This clay pot is packed with so much flavor! Known as Goong Ob Woonsen in Thai, it features bean thread noodles and shrimp cooked with ginger, black pepper, and savory seasoning sauces. It's an extremely flavorful and fulfilling one-pot dish that our family loves.
My Thai husband introduced me to Goong Ob Woonsen many years ago. It's one of his all-time favorite dishes, one that he looked forward to eating every time he went back home. After hearing his fond description of this dish, I was inspired to make it.
You make the clay pot by layering bean thread noodles with pork belly, shrimp, and Chinese celery. These ingredients are seasoned with a spice mix of ginger and black pepper and doused with savory soy sauces and sesame oil. The sauce and spice mixtures permeate the noodles and shrimp, creating layers upon layers of delicious flavor.
Now that I know how to make this flavorful Thai noodle dish, we enjoy it at home more often. And now that our children are slightly older and able to tolerate more intense flavors, Goong Ob Woonsen is not just my husband's favorite - it has become a family favorite.
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What is Goong Ob Woonsen?
Goong Ob Woonsen is a Thai dish of shrimp and bean thread noodles that are cooked together with ginger, black pepper, and savory seasoning sauces. This dish has Chinese origins, but as with many other dishes that have been incorporated into Thai cuisine, the Thai have made it their own. Cilantro roots and garlic have been added to the ginger and black pepper spice mixture, and Thai seasoning sauces have replaced the Chinese versions.
In Thai, Goong means shrimp, Ob means baked, and Woonsen means bean thread noodles. Therefore, this dish translates to "Shrimp Baked with Bean Thread Noodles". It is traditionally baked in a clay pot set on top of a charcoal grill, with flames surrounding the sides of the pot. Therefore, even though the heat source is coming from the bottom, the noodles are actually "baked" by the flames surrounding the pot.
Equipment
Goong Ob Woonsen is traditionally cooked in a clay pot like the one pictured. You can find these pots or similar versions at many pan-Asian markets, Chinese cookware stores, and of course, online. The clay pot would traditionally be placed on top of a charcoal grill known as a Tao. In the absence of a Tao, the clay pot can be cooked on a gas stove (perhaps with a diffuser so that the heat doesn't damage the pot). These days, it's more common to see Goong Ob Woonsen cooked in a thin aluminum pot over a gas burner.
Ingredients
- Shrimp: You can use shrimp with the shell on, just the tail on, or the shell completely removed. Whichever version you use, be sure to remove the vein.
- Bean Thread Noodles: Bean thread noodles are known as woonsen in Thai. They also go by glass noodles, cellophane noodles, or mung bean noodles. These noodles are opaque when dry and become clear when cooked.
- Bacon: In Thailand, thin strips of pork belly are layered on the bottom of the clay pot. I typically use bacon instead as I tend to have it on hand. Either will work to provide a little bit of grease and porky flavor to the noodles.
- Chinese Celery: The leaves of Chinese celery provide a characteristic flavor and aroma to this dish. They can be found at pan Asian markets like Ranch 99.
- Ginger: Ginger is one of the predominant flavors in this clay pot. Simply peel the skin and cut into thin matchstick slices.
- Black Peppercorns: Whole black peppercorns are another major flavor of this dish.
- Garlic: Peeled garlic will be pounded into the spice mixture.
- Cilantro Roots: Cilantro roots add an earthy aromatic taste to the spice mix. Wash and trim the small rootlets off, then cut into smaller pieces before pounding into the spice mixture. If you don't have cilantro roots, the stems can be used in their place.
- Oyster Sauce, Thin Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce: These savory seasoning sauces provide so much salty umami flavor. The oyster sauce and dark soy sauce also add hints of sweetness.
- Sesame Oil: Sesame oil helps to coat the noodles so they don't stick together, and adds a nutty aroma.
Instructions
Soak the Noodles: Place the dried woonsen noodles in a bowl of room temperature water. Allow them to soak for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Make Spice Mix: Pound the garlic, cilantro roots, ginger, and black peppercorns together until a coarse paste is formed. In a separate bowl, combine the seasoning sauces and stir until well mixed.
Start with Pork: Layer bite-sized pieces of pork belly or bacon on the bottom of the clay pot.
Add Spice Mix: Spread a thin layer of the spice mixture on top of the pork slices. Sprinkle a few slices of ginger on top.
Add the Noodles: Drain the water from the bean thread noodles, then add them to the clay pot.
Top with Shrimp: Place the shrimp on top of the noodles, then pour the seasoning sauce mixture on top of everything.
Add Vegetables: Add the Chinese celery on top, if you like it well done. If you prefer it to be slightly crunchy, add it after 15 minutes of cooking.
Cook the Clay Pot: Secure the lid on top of the clay pot and cook on a gas stove over medium high heat for 20 minutes.
NOTE: This recipe makes two standard-sized clay pots. If you are using a standard-sized clay pot, add half the amount of each ingredient to the clay pot at a time.
Serving Suggestions
Once the clay pot is done cooking, take two spoons and mix all the ingredients together like you would a salad. You will end up with a plate of savory, umami-rich noodles permeated with ginger and pepper, topped with succulent shrimp, crisp bacon, and some crunchy greens. Each bite is filled with so much flavor.
As if the clay pot wasn't flavorful enough on its own, it is also sometimes served with the Thai dipping sauce known as Nam Jim Seafood. The shrimp can be dipped into this spicy and sour sauce for an added burst of flavor!
Variations
Goong Ob Woonsen can be made with shrimp or prawns. It is also sometimes made with crab, in which case it's known as Boo Ob Woonsen (Boo = crab). In addition to varying the protein, some recipes call for topping the clay pot with green onions instead of Chinese celery.
I'm so glad my husband introduced me to Goong Ob Woonsen years ago. It's been so nice to savor this flavorful noodle dish together, and now, it's even more special to share it with our children. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Recipe
Shrimp Noodle Clay Pot | Goong Ob Woonsen | กุ้งอบวุ้นเส้น
Equipment
- 1 Clay Pot
Ingredients
- 12 shrimp
- 3 ounces bean thread noodles (two 40 ounce packages)
- 3 strips bacon cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup chinese celery cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 Tablespoons ginger sliced thinly
- 1 Tablespoon garlic sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 cilantro roots
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon thin soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Soak the Noodles: Soak the bean thread noodles in room temperature water while you prepare the other ingredients. This should take roughly10-30 minutes.
- Make Spice Paste: Peel the garlic and ginger. Slice the ginger into thin matchsticks. Wash the cilantro root, peel off any tiny rootlets, and cut into ½ inch pieces. Place these aromatics in a mortar and pestle along with the whole black peppercorns. Pound together until a coarse paste forms. **Save 10-20 matchstick slices of ginger for layering separately**
- Make Sauce Mix: Combine the oyster sauce, thin soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and water in a bowl. Stir together until all sauces are well combined.
- Assemble Clay Pot: Start by covering the bottom with several bite-sized pieces of bacon. Then add a thin layer of the spice mixture with a few matchstick slices of ginger on top. Drain the bean thread noodles, then add them to the clay pot. Next add the shrimp. Then pour the seasoning sauce on top of everything. You can add the Chinese celery at this point, or wait until approximately 5 minutes of cook time are left to add it so that it retains a bit of crunchiness.
- Cook Clay Pot: Place the assembled clay pot on a stove top (with a heat diffuser between it and the burner, if using). Turn on the heat to medium high and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.
- Serve: Once the clay pot is done, mix all of the ingredients together on a plate. Serve immediately, with Nam Jim Seafood, if you like.
Mg lwin
delicious food
g
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading?
I'm trying to find out if its a problem on my end or
if it's the blog. Any feed-back would be
greatly appreciated.
meilleurs lisseurs 2015
Hello I am so glad I found your weblog, I really found you by mistake, while
I was browsing on Bing for something else, Anyhow I am here now and
would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and
a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I
don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read
a great deal more, Please do keep up the great jo.
meilleurs lisseurs 2015
Hello I am so glad I found your weblog, I really found you by mistake, while
I was browsing on Bing for something else, Anyhow I am here now and
would just like to say thanks a lot for a fantastic post and
a all round interesting blog (I also love the theme/design), I
don’t have time to look over it all at the minute but I have book-marked it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read
a great deal more, Please do keep up the great jo.
D
Hi!
We don't eat pork is there a sub for the beacon?
Rachel
I can't think of a good substitute, but you could always leave it out...
D
Hi!
We don't eat pork is there a sub for the beacon?
Rachel
I can't think of a good substitute, but you could always leave it out...
Katy
I used a covered stoneware casserole dish and did the same amount of time but at 375 in the oven and it turned out just fine.
Rachel
Great, thanks for letting us know!
Katy
I used a covered stoneware casserole dish and did the same amount of time but at 375 in the oven and it turned out just fine.
Rachel
Great, thanks for letting us know!
Linda
Hi,
This recipe looks delicious! I have a couple questions.. I see the ingredients say 12 shrimp but I only see 6 in your pictures. Where are the rest of the shrimp? Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for cilantro roots? I spent my day driving to every Asian market in San Diego and no one carries it.
Rachel
Hi Linda, my clay pot is pretty small, and will only hold half of this recipe at a time. That said, you can use as many shrimp as you like 🙂 Cilantro stems are commonly used as a substitute for the roots, although the taste isn't quite the same. Best of luck!
Linda
Hi,
This recipe looks delicious! I have a couple questions.. I see the ingredients say 12 shrimp but I only see 6 in your pictures. Where are the rest of the shrimp? Do you have any suggestions for a substitute for cilantro roots? I spent my day driving to every Asian market in San Diego and no one carries it.
Rachel
Hi Linda, my clay pot is pretty small, and will only hold half of this recipe at a time. That said, you can use as many shrimp as you like 🙂 Cilantro stems are commonly used as a substitute for the roots, although the taste isn't quite the same. Best of luck!
kit
hi rachel,
I tried this recipe for my bf's birthday dinner, he loved it!
It's easy to follow, and the result is good! thanks!
kit
Rachel
Great, glad you guys liked it, Kit!
kit
hi rachel,
I tried this recipe for my bf's birthday dinner, he loved it!
It's easy to follow, and the result is good! thanks!
kit
Rachel
Great, glad you guys liked it, Kit!
Chicha
@AnnO, probably too late now but I just want to share my experience with you. I don't have neither clay pot nor heat diffuser. I cooked it in regular pot and directly on the stove between med and high heat. I believe the bacon will help it from getting burn.
Chicha
@AnnO, probably too late now but I just want to share my experience with you. I don't have neither clay pot nor heat diffuser. I cooked it in regular pot and directly on the stove between med and high heat. I believe the bacon will help it from getting burn.
AnnO
I don't have a heat diffuser and would like to bake this in my clay pot in the oven. Any ideas on temp/time for that?
Rachel
Hi Ann! Unfortunately I don't have any experience with cooking it in the oven...
AnnO
I don't have a heat diffuser and would like to bake this in my clay pot in the oven. Any ideas on temp/time for that?
Rachel
Hi Ann! Unfortunately I don't have any experience with cooking it in the oven...