RICE noodles in Egg Gravy or Wat Tan Hor (Fun) is a popular classic Cantonese street food served at hawker centres, food courts and even in restaurants. It has a characteristic char achieved by searing flat rice noodles in a wok or large frypan over high heat until it picks up smokey accents from the wok (known as wok hei in local lingo). The noodles mingling with meat and/or seafood are smothered in a lip-smacking, eggy gravy.
Total Time: 1½ hours
Difficulty: 1/5
Cost: S$10.00
Serves: 8 persons
A: Chicken Stock
1 whole chicken carcass
4 cloves, garlic, skin on
B: Noodles, Sauces
2.3kg rice noodles, loosened
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon oil
C: Assorted Meat
120g pork or chicken, sliced
20 fish balls, cut into halves
1 fish cake, sliced
D: Vegetables
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
580g bok choy, washed, separated and cut
2 eggs, lightly beaten
E: Cornstarch Slurry
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 teaspoons water
DIRECTIONS:
1. To cook chicken stock: Bring 2 litres water to a rolling boil. Add bones and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer for 1½ hours. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Meanwhile, prepare ingredients and assemble on a large plate.
3. To cook noodles: Pour 1 tablespoon oil into a wok or frying pan. Toss in garlic and cook until light brown. Add noodles to cook until they take on a slight char. Pour in sauces and stir it into the noodles until they are evenly coated.
4. Drain chicken stock of carcass and garlic, then discard. Add in C ingredients starting with fish balls, fish cake, carrot and vegetable stems. Add meat and vegetable leaves — cook for 5 minutes. Do not overcook as meat will toughen.
5. Pour in E ingredients. Using a fork or whisk, stir continually while pouring in cornstarch slurry. Cook over medium low heat until gravy thickens.
6. In a rice bowl, lightly beat eggs with a fork until just blended.
7. Gently pour in beaten egg, stirring vigorously with a whisk or a fork until swirls form. Turn heat off immediately.
8. Divide noodles between 7-8 persons. Using a ladle, scoop sauce over each serving portion.
9. Serve immediately with homemade or store-bought sambal and fresh calamansi lime.
TIP: Substitute pork with any meat of your preference. You can also add seafood like prawns and squid.
TECHNIQUE: For the egg drop sauce, timing is critical. Turn heat to high — as it bubbles, pour in beaten egg whisking vigorously with chopsticks or a fork to create runny egg threads. Turn heat off immediately.
Photos: Adeline Song Jun Ling
Click on STORM-Asia/food for more recipes and reviews of restaurants.
If you have a simple recipe to share, please email it whipitup@storm.sg.
You may like to try these recipes:
Beijing-style Guo Tie Tofu With Prawns
