food

Mak’s Chee wonton noodles hits the mark with 100-year-old recipe

BY YAP PIK KUAN
January 16, 2016

Every bowl of wonton noodles comes with a generous helping of four delicious wontons. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 16, 2016.Wonton has always been a staple in Chinese cuisine but it wasn't until the 1920s that Mak Woon Chee, in his humble stall in Guangzhou, became the first person to replace the usual pork filling with prawn. 

Paired with thin noodles, his creation took hold and soon people were flocking to the stall for a taste of his wonton noodles. Mak could even count prominent Chinese political leader, Chiang Kai-shek, as a patron.

Mak was succeeded by his son, Mak En, after the family moved to Hong Kong. The business blossomed into various family-run restaurants including Mak's Noodle, Chung Kee, Mak Siu Kee and Mak Ming Kee. Mak's noodles proved so popular that they were Michelin-recommended from 2009 to 2011.

Now, Mak En's son-in-law, master chef Johnny Yu, has brought the family's 100-year-old wonton noodle recipe to Malaysia with the opening of Mak's Chee in One Utama.

We were lucky enough to sample their dishes in a pre-opening review session.

The signature sea prawn wonton noodle soup (RM12.90) was served like those typically found in Hong Kong, where at first glance all you can see is noodles. The wontons were actually hidden underneath.

Each bowl is made up of three simple components: noodles, broth and wontons.

According to chef Yu, Mak's noodles have to be thin, springy and smooth. It definitely ticked all the boxes and was hands down the thinnest and springiest noodles I've ever had the pleasure of eating. With every bite, I could quite literally feel the noodles bouncing back against my teeth. 

The wontons, delicately shaped into their signature goldfish form, were bouncy and smooth. The skin was so thin that it was amazing that it could hold together!

The prawns inside were whole and unbelievably fresh, juicy and sweet. We also ordered them deep-fried (RM16.90) and crunched through the crisp, bite-sized morsels in minutes.

Bringing the whole dish together was the broth which, while very clear-tasting, was full of depth. There were savoury notes coming from imported dried halibut, prawn roe and pork bones, which gave the soup a full-bodied flavour.

We also tried the prawn roe noodle soup (RM12.90) which features a sprinkle of imported dried prawn roe scattered over otherwise plain noodles.

WhileWhether in soup or deep-fried, the wontons were some of the best I've had. – The Malaysian Insider pic, January 16, 2016. the dish may seem basic, the prawn roe actually changed the character of the broth. If the wonton noodle soup was on the savoury end, the broth with added roe took on a sweet, almost smoky, flavour.

For the best of both worlds, you can add prawn roe to the wonton noodle soup for an extra RM5.

The dry noodles offered a little more variety with toppings ranging from sMaster chef Johnny Yu handling the noodles. – Pic courtesy of Mak's Chee, January 16, 2016.weet and sour pork (RM14.90) to Hong Kong kailan (RM14.90). We went for the braised beef tendon (RM15.90).

The noodles were as springy as ever and the tendon was soft and chewy.

The gravy, however, was flavoured with a sweet spice (I detected cinnamon or star anise), which I found didn't quite complement the savoury aspect of the dish. This may be a bit of an acquired taste.

Each serving is made small to maintain the freshness of every component.

While some may be apprehensive about the pricing (despite claims by the owner that Malaysia's Mak's Chee is the cheapest in the world), the wonton noodles are definitely well worth a try.

Mak's Chee will officially open their doors today with a lion dance and yee sang tossing.

Visitors can even catch chef Yu demonstrating how to wrap a wonton, goldfish-style. Kids aged nine to 15 can give it a go in their "Wrap That Wonton Contest" and stand to win "Kung Fu Panda 3" movie tickets and other exciting prizes. – January 16, 2016.

Mak's Chee | Address: Lot LG 311D (opposite Cold Storage), One Utama, Bandar Utama, 47800, Petaling Jaya, Selangor | Opening hours: 11am – 10pm daily | GPS coordinates: 3.151118, 101.614770 | Non-halal