Wonton Noodles

A day ahead, prepare the pickled green chilies so they have time to marinate before serving.

Mix all the wonton filling ingredients (ground pork, shrimp, egg white, ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon powder, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and white pepper) until well combined.

Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper (chicken, mushroom, or tofu can be swapped in for all or part of the pork and shrimp if you prefer).

Dab a little water around the edges of the wrapper, then fold it into a triangle.

Pinch the two bottom corners of the triangle together to form the classic ingot shape, or simply leave it as a triangle.

Repeat until all the filling and wrappers are used, then set the wontons aside until ready to cook.

For the garlic oil, heat the vegetable oil in a small pan over low-medium heat.

Add the minced garlic and fry gently until golden and crisp.

Transfer the fried garlic and its oil to a heatproof bowl and set aside — this is your garlic oil for the seasoning sauce later.

For the mushroom sauce, soak the dried black mushrooms in the warm water until soft.

Squeeze the excess water from the mushrooms (reserving the soaking liquid), then thinly slice the mushrooms.

Heat a small saucepan and stir-fry the lightly pounded garlic with the sliced mushrooms for 1 minute.

Add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, the water, chicken bouillon powder, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and mushroom-flavored soy sauce (if using); bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes to let the mushroom sauce develop flavor.

Season the sauce with salt and white pepper to taste, stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken, then set aside covered.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Blanch the choy sum until just tender-crisp, then drain and set aside.

In the same pot, cook the wontons in batches for 1–2 minutes until done, stirring occasionally, then drain and set aside (or reserve to serve in a bowl of chicken broth garnished with spring onions).

Spoon the seasoning sauce (thick dark soy sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and the reserved garlic oil) into the bottom of a shallow serving bowl.

Bring the pot of water back to a rolling boil and cook one bundle of fresh wonton noodles for about 30 seconds, or until your desired texture — a strong, almost ammonia-like smell when the noodles first hit the water is normal and is what gives them their signature springy snap.

Drain the noodles in a large sieve and rinse briefly under cold running water for about 5 seconds to stop the cooking and firm up the texture.

Dip the noodles back into the boiling water for a few seconds just to rewarm them.

Transfer the noodles to the serving bowl and toss well with the seasoning sauce until evenly coated.

Add about 6 tablespoons of the mushroom sauce and toss again.

Sprinkle with a dash of ground white pepper.

Garnish with the blanched choy sum, cooked wontons, and sliced char siu pork (swap in chicken char siu for a halal-friendly version if you like).

Serve immediately with the pickled green chilies on the side, plus a bowl of wonton soup if desired.