PASTA DAY - Asian Pastas

[Guest guest]

Here is a newspaper article with useful information about pasta. I'll also

send the two recipes that came with it.

 

Kathleen

 

* Exported from MasterCook *

 

Asian Pastas

 

Recipe By : Healthful cooking by Mary Carroll, Star Tribune, 6/15/00

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Info/Tips Pasta, Couscous, Etc.

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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***** NONE *****

 

My favorite cold noodle recipes are made with Asian pastas. You can buy

them as udon, soba, somen, or Chinese rice noodles. To me, Asian noodles

have more flavor in cold dishes than Italian semolina pastas.

 

Most can be found in natural foods stores, Asian markets or the Asian

section of larger supermarkets. They're sold dried more often than fresh,

wrapped in cellophane packages. About eight minutes in boiling water gives

you noodles that easily adapt to salads or other cold dishes.

 

Soba is my favorite: coffee-colored noodles, made with buckwheat flour that

make wonderful pasta al pesto. Udon noodles are thicker, made from wheat

flour and have a slightly chewier texture and milder flavor. Somen are

thin and white, and can be made from either wheat or buckwheat flour.

 

The most unusual of the Asian pastas is Chinese rice noodles, packaged in

tight bundles wrapped with rubber bands -- rice noodles are as tough as

coat-hanger wire until cooked, when they turn almost translucent.

 

I use about two quarts of boiling water to every pound of dried Asian

pasta. Oil added to the water will keep the strands separated, but is not

necessary if you rinse the cooked pasta immediately to wash away the

starch. Salt brings the water to a boil faster and lightly flavors the

pasta, but is also optional when the noodles are used in the highly

flavored recipes that follow.

 

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