Cantonese Bamboo Noodle Soup

Slice 160 g cooked char siu about 3 mm thick. Trim and wash four small choy sum; split thick stems lengthwise. Finely slice two spring onions and set out two large soup bowls.

In a small pot, stir 900 ml unsalted clear chicken stock with 2 tsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp oyster sauce, ¼ tsp fine salt and ⅛ tsp white pepper. Bring to a gentle boil; the oyster sauce should dissolve into a clear, light-amber broth. Keep hot over low heat. Meanwhile, bring 2 l water to a boil in a second pot.

Add all the char siu slices to the gently simmering broth for about 1–2 minutes, until hot through, then lift them onto a clean plate. Avoid a hard or prolonged boil, which can toughen the meat. Keep the broth hot.

In the boiling water, submerge the choy sum stems for about 30 seconds, then add the leaves for another 30–60 seconds, until the stems are just tender and the leaves bright green. Lift out the greens and return the water to a boil. Give thick stems a little longer if still hard; avoid yellowing the leaves.

Add 200 g dried bamboo-pressed egg noodles to the reboiling blanching water and gently separate them with chopsticks. Follow the packet timing; begin checking fine dried noodles at about 2 minutes, often around 2–4 minutes, with the packet and texture taking priority. Once separate and springy with no raw center, lift them out with a wire skimmer and drain promptly.

As the noodles finish cooking, divide the hot broth evenly between two bowls. Arrange half the char siu and half the greens along one side of each bowl. Drain and divide the noodles, then gently slide each portion into the open space so the strands fall naturally into the broth. Divide all the spring onion between the bowls and serve immediately.