Wantan is probably the most delightful dishes in Chinese cuisine. It is well-known and loved by many. Since it’s existence, there have been many variations depending on where in Asia you go. Back then, it used to be hard to find a Muslim-friendly wantan here in Kuching, but all that changed when Aminawati Ali Ghor Khan, the owner of Mina Wantan introduced Muslim-friendly wantan, dumplings and Siu Mai to Kuching, Sarawak.
Today, we got the privilege to visit Kuching’s very own Mina Wantan and take a look at how they make their homemade wantan, dumplings and Siu Mai. Keep reading to find out more!
History of Mina Wantan Kuching
Mina Wantan was born out of the idea to serve Muslim-friendly wantan, dumplings and Siu Mai to the community. Mdm Mina’s wantan is loved by her children, and it all started from preparing it for her kids to the big hit it is today. Her business started from a humble beginning where she produced everything from scratch in the comfort of her own home in Taman Sourabaya, Kuching.
Mdm Mina started her business with only RM100 capital and the encouragement of her loving husband! After 8 years of hardwork and thousands of wantans later, Mina Wantan is now expanding and catering to many more areas. The Astana branch is now their production area, whereby everything will be prepared here and be distributed to the other branches. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s hop into the behind the scenes of everything!
Wantan at Mina Wantan Kuching
Wantan, as known by many is one of the many delicious Chinese delicacies! To find a Muslim-friendly and delicious Wantan was a bit of a challenge back then. Thus, the birth of muslim-friendly wantan from Mina Wantan. Here, their wantan can be served in soup, deep fried or steamed. I prefer the deep fry version better! The crispyness as you take your first bite was oomph perfecto. What makes it more special and different is when you pair it with their homemade sauce, which I will talk more on later. Stay tuned!
How they make their Wantan
Let’s take a look at how they prepare their Wantan here. The wantan here are prepared in bulk. The speed of the aunty doing the wantan was phenomenal. She’s crazy pro until she don’t have to look at the Wantan to wrap it. Alrighty, back to the topic! After that is done, the Wantan will be fried half-cooked in bulk for them to distribute to the other branches.
Ooof, would you just look at that. That’s not even the finish product ya. This is where they fry it half-cooked. Their wantan is sold either fried, steamed or frozen!
You are Siu Mai type..
Next on the list we have Siu Mai! Siu Mai is like dumpling or wantan, it is wrapped in wantan skin, but the difference is, it’s not fully folded. On top of these yummy Siu Mai are orange or yellow toppings. They come in many fillings such as crab meat, chicken and many more. At Mina Wantan, they have a variety of Siu Mai filling to choose from. They have Siu Mai Mushroom, Siu Mai Seaweed, Siu Mai Udang Kering, Siu Mai Ayam, Siu Mai Ketam and Siu Mai Cheese. All of these can be served either fried or steamed and frozen. With the many choices they have for Siu Mai fillings, I bet you’ll end up having a hard time deciding what to choose. I’d recommend the Cheese and Seaweed and fried! Oh my, I love everything fried, it’s concerning. But it’s okay, just don’t take them excessively.
How they make their Siu Mai
First, they will prepare the wantan wrap at the bottom of the sauce cup, and then fill them with the different fillings. After that is done, they will steam it for a whole 20 minutes before it is ready to be packed.
Dumplings at Mina Wantan Kuching
Does anyone know the difference between Wantan and Dumpling? Besides their shape being different, I, myself is not sure of the difference. After a little trip to Google, I found out that in terms of wrapper, dumplings has thicker wrappers than wantan. Also, dumpling fillings aren’t fully seasoned, so that’s why it’s usually served with sauce, unlike wantan.
Hey hot stuff! Soy what? – Homemade Sauce at Mina Wantan
Lastly, let’s talk about their homemade sauce at Mina Wantan! They have many choices for their sauce. Their sauce are all specially made by them and are their own recipe. While I was just relaxing outside a bit, I got to talk to a friend of Mdm Mina who was super friendly. She said that the locals said, what makes Mina Wantan more special is their homemade sauce. Her friend was one of the few people who saw Mdm Mina’s hardwork, sweat and tears from the beginning. She added that, Mdm Mina is somehow the pioneer for coming up with Muslim-friendly wantan, dumplings and siu mai. “After Mina Wantan existed, you can see a few people starting to create their own version of Muslim-friendly wantan too.” I honestly think Mdm Mina is a great inspiration to people who wants to start a business or in the business industry.
Oh my, wasn’t I talking about sauces earlier? Let’s get back to that. They have 6 different variation for their sauce which is Thai sauce, Lava sauce, Salted Egg, Spicy Butter Lime, Kicap pedas and spicy butter cheese. Their best-selling sauces are Salted Egg and Spicy Butter Cheese! I personally love their Thai sauce and Salted egg. Their sauce are available in a 200gm bottle, selling at only RM10/bottle.
Overall Experience at Mina Wantan
It was truly a great and warming visit to Mina Wantan. The people there are all so friendly and welcoming. I don’t have to say anything more about the food, I’ve said enough, haven’t I? Now, it’s for you foodies out there to try and tell me what you think of them.
Price
Fried/Steamed Wantan – RM5 (10 pcs), RM10 (30 pcs)
Frozen Wantan – RM10 (35 pcs)
Fried/Steamed Siu Mai – RM5 (6pcs), RM10 (12 pcs)
Frozen Siu Mai – RM10 (12 pcs)
Fried/Steamed Dumpling – RM10 (15 pcs)
Frozen Dumpling – RM10 (15 pcs)
Homemade sauce – RM10/bottle
Location
Shop Name : Mina Wantan
Facebook page : Mina Wantan
Branches : Mina Wantan Astana (8.00am-11.00pm), Mina Wantan Sourabaya (8.00am-11.00pm), Mina Wantan Satok(1.00pm-11.00pm), Mina Wantan Metrocity at Kedey Kamek (4.00pm-11.00pm)
Status : Muslim-friendly
Anyway, if you’re looking for places to grab food under RM30 in Kuching, check this article out, A Day In Kuching For Less Than RM30? (Muslim Friendly Places).
