Home-style ── Machi-chuka (Japanese-Chinese diner food)
Wantan-men
Wantan-men — wontons floated in light ramen soup, usually with a meat-heavy filling
Wontons wrapped around minced pork and similar fillings, floated in a light soy- or salt-based ramen soup. In Japan the filling leans toward meat, which sets it apart from Hong Kong's shrimp-led version.
Lineage
What it's made of
Wontons, wrapped in thin skins, drift in a light soy- or salt-based ramen soup. The smooth skins slide into the mouth along with the noodles, and biting through releases the savor of minced pork. In Japan the filling uses plenty of meat, and it is said to differ in flavor from Hong Kong's, which is led by shrimp.
How it's made
A thin sheet of dough kneaded with water is wrapped around seasoned minced pork and chopped scallion, boiled, and floated in soup. Pairing those wontons with a bowl of soy- or salt-flavored ramen makes wantan-men. Few ramen shops treat it as a side item, and it is more often served as a dish in Chinese restaurants.
Why it took this shape
In the north the dumpling is called huntun, while in Guangdong and Fujian it is pronounced 'wantan'. The character 'unton', clouds swallowed, was matched to the same sound because the dumplings floating in soup look like clouds in the sky. Eating wontons together with noodles is said not to be a widespread custom in China, so in Japan it reads as having been folded into ramen as one bowl.
Before You Go
- Yokohama ChinatownSaid to be one of the largest Chinatowns in Japan, with more than 150 Chinese restaurants and food shops. Offerings range widely from street snacks to formal course meals.
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Dishes in the same style
- Annin-dofuA dessert descended from Chinese medicinal cooking that uses apricot kernels. In Japan it is often made with milk and almond essence, and the Hong Kong style of fruit and jelly floating in syrup took hold at Chinese restaurants and in school lunches.
- BambanjiSteamed chicken pulled into shreds and dressed with a sauce rich in ground sesame, served cold. It is based on a Sichuan dish, and in Japan a milder, sweeter sesame sauce with cucumber and other vegetables became the norm.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Related lineage
- ShumaiA Yokohama specialty of ground pork and onion wrapped in a thin skin and steamed. Inspired by dim sum from Chinatown, a station bento version made it famous nationwide, and the city is said to still lead the country in shumai consumption.
- GyozaA Chinese-derived dumpling of wheat wrappers folded around a minced filling. In Japan the pan-fried style dominates, and the wrapper's thinness, the vegetable mix, and the dipping sauce each carry local character, with some cities promoting it as a citywide specialty.