VCE: Asian Noodles: Cooking

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Asian Noodles: Cooking

 

Recipe By : Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, Deborah Madison page 479

Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Info/Tips Pasta, Couscous, Etc.

 

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

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Asian noodles are cooked differently from Italian pasta. First, the water

isn't salted, and second, the noodles are cooked until tender, not al

dente. In the case of Japanese soba, somen, and udon, the water foams and

rises when the water returns to a boil, then cold water is added to make it

subside. After this happens three or four times, the noodles are usually

done - taste them to be sure. Depending on thickness, they cook in 5 to 7

minutes. Rice noodles and mung bean noodles are soaked to tenderness

rather than cooked.

 

Asian noodles are often drained, rinsed well to wash off the starch, then

added to the dish and reheated, unlike Italian pastas, which are best added

directly from the cooking pot to the sauce.

 

CELLOPHANE OR BEAN-THREAD NOODLES: Made from mung bean starch, these

wrinkled nests of silvery, thin noodles become clear and soft once

soaked. Soak dried noodles in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes if

they are to be cooked further, 30 minutes if not. Snip the strands to

shorter lengths with scissors. If the dried noodles are thrown into hot

oil, they'll instantly puff up into white, crunchy strands resembling

shredded Styrofoam. They make a dramatic bed - or garnish - for stir-fries.

 

CHINESE EGG NOODLES OR MEIN: Sold both fresh and dry, these noodles most

resemble Western pasta - in fact, linguine and fettuccine are often

suggested as substitutes for thin and wide mein, but their flavor is

unique. The fresh noodles come tightly packed and wrapped in

plastic. Before cooking, you'll need to pull all the strands apart,

fluffing them as you go. When loosened, a small package becomes quite a

large pile. Dried egg noodles look something like bedsprings. They're

cooked in unsalted boiling water. When they begin to soften, start pulling

the strands apart with a pair of chopsticks.

 

RICE NOODLES OR RICE VERMICELLI OR RICE STICKS: These are the noodles used

for pad Thai and other dishes from Southeast Asia and southern China. Sold

dried outside of large Asian communities, rice sticks are whitish, either

wavy or straight, and about as long as a chopstick. Rather than cooked,

thin noodles or rice sticks are soaked in warm water for 10 to 15 minutes

until soft, then added to soup or stir-fried. Wider flat rice noodles are

covered with boiling water and then allowed to soften. Like mung bean

noodles, rice sticks can be thrown into hot oil, which turns them crisp and

light within moments. When fresh, rice noodles are called fun.

 

SOBA OR BUCKWHEAT NOODLES: These Japanese noodles are very refined, their

taste both delicate and earthy. Some of the fancier varieties are quite

elegant and very expensive. Soba is served cold during the sultry Japanese

summers or hot in winter. You also can use soba to replace the Italian

buckwheat pasta, pezzoccheri, which is hard to find here.

 

UDON AND SOMEN: These Japanese noodles are made from wheat flour and come

packaged in little 8-inch-long bundles. They are usually served in broth

with accompanying garnishes. Some varieties are extremely fine. Those

about the thickness of a toothpick are served chilled with

cucumbers. Others are large, some smooth and machine made, others rougher

looking. I especially like the latter, for they have a very handmade look

when cooked.

 

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