Please, don't cut the noodles.
In most Asian cultures, it's best to slurp, especially during Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, known in the West as Chinese New Year.
A 15-day celebration that starts this year on Sunday, a typical meal during this time features whole, uncut foods, because using knives, cleavers or sharp objects is considered unlucky.
And never mess with the noodles, symbols of longevity.
Dorothy Teague, director of Chop, Wok & Talk! cooking school in Bloomfield, says she is well aware of the no-cut rule about noodles. "(Noodles) represent long life. They are popular to serve at weddings and to celebrate births.
"I always tell my students that slurping soup, sucking noodles and shoveling rice is permissible in Chinese etiquette. The Chinese believe they should be eaten with great relish -- otherwise there could be ominous repercussions."
In her hands-on classes, however, she always cuts the noodles to serve them and offers forks and knives. The Chinese eat them using a soup spoon and chopsticks "to shovel and suck."
Noodles are a year-round favorite in Asia. In Japan and other Asian countries, cart vendors line the streets, hawking bowls brimming with broth, vegetables, meats, tofu and noodles for hungry passers-by or tourists. There are small restaurants dedicated to noodles, too.
One thing is certain: Asian cultures employ many more ingredients than mere wheat flour, water, salt and sometimes eggs to make noodles.
"There also are rice-based noodles, the kind we serve in our Pad Thai," says Jamie Achmoody, executive chef of Soba restaurant in Shadyside. The classic dish features chicken, shrimp, rice noodles, tofu, peanuts, bean sprouts and cilantro.
Another variety of noodles is made from mung bean starch; arrowroot, potato, yam or tofu (soy) starches also are used. The starches are mixed with water to form a paste that can be rolled by hand or machine into varying lengths and shapes. All of them differ in texture, flavor, consistency and uses.
Americans probably are most familiar with lo mein noodles, says Achmoody. They are typically served on Chinese buffets and can be sauced, stir-fried or pan-fried.
Japanese restaurants introduced U.S. diners to somen, a fine wheat noodle; udon, a thick wheat noodle; hiyamugi, thin white wheat noodles; and the college student's best friend, ramen. The last, which literally means "stretched noodle," is made of wheat flour, eggs and alkali water or bicarbonate of soda.
Achmoody's favorite Asian noodle is the namesake for the restaurant. "Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, and they have the most distinct flavor," he says. "They are nutty and earthy." He pairs them with red snapper, shrimp tempura, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, wakame -- a type of seaweed -- and mushroom broth.
Soba's menu also includes a teriyaki beef bowl, featuring udon noodles teamed with flat iron steak, seasonal mushrooms, roasted shallots and baby vegetables.
Oodles of noodles are on menus of Pittsburgh's many Asian restaurants. One that revels in them is Lu Lu's Noodle Shop along South Craig Street in Oakland. Co-owner David Yum says he sells more noodle dishes than those based on rice.
"My Asian customers seem to prefer them in a soup, which they are accustomed to from home. Americans are used to pasta and sauce, so they will order a stir-fry, or noodles covered with sauce."
Yum says there are easily 30 to 40 different types of Asian noodles; he features seven or eight at Lu Lu's.
Thai Place; with Shadyside, Oakland, Fox Chapel and Pine locations; offers a new Soybean Noodle salad -- the restaurant refers to the noodles as crystal threads -- as well as Pad Thai and a wide variety of other noodle dishes.
Thai Place co-owner David Santi Thamwiwat says the soybean noodles were added to the menu because they are lower in cholesterol and calories and are more nutritious than other types of noodles. "Customers also might be allergic to wheat," he says. "It's not so much a problem with rice noodles. But the soybean noodles give them a healthy option."
It used to be that home cooks had to seek out an Asian grocery store to find certain types of Asian noodles -- except for ramen, stocked at supermarkets for several decades -- but many chain markets, natural foods stores and gourmet shops have added them to their inventories. If you cannot locate them, substitute a similar shape and length of Italian pasta, says Teague.
Still, nothing beats a trip to an Asian market. Not far from Lu Lu's Noodles, along Fifth Avenue between Craig and Clyde streets, is tiny Seoul Market. Patrons can find everything from soba to udon, yam noodles to bean threads, anchovy-flavored noodles and ones labeled "all-purpose."
Just remember, don't cut. Wear a bib, if you must.
Asian noodles
Types of Asian noodles vary much more in ingredients than Italian pastas, so they often are not interchangeable in a recipe. Rice noodles have different properties than egg noodles; buckwheat noodles are a far cry from bean thread noodles.
Here is a sampling of common Asian noodles, their various names and cooking methods.
Sources: www.hormel.com ; www.cuisine.net ; www.ellenskitchen.com ; www.foodsubs.com ; "Classic Chinese Cuisine" by Nina Simonds (Houghton Mifflin Company, $21 paperback)
Asian noodles -- fresh, frozen and dried -- are fun to experiment with, whether they are made from rice, soybeans, potatoes, eggs, buckwheat, green tea or sweet potatoes. Some are flavored -- anchovy is a popular choice.
Read the directions on the package carefully before using in cooking. Some noodles only need a few minutes of soaking in hot water; others require as long as 15 minutes to prepare in boiling water.
These recipes can help you get started.
Haihan Fun Mein
"Martin Yan Quick & Easy" by Martin Yan (Chronicle Books, $24.95 paperback) features this recipe. "Fun" means rice noodles; "mein" means egg noodles.
- 1/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 pound medium-size raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 walnut-sized shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 red jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 rib celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 2 cups cooked rice stick noodles
- 1 1/2 cups cooked Chinese egg noodles
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
For the sauce:
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet chile sauce
In a bowl, combine the chicken, shrimp, cornstarch and 2 teaspoons oyster sauce; stir to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.
To make the sauce: Combine all ingredients.
Heat a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil, swirling to coat the sides. Add the garlic, shallot and jalapeno and cook, stirring, until fragrant, for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken and shrimp; stir-fry until the shrimp begin to curl and turn pink, for about 2 minutes. Add the celery and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add the noodles and sauce and cook, stirring gently, until the chicken is no longer pink and the noodles are heated through, for about 2 minutes.
Push the noodles toward the sides of the pan and pour the egg into the center. Cook until the egg is almost set, for about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the sesame oil and toss to mix the egg into the noodles.
Transfer to a serving plate, and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
Spicy Soba Noodles
Soba noodles are made from a mixture of buckwheat flour and standard wheat flour. They are the favorite noodle of Jamie Achmoody, executive chef at Soba restaurant in Shadyside. He features them in a dish of red snapper, shrimp tempura, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, wakame (kelp, a type of seaweed) and mushroom broth. This recipe is from "Martin Yan Quick & Easy" by Martin Yan (Chronicle Books, $24.95 paperback).
- Water
- 8 ounces dried soba noodles
- 2 cups sliced napa cabbage
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 cup sliced pickled gingerroot
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 green onions, julienned
For the dressing:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet chile sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
Bring a large pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Place the noodles in a large bowl, add the napa cabbage and sesame oil, and toss to mix evenly.
To make the dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Pour the dressing over the noodle mixture, and add the pickled gingerroot, cilantro and green onions. Toss to coat evenly.
Serve immediately, or cover and chill for as long as 3 hours.
Makes 4 servings.
Rice Noodles Stir-Fried with Pork and Shrimp (Hu Tieu Xao)
The popular dish called Pad Thai is a good example of a classic use of rice noodles. Try them in this recipe from "Quick & Easy Vietnamese: 75 Everyday Recipes" by Nancie McDermott (Chronicle Books, $19.95 paperback).
- 1/4 pound linguine-width dried rice noodles or fettuccine pasta
- Water
- 6 green onions, trimmed, white part coarsely chopped, green tops cut into 2-inch lengths, divided
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 1/4 pound boneless pork, cut against the grain into thin 2-inch strips, or Chinese-style roast pork or roast duck
- 12 medium-size raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts, optional
Soften the noodles in warm water to cover until they become flexible and bright white, for 15 to 20 minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Drain the softened noodles, add them to the pot and remove from the heat. Let stand for 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well and put in a bowl by the stove. You will have about 2 1/2 cups of noodles.
In a small bowl, combine the green onion tops, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons water, the soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and salt. Place by the stove with all the remaining ingredients. Also, have ready a pair of tongs or a big spatula for moving the noodles around.
In a large, deep skillet or a wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add the garlic and the white portion of the green onions and toss well. Add the pork and cook just until it changes color, for about 1 minutes. Add the fish sauce mixture, toss well, then add the noodles. Cook for 1 minute or so, tossing and pushing the noodles to season and heat them evenly, then push them to one side and add the shrimp.
Cook the shrimp on one side until pink. Toss to let the other side cook, then add the spinach and, if desired, the bean sprouts. Gently scoop up the mass of noodles to cover the shrimp and vegetables, and let cook for 30 seconds. Toss everything well, adding up to 1/4 cup water if the pan is getting dry.
Check to see that the pork and shrimp are cooked through, and transfer the noodles to a serving platter. Pull a few shrimp to the top and serve at once.
Makes 2 to 4 servings.
Rice Noodle Salad
"Everyday Asian" by Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele (St. Martin's Press, $29.95) features this easy, make-ahead salad.
- Water
- Salt
- 1 bag (1 pound) pho noodles
- 1 cup canola oil, divided
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sherry
- 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
- 1/2 cup julienned carrots
- 1/2 cup sugar snap peas
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced tart apple, such as Granny Smith
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, poached and shredded
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped green onions
- Ground Sichuan peppercorns, to taste
- Lemon or lime juice, optional
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When it is at a rolling boil, add the noodles. Blanch for a minute, then drain and shock in ice water immediately. Drain the noodles again, and toss them with a little of the canola oil.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegars, sherry, mustard and the remaining canola oil. Toss the vegetables and apple in half the vinaigrette 30 minuted before serving.
Just prior to serving, add the chicken and green onions and the rest of the vinaigrette. Season judiciously with the ground peppercorns and salt to taste, and add more acid (lemon or lime juice) if desired. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 appetizer servings.
Pan-Fried Noodles with Beef & Broccoli (Niu Rou Chao Mian)
First published in 1982, then reissued in paperback in 2003, "Classic Chinese Cuisine" by Nina Simonds (Houghton Mifflin Company, $21 paperback), is considered among the reference musts for home cooks who want to prepare Asian dishes at home. Here is her recipe for a Chinese classic. Simonds also is author of "Asian Noodles: 75 Dishes to Twirl, Slurp and Savor" (Morrow Cookbooks, $23.95).
- 10 tablespoons peanut, safflower or corn oil, divided
- 1/2 pound thin-egg-noodle clusters
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 1/2 pounds eye-of-round or top sirloin roast
- 1 pound fresh broccoli
- Salt, to taste
- Water
For the beef marinade:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon rice wine or sake
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the minced seasonings:
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh gingerroot
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions
For the sauce:
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
For the thickener:
- 4 tablespoons cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Heat 2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a pot until boiling. Add the noodles and cook until just tender. Drain the noodles and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Place the noodles in a round cake pan or a pie plate and let cool.
Remove any fat or gristle from the beef and discard it. Cut the meat, with the grain, into 2 or 3 strips about 1 1/2 inches long. Turn and cut the meat across the grain into slices 1/8-inch thick. You can partially freeze the beef to facilitate slicing.
Combine the ingredients for the beef marinade. Place the meat in a bowl, add the marinade, toss lightly and let marinate for 1 hour or longer. Drain the meat slices.
Peel away the tough outer skin of the broccoli and separate the florets. Roll-cut the stems into 1-inch pieces.
Heat 1 1/2 quarts salted water until boiling. Add the stem pieces and cook for 30 seconds. Add the florets and cook for 2 1/2 minutes, or until both stems and florets are just tender. Refresh immediately in cold water. Drain thoroughly.
Meanwhile, combine the minced seasoning ingredients. In a separate container, combine the sauce ingredients. In a third small container, combine the thickener ingredients.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a wok or cast-iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until nearly smoking. Invert the noodle cake into the pan and fry the noodles on both sides until golden brown, swirling the pan occasionally to move the noodles so they cook evenly.
Transfer the noodles to a deep heatproof platter and place in the hot oven to keep warm and crisp.
Reheat the wok, add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat it to very hot. Add half the beef slices and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the beef changes color. Remove, using a strainer with a handle or a slotted spoon, and drain.
Wipe out the wok and add 3 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the remaining beef slices and stir-fry in the same manner. Remove and drain.
Wipe out the wok and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and reheat until very hot. Add the minced seasonings and stir-fry until fragrant, for about 10 seconds. Stir the sauce mixture, add it to the wok and heat until boiling. Stir the thickener, and stir it into the wok, continuing to stir to prevent lumps.
Add the beef and broccoli. Toss lightly to coat with the sauce and heat through. Pour the mixture over the pan fried noodles and serve immediately.
Makes 6 main-dish servings.
Teahouse Curry with Rice Noodles
This recipe was developed by Annette Gooch for Lifestyle Media Group.
- 1/2 pound thin rice-stick noodles
- 6 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
- 4 thin slices fresh gingerroot, divided
- 2 green onions, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 small whole chicken breast, boned, skinned and finely chopped
- 1/4 pound medium-sized raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 pound Chinese barbecued pork or sugar-cured baked ham, julienned
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 1 rib celery, cut diagonally into thin slices
- 4 ounces snow peas, julienned diagonally
- 1/2 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
- 4 tablespoons chicken stock, or as needed
In separate bowls of warm water, soak the noodles and mushrooms until soft and pliable, for about 20 minutes. Drain well, discarding the soaking liquids. Cover the noodles to prevent drying. Squeeze the excess water from the mushrooms; cut off and discard the stems and finely chop the caps. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat until hot. Pour in 1 tablespoon peanut oil, then add 2 slices of the ginger, all of the green onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook until the oil is fragrant, for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken, stir-frying until it loses its pink color. Toss in the shrimp and barbecued pork, stir-frying just until the shrimp and chicken feel firm to the touch, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the food from the wok to a large dish and set aside. Pick out and discard the ginger slices.
To the hot skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil, 2 slices ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add -- one at a time, seconds apart -- the onion, celery, snow peas, reserved mushrooms and sweet pepper. Stir-fry until the vegetables are just tender-crisp, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the sugar, curry powder, soy sauce and 2 tablespoons chicken stock. Add the reserved noodles, tossing to coat evenly, and stir-fry until the noodles are moist but not wet and begin to stick to each other, for about 1 minute. Add more stock if the noodles seem too dry.
Add the reserved shrimp and chicken mixture; toss, tasting and adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.
Makes 4 servings as a light main course.
