounced wàhn tān, which roughly translates to "swallowing a cloud". They're a staple of Cantonese cuisine, and in places like Guangzhou and Hong Kong, it's almost impossible to NOT run into a restaurant or food stall that sells a cheap, heartwarming bowl of wonton noodle soup.

Previously, we shared my dad's recipe for making wontons, and this recipe focuses entirely on how to cook the noodles and broth.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Main Ingredients

• 15 oz wonton noodles  (

  fresh, unsteamed

  )
• 30 wontons  (

  see our wonton recipe

  )
• 12 oz bok choy
• 1 piece green onion
• 8 piece shrimp  (

  peeled, deveined

  )

Broth & Flavors

• 14 oz chicken broth
• 4 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 0.25 tsp white pepper

On Wonton Noodles

Making wonton noodles from scratch is an art form that generations of people have devoted their whole lives to. It's a dying tradition, but one of the original methods involves smashing the noodle dough by bouncing your body on a bamboo lever, which creates a more springy and chewy bite than you'd get from a machine.

For most of us, it's a lot easier to just buy fresh wonton noodles, which most Asian grocery stores carry.

If you don't live near an Asian grocery store, I've included a few links to buy dried wonton noodles online, and my parents share how to adjust the cooking method for dried noodles.

• https://amzn.to/3iF9fUH​
• https://amzn.to/3BwQdsf

Finding Asian Ingredients

Some of these ingredients are hard to find in a typical grocery store.

If you don't live near an Asian market, most or all of what my dad uses in this recipe can be found on Amazon:​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

• Kadoya Sesame Oil​ - https://amzn.to/3c7EOTu​
• Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce​

I've also included some other Chinese kitchen essentials, used in many of my dad's other recipes.

• Michiu Rice Cooking Wine​
• Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy Sauce​
• Pearl River Bridge Superior Dark Soy Sauce​
• Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil​
• Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce​
• Shaoxing Cooking Wine​
• Bullhead Shacha (BBQ Sauce)​
• Dried Orange Peels​
• Koon Chun Ground Bean Sauce​
• Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (soak for 15-20 minutes in warm water before slicing)
• Dried Wood Ear Fungus (a few options, depending on what's in stock):
  • https://amzn.to/3cHYFc1
  • https://amzn.to/36jgm0o​
  • https://amzn.to/36vx1OH​

These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!

Alternatives to Oyster Sauce

If you're vegetarian or need to stay away from gluten, we have three alternatives for you!

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Since oyster sauce is made out of oyster extract, here are some alternatives that have a similar taste without using the actual oyster:

• Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce​
• Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce​
  • Lee Kum Kee also sells a bigger container of this

Gluten Free Oyster Sauce

Wok Mei has a gluten-free oyster sauce, but it still contains oyster extract, so it's not vegetarian friendly .

Vegetarian + Gluten Free Oyster Sauce

Unfortunately, we don't know of a vendor that sells an oyster sauce that caters to both dietary restrictions, so you'll need to DIY the sauce.

Mix equal parts gluten free soy sauce and gluten free hoisin sauce. This isn't exactly the same as oyster sauce, but it's pretty close.

We'll start by washing and cutting our bok choy  ( 12 oz ) into quarters along the stem.

Then, we'll chop our green onions  ( 1 piece ) into small pieces.

(Assuming our shrimp  ( 8 piece ) are already deveined and peeled, we don't need to do anything to them.)

Set the stove to high heat and bring a pot of water to a boil. We'll want to use more water so that the noodles cook faster, which leads to a more chewy, springy texture.

Spread the noodles  ( 15 oz ) out so they don't clump up when cooking.

With the stove still set to high heat, let the noodles cook in the boiling water for about 60 seconds.

Then, dunk them in cold water for a few seconds. After dunking them in cold water, we'll place them in the pot again for about 15-20 seconds.

Transfer the noodles to a bowl. We'll add a bit of olive oil  ( 1 tbsp ) to the noodles and mix it around.

Using other types of noodles

We talk about this more in the video, but if you're starting with frozen noodles (if you have a big batch for whatever reason), microwave the noodles for 30-60 seconds, and then spread them out before cooking them.

If you're using dried noodles, then you'll need to boil them for longer initially (around 2-4 minutes) before dunking them in cold water.

For our broth, we'll add water  ( 4 cup ) and chicken broth  ( 14 oz ) to the pot, and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, we'll add olive oil  ( 1 tbsp ) , which helps the bok choy keep its green color, along with some salt  ( 1 tsp ) . The bubbles might rise rapidly once you do this, so be careful!

Throw in the bok choy, stir for a bit, and cover the pot. With our stove still on high heat, we'll let the bok choy cook for about 1-2 minutes until the pot returns to a boil.

Then, we'll add fish sauce  ( 1 tbsp ) (a ton of umami!), sesame oil  ( 1 tsp ) , and white pepper  ( 0.25 tsp ) . Taste to see if you need any adjustments.

We'll dump the shrimp in as we start plating the bok choy on top of the noodles.

The shrimp only need about a minute to cook. You can tell they're ready once they've turned orange. When ready, plate the shrimp on the noodles.

We have a whole recipe and video on this, but if you're starting with raw wontons, you'll boil them for about 3-5 minutes until they start floating. We have some additional pro-tips for cooking in our wonton video so be sure to check the video out if you haven't seen it already.

Transfer the wontons onto the bowl of noodles, and carefully pour in the soup broth. Garnish with green onions.

Call your loved ones over! Time to eat :)

Summary

Print Recipe

Wonton Noodle Soup (云吞面)

Learn how to make this classic Cantonese comfort food at home!

• Prep Time: 15 min
• Total Time: 30 min
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

• 15 oz wonton noodles  (

  fresh, unsteamed

  )
• 30 wontons  (

  see our wonton recipe

  )
• 12 oz bok choy
• 1 piece green onion
• 8 piece shrimp  (

  peeled, deveined

  )

Broth & Flavors

• 14 oz chicken broth
• 4 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 0.25 tsp white pepper

Step 1 - Chop vegetables

↑ Jump to details

We'll start by washing and cutting our bok choy  ( 12 oz ) into quarters along the stem.

Then, we'll chop our green onions  ( 1 piece ) into small pieces.

(Assuming our shrimp  ( 8 piece ) are already deveined and peeled, we don't need to do anything to them.)

Step 2 - Cook noodles

↑ Jump to details

Set the stove to high heat and bring a pot of water to a boil. We'll want to use more water so that the noodles cook faster, which leads to a more chewy, springy texture.

Spread the noodles  ( 15 oz ) out so they don't clump up when cooking.

With the stove still set to high heat, let the noodles cook in the boiling water for about 60 seconds.

Then, dunk them in cold water for a few seconds. After dunking them in cold water, we'll place them in the pot again for about 15-20 seconds.

Transfer the noodles to a bowl. We'll add a bit of olive oil  ( 1 tbsp ) to the noodles and mix it around.

Using other types of noodles

We talk about this more in the video, but if you're starting with frozen noodles (if you have a big batch for whatever reason), microwave the noodles for 30-60 seconds, and then spread them out before cooking them.

If you're using dried noodles, then you'll need to boil them for longer initially (around 2-4 minutes) before dunking them in cold water.

Step 3 - Create broth & cook bok choy

↑ Jump to details

For our broth, we'll add water  ( 4 cup ) and chicken broth  ( 14 oz ) to the pot, and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, we'll add olive oil  ( 1 tbsp ) , which helps the bok choy keep its green color, along with some salt  ( 1 tsp ) . The bubbles might rise rapidly once you do this, so be careful!

Throw in the bok choy, stir for a bit, and cover the pot. With our stove still on high heat, we'll let the bok choy cook for about 1-2 minutes until the pot returns to a boil.

Then, we'll add fish sauce  ( 1 tbsp ) (a ton of umami!), sesame oil  ( 1 tsp ) , and white pepper  ( 0.25 tsp ) . Taste to see if you need any adjustments.

Step 4 - Cook shrimp, transfer bok choy

↑ Jump to details

We'll dump the shrimp in as we start plating the bok choy on top of the noodles.

The shrimp only need about a minute to cook. You can tell they're ready once they've turned orange. When ready, plate the shrimp on the noodles.

Step 5 - Cook wontons

↑ Jump to details

We have a whole recipe and video on this, but if you're starting with raw wontons, you'll boil them for about 3-5 minutes until they start floating. We have some additional pro-tips for cooking in our wonton video so be sure to check the video out if you haven't seen it already.

Step 6 - Plate

↑ Jump to details

Transfer the wontons onto the bowl of noodles, and carefully pour in the soup broth. Garnish with green onions.

Call your loved ones over! Time to eat :)

Step 7 - Take pictures

Whip out your camera (1). Begin taking photos (1,000,000). Pick your favorites!

Did you have fun making this recipe? We'd love to see & hear about it. (Especially my dad. He would be THRILLED!)

Enjoy!

My sister and I have many, many happy memories enjoying this dish growing up.

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and my family.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.

williamstury1994.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.madewithlau.com/recipes/wonton-noodle-soup

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