地道雲吞麵“大揭秘” Deconstructing wonton noodles

Deconstructing Wonton Noodles

地道雲吞麵“大揭秘”

Wonton noodles is one of Cantonese cuisine’s most iconic dishes. Janice Leung Hayes visits Mak An Kee in Sheung Wan, one of Hong Kong’s most famous wonton noodle restaurants, to find out exactly what goes into a perfect bowl. Illustration: Sarene Chan

雲吞麵是中國八大菜系粵菜的代表作之一，蜚聲海內外。近日，Janice Leung Hayes 拜訪位於上環的麥奀記餐廳，這間餐廳出品的雲吞麵備受歡迎。一碗完美雲吞麵的神秘面紗能否就此揭開呢？作畫：Sarene Chan

The noodles 煙韌手工竹昇麵

The noodles used at Mak’s consist of flour, duck eggs and kansui (a solution of potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate). This is similar to most wonton noodles in town, but the noodl dough here is kneaded the old-fashioned way – with a bamboo pole. The pole is tethered to the workbench, and the noodle maker straddles the pole, bouncing up and down to knead the dough. The kansui adds alkalinity turning the dough yellow and creating that firm, al dente feel.

麥奀記的麵條原料很簡單，與其他雲吞麵鋪大同小異：麵粉、鴨蛋以及鹼水（主要成分為碳酸鉀和碳酸氫鈉，可讓麵條有韌性）。但是，關鍵就在於麵團的揉壓工藝上，一支手臂粗的竹竿就是秘密武器。竹竿一端固定在工作台上（類似摇摇板），師傅跨坐竹竿，上下彈動竹竿來揉壓麵團。鹼水中的鹼令麵條呈現黃色，并使麵團煙韌、有嚼頭。

The filling 彈牙原隻鮮蝦餡料

Prawns are the norm for wontons, and while many shops fill theirs with a combination of prawns and minced fatty pork, Mak’s version contain only prawns. To season and heighten the intensity of the prawns, a generous amount of shrimp roe is mixed in, along with powdered dried flounder. So Kong-shing, who runs the shop, says the mixture must be tossed around rigorously to develop the proteins in the prawns, which creates the desirable texture often described as “crunchiness”.

鮮蝦餡是雲吞麵的標配，也有很多麵店會出售鮮蝦肥豬肉餡的雲吞麵，在餡料中拌入切碎的肥豬肉。麥奀記只出售鮮蝦餡的雲吞麵；此外，店家還會在餡料中加入蝦子和大地魚粉來調味並突出蝦肉的鮮味。店長蘇先生說道：“混合好的餡料要大力攪拌，蝦肉中蛋白質舒展開，才會出現想要的 “卜卜脆”口感。”

The wrapper 雲吞皮薄如紙

Like all wonton wrappers, plain wheat flour is used. The mark of a good dumpling is in its thickness – it should be so thin that you can almost see the exact ingredients of the filling. Wontons are made at the restaurant daily, into the classic “goldfish tail” shape. This is achieved by folding the square wrapper in half diagonally, and only using a small amount of wrapping. When cooked, the pointed corners float about in the broth, making them look like goldfish.

麥奀記使用的雲吞皮與一般的無異，由普通的小麥粉製成。一粒上乘的雲吞在於“薄”，皮薄如紙，包裹的餡料若隱若現。店家每天都會在店內即場包製雲吞，取少量餡料放入雲吞皮，將方形麵皮往內一折，輕輕一壓，經典的“金魚尾”雲吞就包好了。烹煮時，雲吞在清湯里舒展，宛如一隻隻金魚在水中嬉戲。

The broth 鮮香清湯底

Pork bones, shrimp roe and dried flounder are the main ingredients of the broth. The dried flounder is toasted in an empty wok to caramelise and intensify the natural sweetness of the fish. Pork bones are used to round out the seafood-heavy flavour. After more than three hours of simmering, the resulting broth is clear like a consommé.

湯底由豬骨、蝦子和大地魚熬制而成。熬製湯底前，會將大地魚粉放入一隻空鍋里炒香，從而帶出魚肉的鮮味。豬骨是為了中和海鮮中的海腥味，讓湯底味鮮而不腥。經歷三個小時的精煮慢燉，湯色清透，味道鮮香。

The garnishes 配料錦上添花

As the broth has only a minimal amount of fat, its texture can seem harsh and leave the tongue feeling dry. A dash of sesame oil is added to each bowl giving the broth more body and fragrance. Just before serving, a dash of light soy sauce and chopped Chinese chives are sprinkled over the top.

由於湯底中的油量低，會使雲吞麵不夠潤滑，入口較乾。在碗中加入幾滴芝麻油可以增加湯底的層次和芳香；上菜前，再滴幾滴生抽豉油，撒上少少蔥粒，增香增色。