Take 5: shrimp roe noodles
Dried shrimp roe is often used to add a little umami to Chinese dishes, including these flour-based egg noodles. lands in the soup
These are packed with so much roe that the water they are boiled in quickly becomes a shrimp-flavoured soup and roe can be found floating on top. The flavour is intense and doesn't need a rich sauce to perk it up, but, once cool, there is a fishy smell. The light brown noodles are thin and have good bite.
HK$55, 600 grams, City'super, citywide
These cook quickly and come apart easily into smooth, round, al dente strands that are a pleasant yellow hue and unobtrusive in flavour. But aside from specks of shrimp roe visible in the strands, nothing about this variety suggests they contain roe. HK$69.80, 684 grams, ParknShop and Wellcome, citywide
These very pale, thin strands look and taste more like rice vermicelli than wheat-based egg noodles. They're soft and bouncy, and tend to stick together when eaten without soup, but are fine once submerged in liquid. The flavours are balanced - the taste of shrimp is present, but not overpowering.
HK$48, 300 grams, Wellcome, citywide
The only thick and flat variety sampled, these are shaped like fettuccine but are lacking in flavour and slightly sticky. The strands separate quickly in boiling water, but take about eight minutes to cook, as opposed to five or less for their thinner counterparts. HK$6.90, 454 grams, Kaibo Supermarket, citywide
When dry, these have an unnatural sheen, but once cooked they turn a pale yellowish-green. Despite continuous stirring they remain in clumps. They do possess some bite and the texture is pleasant enough, but the taste is exceptionally bland, almost like eating raw dough. HK$8.50, 454 grams, ParknShop, citywide
