2. Noodles & Instant Noodles
Noodles - the staple food of Asian cuisine
Noodles are a staple food in many cultures, but definitely in Asian cuisine. They are made from unleavened dough which is stretched, extruded, or rolled flat and cut into one of a variety of shapes. While long, thin strips may be the most common, many varieties of noodles are cut into waves, helices, tubes, strings, or shells, or folded over, or cut into other shapes. Noodles are usually cooked in boiling water, sometimes with cooking oil or added salt. They are often pan-fried or deep-fried. Noodles are frequently served with an accompanying sauce or in a soup. Noodles can be refrigerated for short-term storage or dried and stored for future use.
RAMEN NOODLES
Wheat flour gives ramen noodles their chewy bounce, and egg gives them their rich yellow complexion. Known as a Japanese specialty, ramen, too, was invented in China. These noodles are available fresh, fresh-frozen, or dried. The cellophane-packaged bricks of dried ramen are deep-fried.
SOBA NOODLES
Soba noodles get their grey-brown hue and nutty flavour from buckwheat flour. They are closely associated with the Kanto region (around Tokyo) and the mountains of the Japan Alps, where the harsh climate and lack of arable land made it all but impossible to raise wheat. Especially in summer, soba is served chilled, with a simple dipping sauce made from dashi, soy sauce and mirin. In chilly weather, enjoy soba in a soup.
UDON NOODLES
Made simply from wheat flour and water, these pencil-thick, chewy Western Japanese noodles are most often sold fresh. The traditional way to serve them is submerged in broth and adorned with a variety of toppings including tempura, fish cakes, vegetables or simply a shower of sliced scallions.
SOMEN NOODLES
These thin, delicate white Japanese noodles are made from wheat flour and a bit of oil. They were formerly stretched by hand into thin strings. The Japanese Somen noodles have a smooth and soft structure. Like soba, somen noodles are most often served chilled, with a bowl of mild sauce for dipping.
CHINESS EGG NOODLES
Made with wheat flour and egg. Egg is added in order to give the noodles a different colour or flavour. These noodles are well known in the form of chow mein and lo mein. Helpful hint: In Chinese, “mein” refers to noodles made with wheat flour; “fun” refers to noodles made with rice flour or mung bean starch.
INSTANT NOODLES
Instant noodles are sold in a precooked and dried noodle block, with flavouring powder and/or seasoning oil. The flavouring is usually in a separate packet, although in the case of cup noodles the flavouring is often loose in the cup. Some instant noodle products are seal packed; these can be reheated or eaten straight from the packet/container. Dried noodle blocks are designed to be cooked or soaked in boiling water before eating, but can be consumed dry.
GLASS NOODLES
Glass noodles, mung bean noodles or aka cellophane noodles are made from mung beans (which are also the source of the ubiquitous bean sprout). These dainty noodles only need to be soaked in hot water to become soft, pliable, and translucent before adding them to soups and stir-fries. The dry noodles puff up dramatically into a crispy cloud when dropped in smoking-hot oil. The fried noodles are used for Chinese “bird’s nest” dishes or used as a crunchy garnish.
SHIRATAKI NOODLES
Shirataki noodles are thin, translucent, gelatinous traditional Japanese noodles made from the konjac yam. The word "shirataki" means white waterfall, referring to the appearance of these noodles. Largely composed of water and glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fibre, they are very low in digestible carbohydrates and calories and have little flavour of their own.
RICE NOODLES
The wide world of rice noodles involves many names, nationalities, and dishes, but are easiest to categorize simply by their four basic sizes: vermicelli, thin, medium and wide. Because they don’t have gluten to hold them together, noodles made from rice flour are more delicate than those made with wheat flour. Like cellophane noodles, rice noodles usually only need to be soaked in hot water (not boiled) before you add them to your soup, salad or stir-fry.
RICE VERMICELLI
This variety of rice noodles is sometimes confused with cellophane or glass noodles, which are actually made from mung bean starch. These thin, round noodles are packaged in small, looped bundles, with several bundles to a pack. In Vietnamese cuisine, these noodles are often served cold and topped with grilled meat (bun) or wrapped in rice paper with shrimp, lettuce, and fresh herbs (summer rolls). On Chinese menus, you’ll usually find these noodles in the form of Singapore maifun, the curry-spiced dish flecked with shrimp, roast pork, and sundry vegetables.
RICE STICKS
The thinnest variety of flat (as opposed to round, like vermicelli) rice sticks is most often used in soups and stir-fries. The medium rice noodles are all-purpose noodles. They have about the same width as linguine and are the type you’re probably familiar with from Pad Thai and Pho.
Wide rice noodles are about the same width as pappardelle. They’re most often used in stir-fries, including the Thai favourites Pad Kee Mow and Pad See Ew, and the Chinese takeout standby chow fun.
