What is Kung Op Woon Sen?
The name describes the dish: kung is shrimp, op means to cook in a closed vessel, woon sen is glass noodles. The recipe comes from Thai-Chinese cooking. In Bangkok you get it in a clay pot, often with large river prawns that the cook lays on slices of pork belly and ginger. Whole white peppercorns and cilantro root go with it, pounded with the garlic in a mortar.
The right ingredients
- Glass noodles: Use glass noodles made from mung bean starch. They stay springy when cooked and turn translucent. Noodles made from sweet potato starch, like those for japchae, are thicker and chewier. Soak the noodles in cold water for 10 minutes and cut them with scissors into pieces 15 cm long.
- Shrimp: Raw shrimp with shell and head give the most flavor, and the fat from the heads runs into the noodles. Thaw peeled frozen shrimp in the refrigerator and pat them dry.
- Sauces: Oyster sauce brings sweetness and gloss, fish sauce the salt. For a darker color, add 1 tsp of dark soy sauce, and the article on light and dark soy sauce explains the difference.
- Gluten: Soy sauce and many oyster sauces contain wheat. For a gluten-free version, use tamari and a gluten-free oyster sauce.
How to get glass noodles with shrimp right
In the oven
Stir the broth into the sauce before you mix in the noodles and shrimp. Without liquid, the glass noodles dry out in the oven and turn hard at the edge. Cover the dish with a lid or foil and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes at 200 °C (390 °F). The shrimp are done as soon as they are pink and white inside.
In a pot on the stove
Without a clay pot, use a heavy pot with a lid. Lay 3 to 4 thin slices of pork belly or bacon and a few slices of ginger on the bottom, the noodles on top and the shrimp over them. Cook everything over medium heat with the lid closed for 10 to 12 minutes. The bacon renders at the bottom, and its fat seasons the noodles and keeps them from burning.
Common mistakes
- Noodles soaked too long: They turn mushy when cooked. 10 minutes in cold water is enough.
- Shrimp overcooked: They turn rubbery. Check them after 15 minutes.
- Skimping on pepper: Pepper is the main seasoning here. 1 tsp of freshly ground pepper is right for 2 servings.
Variations
With crab instead of shrimp, the dish is called pu op woon sen. You know glass noodles stir-fried in a wok from Pad Thai Woon Sen, and cold as a salad with shrimp and lime from Yum Woon Sen.
What to serve with it
As a main dish, the recipe card serves 2 people. With jasmine rice and a second dish such as Tom Yum Goong, you can share it among four. A dip of lime juice, fish sauce, garlic and green chili, called nam jim seafood in Thailand, adds acidity and heat.
