Cheap & Good: Healthier wonton mee

The Straits Times recently compiled a list of its food critics' top picks for wonton noodles, which is available exclusively on the new food website straitstimesfood.com.

Just type "wonton noodles" in the search bar to see it.

Last week, I found another stall to add to the list - Jian Kang Noodles at Commonwealth Crescent Market.

Jian Kang is Mandarin for healthy, but apparently the stall's name is a combination of the names of the two brothers who own it.

Still, the version here, all things considered, is pretty healthy.

A serving of dry wonton noodles (from $3) comes with a plump, full stalk of blanched dark leafy vegetable and we all know how important vegetables are in our diet.

This is the only stall I've come across that is so generous in dishing out the greens. At most stalls, the vegetable is an afterthought.

The roughly cut pieces of char siew here are also very lean, which means they are healthier too.

But lean doesn't mean dry. The pork is just moist enough, has good bite and a nice smoky char.

What stands out are the springy noodles, which are tossed in a generous amount of flavourful sauce - a mix of chilli and condiments including dark soya sauce and sesame oil. And the stall doesn't stint on the sauce. There's enough to coat every strand.

The wontons, served in a cloudy soup, are delicious too. The filling is well seasoned and the skins are smooth and silky. All the components of this dish come together well.

The sui gao (prawn and pork dumplings) were sold out when I had lunch there last week. So head down in the morning if you don't want to miss out.

The stall also serves wonton noodles in soup (from $3) and pork rib noodles (from $3.50).

I will try the pork ribs on my next visit.

This article was first published on November 20, 2016.
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