Minced Pork 'Handmade' Noodles (U-Mian) Soup - The Deception Version

Generally children are fun, but not when they are being fussy at the meal table. Recently, buddy "R" was telling me that the food she cooked was always planned to ensure sufficient nutrition for her children. However they tend to compare it with those sold outside (full of MSG) which made her disheartened at times. 

Perhaps we can try the art of 'visual deception' with slight difference in tastes while cooking.  Tonight I will try to cook Minced Pork 'Handmade' Noodles Soup aka U-Mian Soup with my remaining minced pork, vegetables, and eggs in the fridge. It is easy, does not need hours to boil a bone stock base, and has no MSG added.

Let me first show you a picture of a typical bowl of U-Mian Soup that is sold in Singapore foodcourts and coffeeshops. I will try to cook a similar bowl but of much healthier contents. 

A bowl of U-Mian / Ban Mian Soup from an outside eatery

My Bowl of U-Mian Soup... :X

My Ingredients

Minced Pork U-Mian Soup (Serves 2)

Main Ingredients

100 gm Minced Pork (pre-marinated with 2 tsps Light Soy Sauce, 2 tsps Cornflour, some Ground White Pepper, 1 tsp Sesame Oil)

200 gm Handmade Noodles (ready-packed from Sheng Siong Supermarket, may use Japanese Somen as substitute)

Side Ingredients

2 bunches Xiao Bai Cai (stalks separated n washed clean)

2 Dried Mushrooms (soaked and sliced thin)

(A) 1 tbsp Dried Ikan Bilis (washed clean, set aside)

(B) 1 tbsp Dried Ikan Bilis (washed clean, chopped to bits and tied in filter cloth)

2 Eggs

2 Shallots (sliced thinly)

Seasonings

2 tsps Light Soy Sauce

1 pinch Sea Salt

1 tsp Sesame Oil

Few dashes of Ground White Pepper

Frying Condiment

1 tbsp Grapeseed Oil

Steps

1. Heat Grapeseed Oil in wok using medium-low heat 

2. Add Shallots and (A) Dried Ikan Bilis to stir fry till light brown & crispy. Remove from wok.

3. Add sliced Mushrooms and half of marinated Minced Pork into the wok. 

4. Stir fry Minced Pork till loosely scattered and cooked.

5. Pour 5 chinabowls of water, and add (B) Dried Ikan Bilis Pack into wok.

6. Cover wok and boil contents for 15 minutes using medium heat.

7. Add Xiao Bai Cai and remaining Minced Pork (formed into bigger balls) to cook for 5 minutes.

8. Remove Xiao Bai Cai and Pork balls from the wok and set aside.

9. Add Light Soy Sauce, Sea Salt and Ground White Pepper into wok. 

10. Boil soup for another 5 minutes and switch off heat. Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.

11. In a separate pot of boiling water, blanch U-Mian for 3 minutes, drain off water & set aside.

12. (After 30 minutes) Reheat wok of soup using medium high heat till boil, discard (B) Pack.

13. Add blanched U-Mian and crack the Eggs into the soup, count till 20, off the heat.

14. Serve wok contents equally into 2 bowls. 

15. Garnish with Xiao Bai Cai, Minced Pork Balls, Fried Ikan Bilis & Shallots, drizzle Sesame Oil.