Asia, America, noodles!

ilovenoodlestoo

ilovenoodlesthree

mmm, food porn. . .

Mmmmm, chow fun noodles!



I sooooo miss me some of the excellent Asian restaurants and markets that dotted the California landscape.

I have yet to find an Asian market or restaurant here in ABQ that knows how to do it right.

If you're lucky enough to live near a Noodle Company restaurant, give them a try!

http://www.noodles.com/

We agree...

First I liked pan fried noodles (well, I still do) - not sure of origin, maybe Hong Kong



The recipe I used to make is from an old Ortho Adventures in Oriental Cooking book, Tomato Chow Mein over Pan Fried Noodles. That's in the japanese section of the book...

Then, thai rice noodle dishes like pad thai; then cellopane noodle (mung bean threads) dishes like pad woon sen...

Have to stop this, getting hungry.

I would so plunder for a bowl of Chow Fun now.

there are several asian noddle resturants in albuquerque, I've eaten at the one in the 300 block on central, plus several asian/world markets especially the very good Talin market.

This sounds like an easy recipe for making your own rice noodles. I'll have to give this a try.

http://asiarecipe.com/ricenoodles.html

Making Fresh Rice Noodles

Makes 1 Lb.

1 1/4 cups uncooked long-grain rice
1 1/4 cups water

Vegetable oil

1. Soak the rice overnight in the water. After soaking, grind the rice and water for 5 or 10 minutes in a blender to form a very smooth thin batter, (A food processor won't work for this.) When done grinding, you should be able to feel no more than the slightest hint of solid particles if you rub the batter between your fingers. Better too smooth than not smooth enough!

2. Lightly coat an 8" x 8" x 2" baking pan with oil and heat it for about 3 minutes in a steamer. Pour in 1/2 cup batter in an even layer and replace the steamer lid. Steam for 5 minutes. From this point on, check to make sure there's water in the steamer. Add boiling water as necessary if it's low.

3. After 5 minutes, coat the top of the first layer lightly but thoroughly with vegetable oil and pour 1/2 cup of batter in an even layer on top of it. Again, steam for 5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. After adding the last layer, steam for 8 minutes. When sliced, the layers will separate into thin noodles.

4. Use immediately in any recipe calling for fresh rice noodles or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and store in the 'fridge for up to 2 days. They can be frozen for up to 6 months, but will be grainy when thawed.

Recipe from "Thai Home-Cooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen".


Here's another version with a video and photos at the link to go along with it:

http://neckredrecipes.blogspot.com/2008/03/homemade-kway-teow-steamed-flat-rice.html

Makes 8-9 pieces (½ kg)

Ingredients
150g rice flour
1½ Tbsp Wheat starch flour
2 Tbsp Corn flour
400ml cold water
1 Tbsp Oil
½ tsp Salt

Method
1. Mix the rice flour, wheat starch and corn flour together. Add the water and stir continuously.

2. Add in the oil, salt and mix thoroughly.

3. Set the batter aside for at least an hour.

4. Prepare your steamer.

5. When the water is boiling, ladle and spread a thin layer of batter onto the tray. Steam for about 4-5 mins on high.

6. Remove the tray from the steamer and leave to cool slightly (I leave it on a tray of ice cold water to quicken the process) before using a scrapper to fold the kway teow.
While waiting for the kway teow to cool, put in the next tray to steam.

7. Cut into thin strips for fried kway teow. The noodle sheets can be kept in airtight containers in the fridge for a day or 2.

I love Talin market, Dys, but they don't have a restaurant.

Nothin' here touches the quality and variety of asian restaurants in LA environs, sorry babe. San Francisco area I don't know as well, but I'll bet the same.

Adds, Ta-lin market is sort of asian/international (including italian, german...) Not like markets in big cities which can specialize in one culture's foods, vietnamese, japanese, whatever. Still, I wish I lived next door to Ta-lin, or they to me.

Yup!

Old-old LA chinatown had a restaurant named Chiuchow that made its own noodles, a sight to watch happening.

ah, nothing more exciting than a good culture war, I'm all for it.

What I find interesting is that the (US-) English word 'noodle' seems to mean Asian-kind noodles.

Funny, because it is originally German ("Nudel" which is a modifaction of 'Knödel' [dampling]) and refers here to all the many variations of German noodles as well as to pasta and Asian noodles.

No, I understand it as german too.. my first taste of home made noodles (sic) was a homemade noodle soup made by my first gallery partner, whose mother was german.

Now as to the source of various countries noodles, from way back, notwithstanding marco polo - I'm no expert. I just like it that they've flourished.

Don't get me going on dumplings.. they're my dream food, especially pan fried.

Walter, no comparison - you use the word "noodles" mostly for the Asian kind and "pasta" for the Italian kind. German "nudels" aren't mentioned anywhere