Hong Kong Style Instant Noodles 港式公仔面
“Gong Zai” Noodles with Ham 火腿公仔面
“Gong Zai” Noodles with Luncheon Meat 午餐肉公仔面
Because I keep a food blog, I think many may assume that I must eat well at home. The truth is that I don’t cook every day, and I eat my fair share of fast food and instant noodles. And I eat instant noodles not just for the convenience, I love the MSG flavourings and the texture of the noodles =P I am also quite fussy about how my instant noodles are done – they have to be firm and the soup is usually cooked separately because I don’t like the waxy water after cooking the noodles.
One of my fave brands of instant noodles is Nissin‘s chu qian yi ding (出前一丁). The noodles are ‘q’ (Chinese equivalent to al dente?) to the bite and the sesame oil flavouring is so aromatic. It is used by Hong Kong tea cafes (cha can ting 茶餐订) for their “Gong Zai” noodles (公仔面, gong zai mian). When I was in Hong Kong, I looked forward to waking up in the morning to enjoy this simple dish to start my day. Gong zai mian is cooked with chu qian yi ding noodles, and the soup is usually replaced with the cafe’s own soup broth (there are dry versions as well), with a variety of toppings to choose from.
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Chu Qian Yi Ding noodles packaging with the cute boy mascot
I asked around and was told that “gong zai” means “doll” or “puppet” in Cantonese. So I guessed the noodles were named this way due to the cute boy mascot on the packaging?
Update from mordaciter from Hong Kong who shared via comment on the origins of the name “gong zai”. Thanks mordaciter :)
“This type of noodle is called “gong zai” noodle not because of the cute character on the bag. In fact, there’s another brand of instant noodles in HK that was more popular before Nissin arrived, and that brand is called Doll Brand (Gong Zai Meen in Canto). So that’s why people still refer to instant ramen as “gong zai” noodles, even though Nissin is much more popular than Doll Brand these days. (I’ve tasted Doll Brand before and it’s not bad as well.)“
“Gong Zai” Noodles with Ham 火腿公仔面
At home, I whip up my simple version of gong zai mian by adding a sunny side up egg and some veggies, along with some ham or luncheon meat slices. Since I didn’t have the chance to travel to Hong Kong for the past few years despite missing the place so terribly, this will be a cheap way for me to reminisce about Hong Kong until I have a chance to go again, hehe
If you have other toppings ideas for gong zai mian, please share them with me in the comments section :)
Ingredients
(serves 1)
- 1 packet of Nissin chu qian yi ding instant noodles 出前一丁 (I use original flavour)
- your own soup broth (or use the packet seasonings) plus the sesame oil sachet
- 1 to 2 ham slices or 3 slices luncheon meat
- 1 sunny side up egg*
- some oil
- 1 small bunch of baby bok choy 小白菜 (you can substitute with other veggies such as lettuce or peas)
- chopped spring onions (garnishing)* Directions for making sunny side up egg
Crack the egg without breaking the yolk into a small bowl. Heat up a wok and grease it with oil. To cook perfect sunny side egg, carefully pour the egg into the wok, and try to position the yolk in the middle surrounded by the egg white. After about two minutes, loosen the edges a bit, and let the egg cook for a few more minutes till the yolk is about half cooked. Carefully remove from pan and set aside.Directions
1. Cook baby bok choy in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Set aside.
2. Cook the instant noodles in boiling water. Drain and set aside. Discard water.
3. Pan fry the luncheon meat slices for a few minutes each side till crisp. If using ham slices, just heat up both sides for a while. Set aside.
4. To assemble, add your own soup broth plus the sesame oil seasoning. What I did was I added the packet seasonings on top of the noodles, pour boiling water over and stir to mix it in. Then I added the sesame oil, and assembled the meat, veggies and sunny egg on top. Garnish with some spring onions.
“Gong Zai” Noodles with Luncheon Meat 午餐肉公仔面
Psst … if you have leftover luncheon meat, try my fried rice with luncheon meat recipe.
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{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
You manage to make every single texture you cook look tantalizing, whether it’s soupy, crispy, noodle-y…..how do you do it? I’m also curious how long an average photoshoot, like this one, takes you to set up/photograph? Your food must get cold I imagine.
Looks good!:wink:
You are making me feel sheepish because I think your photos are way better than mine. I’m really the noob here lol
Average photoshoot I would say about 10 minutes, more or less depending on how hungry I am, lol. Sometimes when I am too hungry, I didn’t take any photos and have to cook it again :D
Yum yum! I too default to instant noodles when I need a quick dinner!
Your pictures always make me drool on my keyboard. I love Nissan noodles as well, I bought 10 packs from Park N Shop the other day.
This type of noodle is called “gong zai” noodle not because of the cute character on the bag. In fact, there’s another brand of instant noodle in HK that was more popular before Nissan arrived, and that brand is called Doll Brand (Gong Zai Meen in Canto). So that’s why people still refer to instant ramen as gongzai noodle, even though Nissan is much more popular than Doll Brand these days. (I’ve tasted Doll Brand before and it’s not bad as well.)
Hey girl, thanks so much for your clarification! I’ve updated your explanation on my blog post. I’m so grateful. I didn’t know there was a doll brand, I got to find it when I go HK next time, just for comparison ;)
I love instant noodles….!! So unhealthy, but I just love them and can’t get enough of them. I try to reduce my intake of instant noodles, but there are times when I just crave for them. My favourite instant noodle is actually an Indonesian brand called ‘Indomie’ – Mie goreng flavour. I also love instant korean noodles and ‘Yum Yum’ – duck flavour – a Thai brand – the noodle texture is not very good but the soup is delicious. It’s funny, because I also wanted to post about instant noodles a few days ago in my blog, but haven’t done so yet, just because I just couldn’t take good shots of the noodles. You’re a pro in photography!
Oh I love the “Indomie Mee Goreng” as well! It was my childhood fave, where I didn’t dare to take much chilli then and I love dry instant noodles. Nowadays I eat the “Myojo char mee” which is also a dry version but with chilli spice :up:
I’m definitely not a pro in photography. Took several attempts to take the photos as well, and there is much room for improvement in the final result :P Thanks for your kind words! :)
I used to eat a lot when I was staying alone. But now, my hubby is an anti-instant noodles person. So I was also influenced by him and stop eating it for a long time. ;)
That’s good news actually, coz it shows you are eating healthy. I’m now living on my own and still eating instant noodles! Noooo …
I’m a closet instant noodle lover too. (I also love luncheon meat). I noticed that the same brand of noodles in Taiwan are thicker and chewier than the ones in the US, which is really too bad. I guess I’ll have to stock up on my next visit!
Maybe they made some adaptations to suit the western palate. Asian noodles tend to have a more springy texture :-)
A big bowl of noodles with an egg and some veggies sounds fantastic!
Quick dinner with instant noodles, very interesting option when you’re in hectic days.
With lot of vegs can be a perfect meal also :)
Cheers!
Gera
you make the instant noodles look fabulous!
I like my noodle texture ‘Q Q’ too! It seems like cooking instant noodle also require skill! I like Nissin Tonkatsu flavour..yummy!
I think I tried the Nissin Tonkatsu in Tokyo before (yes I cooked instant noodles for supper when I’m overseas :P) and it’s good stuff!
Instant noodles, I love it!! Oh my, I’m hungry now…
ä¸ç§‹èŠ‚å¿«ä¹ï¼ï¼ï¼ :lol:
Thank you! Hope you had a great mid autumn’s day :-)
Instant noodles never looked this good! I have to admit, I love instant noodles too. There are times I didn’t feel like eating anything else except instant noodles. The way you’ve prepared this is delicious!
Love instant noodle too, a quick lunch for me. Usually, I was too lazy to provide any topping. :P
Sometimes I love it plain too. Just noodles and the msg-laden soup is blissful too :wink:
Instant noodle is my guilty pleasure. Once in a while, I must have my fix. :)
Hi 5! It’s a guilty pleasure for many of us :-)
I haven’t eaten instant noodles recently, but I like 出å‰ä¸€ä¸, too. I like the flavor of sesame :D oil in ramen.
Love these noodles! I see that the packaging for your area is different than what is imported into the US. Or maybe it is because I haven’t had one of these for a year now! I also like it with the egg but I haven’t added meat or vegetables before. Usually serve those on the side.
You haven’t had instant noodles for a year? That’s a good sign, heh :up:
I would love to have it anytime of the day. :) Here, I can’t find the seafood noodles soup for Chu Qian Yi Ding. That’s delicious.
I gotta try the seafood one from Chu Qian Yi Ding next time. I’ve only tried seafood for Nissin cup noodles and it’s my fave cup noodles.
Gimme five! Tell me about it … the assumption that food bloggers feast everyday! That’s why I did a post on leftovers … to show that the reverse is true :) I actually ta-pau as often as I cook! How not to, in SG? And I never allow my inventory of instant noodles to run low ;) Great post, great pics!
Thanks! Yea I “ta pau” and had my fair share of sloppy eats and kitchen disasters, and it’s more often than not, opps hehe :|
I did not know they use Chu Qian Yi Ding brand for Gong Zai noodles. I used to like Tung-I also…for the Q texture.
Tung-I? I have to try it sometime :-)
Instant noodles are the bomb. I have some that I’ve been trying to decide what to do with. Never would have thought to put a fried egg on top, I might just have to try that out.
Man that looks good… My personal favorite is Sapporo Ichiban and like you, I have to have it almost firm. I can tell by the look of the noodle when it’s still thin, but just about see-through. If it’s overcooked I can’t STAND it.
Hi, I have not tried Sapporo Ichiban before but it sounds delish and I hope to try it soon. You have a really nice blog, thanks for visiting me and I’m glad to discover your site :)
Once in a while I like instant noodles…my favorite one is the one that has soy bean paste, I cannot remember the name, but sure can identify it at the store. Like you I al ways add veggies and egg :-) Yours look very inviting…
hehehe wah! chut chin yat ding! it’s super popular in hk, you normally have to add HK$2 to get this (or they use”fook” noodles).
I like fook noodles more as the texture is more forgiving when overcooked.
I like my chut chin yat ding almost raw, simply dipped into hot water for a super short period of time, and i have to pretty much inhale it. cos it gets soggy so freaking rapidly…the local hongkongers love love LOVE this noodle so so SO much…
well done for doing yours almost exactly like the char chan teng version, only healthier (with veggie hehe), most popular toppings are: ng heung yuk ding (spiced pork cubes), satay beef, or suet choi yuk si (preserved veggie with meat pieces)
I’m adding “fook” noodles to the list of foods to try if I go HK :-)
It’s nothing like having someone living in HK to tell me about HK food.
I think I’ve tried the spiced pork version before but I almost forgot the taste because it’s been so long! I think it’s some brand of canned pork cubes? Hope you feature it on your site one day ;)
We love this at home too!! My husband calls it 安然消é‚é¢ after that Stephen Chow’s show. LOL This is his comfort food. ;) But we prefer Tung-1 instant noodles. Sometimes, I used it to make ç‚¸é…±é¢ too.
oh my family is a huge fan of 周星驰 as well. Just hearing his name alone made me wanna lol :D
I really need to try this Tung-1 instant noodles (tigerfish commented about them too). It sounds like a great idea to use it for 炸酱é¢. Thanks for the tips :)
Glad to hear you like Hong Kong food : )
Nothing beats the original 出å‰ä¸€ä¸ with sesame oil…brings back childhood memories in HK when I’d have it for breakfast (or dinner if my mum’s too lazy to cook!) Having said that Indomie or Nissan cup noodle (spicy seafood or chilli crab) are great for a late night snack! :D
btw I love your little emoticons – how does it work?
Hi there! At first I confused you with the commenter above you, coz her blog name is gourmet traveller too, but with an 88, hee
I think we share similar tastes in instant noodles :-)
You see those smilies below the type box? Just click once and the code for the smiley will appear in the type box, and the smiley will appear in your comment when it’s published. You don’t have to copy and paste the path. Is that what you’re asking?
Thanks for visiting me :-)
yum~! you make even the simplest dishes look good!
Thank you! you are too kind :-)
I’ve been following your blog for quite a while and enjoying your wealth of good recipes. When Foodista announced that they are going to publish the best food blogs in a full color book that will be published by Andrews McMeel Publishing Fall 2010, I naturally thought of you. This recipe would be a good submission! You can enter here: http://www.foodista.com/blogbook/submit
Cheers,
Melissa
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oh! oh! you instant noodle lovers have to try the korean seaweed noodles (four seas seaweed instant noodles) and from hong kong, we love noodle king’s many different flavours.
whenever we travel we always check out the local supermarket pr 7-11 equivalent for instant noodles to try. having a midnight noodle snack is the kid’s fav part of the trip. crazy huh
wow such gd noodles. anyway i tried this recipe with the eggs poached in the soup w/out the noodles yet and it tasted so good cause of the eggs taking in the flavour of the soup. got this idea in hong kong when i ate the instant noodles with wonton, poached eggs and chilli added to the soupy meal. wah believe me it tasted so gd. think u should try this alternative ;)
Hi Wiffy. Love your blog, your recipes, etc. I discovered you when I was looking for aglio olio recipe online and made mine with just mushrooms and it was great! Thank you. Just want to share my humble opinion on instant noodles. Samyang brand of Korean inst noodles is good, esp hot mushroom and kimchi flavours. I like this brand cos they don’t have msg, but still taste great. The noodle texture is different from Japanese ones, it’s less smooth. But the Q factor is there. Plus it’s made in Korea, not China.
Sauteed mushrooms, any kind, is great on instant noodles.