Goong Ob Woonsen
กุ้งอบวุ้นเส้น·(goong ob woon-sen)
Sunday Simmers: Deep Thai Heritage
Glass noodles (woonsen) sit at the bottom of a heavy Dutch oven. This replaces the fragile clay pots of Bangkok seafood restaurants to pull off Goong Ob Woonsen at home, unleashing the intoxicating perfume of toasted sesame oil, caramelizing dark soy, cracked pepper, and sharp ginger sizzling in a scorching pot. Any Thai household—even one in a snowy Ohio suburb—knows a trusty rice cooker layered with thick-cut bacon, crushed cilantro stems, shell-on shrimp, and a few numbing Sichuan peppercorns lets the noodles soak to perfectly replicate that sticky bottom-of-the-pot caramelization; the shrimp look impressive, but anyone who knows this dish scrapes a spoon straight along the bottom.
Before you start
Verify your noodles are pure mung bean starch.
Check the ingredient list before buying; noodles made from rice, wheat, or sweet potato starch will disintegrate into mush instead of absorbing the sauce.
Ingredients
- dried glass noodles3 oz
- large shrimp1/2 lb
- thick-cut bacon4 strips
- old ginger1 med piece
- garlic4 large cloves
- thick cilantro stems1 small handful
- whole black or white peppercorns1 tsp
- Sichuan peppercorns1/2 tsp
- oyster sauce3 tbsp
- light soy sauce2 tbsp
- dark sweet soy sauce1 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tbsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- Chinese Shaoxing wine2 tbsp
- water or chicken stock1/2 cup
- Chinese celery1 cup
Method
- 01
Soak the glass noodles in room-temperature water.
Place the dried glass noodles in a large mixing bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak for 10 to 15 minutes until pliable but slightly firm, then drain well and snip in half with kitchen shears.
- 02
Whisk the sauce ingredients together.
In a medium bowl, whisk the oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark sweet soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, Shaoxing wine, and water until the sugar completely dissolves.
- 03
Toss the softened noodles directly in the sauce.
Add the drained noodles to the bowl of sauce and toss thoroughly so every strand is coated. Let them sit and absorb the liquid while you prep the rice cooker.
- 04
Layer the bacon, aromatics, noodles, and shrimp into the rice cooker pot.
Lay the bacon flat across the bottom of the pot. Scatter the smashed garlic, ginger slices, cilantro stems, and both peppercorns over the bacon. Dump the sauce-soaked noodles and any remaining liquid directly on top, then arrange the shell-on shrimp in an even layer over the noodles.
- 05
Close the lid and run a standard white rice cycle.
Press the cook button. As it heats, the bacon fat will render and fry the aromatics, while the boiling sauce steams the noodles and shrimp. Let it run for 10 to 15 minutes.
- 06
Check the liquid and wilt the greens.
Open the lid; the shrimp should be pink and opaque, and the liquid mostly absorbed. Scatter the Chinese celery over the top, close the lid, and let the residual heat gently wilt the greens for two minutes.
- 07
Toss and serve immediately.
Use a large spoon to dig to the bottom, tossing the slightly caramelized noodles with the shrimp, greens, and aromatics. Serve hot alongside steamed jasmine rice.
Notes
Leave the shrimp shells and tails completely intact.
The shells protect the delicate meat from the aggressive steam heat, and the heads release an incredible oceanic umami directly into the noodles.
Do not skip the Sichuan peppercorns.
This is the ancient Sino-Thai secret that elevates a good dish into an exact replica of what you would eat in the homeland.
From Cook Thai in America.