KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 — Recently with the rising number of Covid-19 cases, I've been thinking it might be good to prepare for the time I have to be quarantined at home. Just in case.

This means ensuring I have enough food to eat since I won't be going out to do a takeaway. While the delivery option is still there, I would like to minimise that, if possible.

Hence I was curious about Yulek Wantan Mee's frozen offerings. I had heard about it from a friend and they did say it still tasted good.

Of course, some friends did turn their noses up at the idea of frozen wantan mee since it's a dish you need to enjoy á la minute at the restaurant.

You will find that the frozen version looks very similar except the 'char siu' is darker since it has soaked up the sauce used to toss the noodles.
You will find that the frozen version looks very similar except the 'char siu' is darker since it has soaked up the sauce used to toss the noodles.

So I decided to do a side by side comparison to see whether there's a big gap in the difference.

For the normal takeaway, it's RM9 for the small portion.The frozen wantan mee is RM10 per packet. You will find that it's the small version packed inside. They also give you pickled green chillies which you can keep frozen and defrost to eat.

For the frozen version, it's simple enough to prepare at home. Just place it on a rack in a steamer and steam for 10 minutes. Open the packet and pour out the food onto a plate. Definitely faster than ordering delivery for the wantan mee. You can also eat it any time of the day.

Generally,  the wantan mee is a generous portion. Compared to the ones served in say Petaling Jaya, you get a mountain of char siu here. The barbecue meat has a lovely smoky taste. Surprisingly the meat isn't tough but tender.

The noodles from the takeaway has a slight 'al dente' bite (left). For the frozen version, the noodles are slightly softer but still good and tasty with their sauce (right).
The noodles from the takeaway has a slight 'al dente' bite (left). For the frozen version, the noodles are slightly softer but still good and tasty with their sauce (right).

The noodles have an al dente texture when eaten fresh. Even the wantans are plump and filled generously with minced pork inside it. I do find the skin for the wantans a little thick though.

For the frozen version, the noodles are still as tasty with the sauce. You will find that the strands are slightly softer though but it's still good.

What impressed me was the char siu. As it was all packed together, the meat had absorbed the sauce from the noodles and this made it even more tasty.

You may not get that smoky taste from a freshly made wantan mee but I like how much more delicious the meat was with the sauce. For the wantans, there's not much difference to the taste or texture of the dumplings.

The frozen noodles are packed with instructions on how to steam them. You also get pickled green chillies with it.
The frozen noodles are packed with instructions on how to steam them. You also get pickled green chillies with it.

I reckon I'll buy a few more packets of the frozen wantan mee. Whenever I have a midnight craving for wantan mee, this will fix it immediately.

You can also order the food via phone and through Shopee Food.

Yulek Wantan Mee, No. 19, Lorong Durian, Taman Cheras, Kuala Lumpur. Open: 7.30am to 4pm. Closed on Tuesday. Tel:+6016-2436221. Facebook:@YulekWantanMee