Bring the water to the boil, add the misua and turn the heat to medium. If the noodles are thick, or there are a lot of them, add a splash of cold water partway through. Cook for about 2–4 minutes.


Drain the noodles and, while still hot, toss them with shallot sauce and scatter over chopped Chinese celery. That is it — noodles that smell wonderful, in almost no time.

If your misua is low in salt, add a little soy sauce to taste. It deepens the colour as well, which does the bowl no harm.
A few years ago we went camping with friends. By early evening the children were hungry and there was nothing ready. So out came the portable burner, and this is exactly what we made. When it reached the table the children were delighted — that smell is hard to forget. They came over asking for another bowl, ate happily
, and went back for more.