Serves: 5
Noodles are the primary staple of northern China and the secondary staple of the South. Many varieties are used: among them a wheat-flour noodle that's firm but delicate, smooth yet chewy. (This noodle, now known as spaghetti, was introduced to the West by Marco Polo when he returned to Italy from the Orient, late in the thirteenth century.) Other types of noodle, ranging from fine and thin to coarse and thick, include the egg, peastarch and rice-flour varieties. Egg noodles are used in soups and many other dishes, as are the delicate peastarch noodles. Rice-flour noodles, favored in the provinces of the South, are often combined with such subtle ingredients as oysters, lily buds and cloud ear mushrooms. The thin and fine rice-flour noodles can also be deep-fried and used as a crisp garnish to set off foods that are soft and creamy in texture.
Chinese noodles are distinguished not only by their constituents but by the way they're prepared. The noodles can be cooked, mixed, blended and combined with just about every variety of meat, seafood and vegetable. They can be added to soup, either alone, or with various toppings. They can be soft-fried in oil, or tossed and cooked through with other ingredients. They can be made into noodle nests or noodle pancakes and topped with various mixtures. They can also be braised, deep-fried or prepared with various sauces. In short, noodles can be served in countless ways: as a side dish, a snack, a garnish or a whole meal.
NOODLES IN SOUP:
Most suitable for soup are the egg and peastarch varieties. These are usually added to clear, light soups, although there are exceptions. (Noodles are sometimes served in thick, pungent hot-sour soups.) Noodles should never be cold when added to soup: they will reduce its temperature too much. They should be either freshly cooked or else briefly reheated. Various meat and vegetable toppings can also be added. Some toppings are cooked directly in the soup others are stir-fried separately and added with the noodles at the very end.
NOODLES IN SAUCE:
Noodles, being bland, combine well with various sauces. The noodles and sauce are always cooked separately and then combined either during the last few minutes of cooking or just before serving. Noodles in sauce are usually served as a side dish, but the addition of more substantial ingredients (such as shredded meat and poultry, shrimp, oysters, eggs and vegetables) can convert that dish into a teatime snack or late supper. Noodles in sauce, when made with the gravy of a red-cooked dish, can also be converted to noodles in soup by adding two-thirds water to one-third gravy.
SOFT-FRIED NOODLES:
Soft-frying calls for parboiled noodles to be reheated in a small amount of oil and tossed-but not very vigorously-by a process that might be described as a cross between stir-frying and pan-frying. The noodles are then combined with various meats and vegetables. (The combination, for example, of noodles, pork, oysters, dried black and cloud ear mushrooms makes for a devastatingly subtle interpenetration of tastes.) When large quantities of noodles are to be soft-fried, they can be managed more easily if divided into smaller portions and rolled up like shredded wheat biscuits.
CRISP-FRIED NOODLES:
Crisp or deep-fried egg noodles are southern in origin and served frequently in Chinese-American restaurants as a garnish for soup, or as a topping for various stir-fried mixtures. (The latter is known as Chow Mein to most Westerners. The authentic version of Chow Mein, however, calls for soft-fried, not deep-fried crisp noodles.) The deep-fried variety may be prepared at home (see HOW-TO, "_Noodles, Egg: To deep-fry") and will keep about a month, if stored in tightly covered jars. Crisp noodles may also be purchased ready-cooked in vacuum-packed tins.
QUANTITIES OF NOODLES:
The amount of noodles per serving depends on whether the noodles will be a main dish, snack or soup ingredient. For soup, 1 pound of noodles to 6 cups of stock should be enough for 6 to 8 people. For other noodle dishes, about 1/4 pound per person should be allowed. NOTE: These quantities are for dried noodles, which produce about 5 cups of cooked noodles per pound. Fresh noodles produce half the amount, or about 2 1/2 cups cooked per pound. (The latter, which are pliable and perishable like homemade noodles, can be purchased in Chinese grocery stores.)
SPECIFIC NOODLE DISHES:
Wo Mein or Wor Mein consists of fine egg noodles and soup, garnished with various bits of meat and vegetables and served in a large tureen. (At banquets it's served as the first course and garnished with shreds of smoked ham.) The restaurant version may include slivers of chicken, pork, ham, shrimp, bamboo shoots, sliced mushrooms, snow peas and mustard cabbage.
Yakko Mein or Yetcamein refers to "an order of noodles" and is actually a one-dish meal. The noodles, served in large individual soup bowls, are topped generously with sliced meats and vegetables, and then a rich, tasty broth is poured over all.
Chow Mein, or "fried noodles," is a casual dish which calls for parboiled noodles (previously drained dry and chilled) to be cooked with other ingredients, somewhat in the manner of fried rice that is, the noodles and other ingredients are fried separately, then combined and cooked briefly together just before serving. The noodles are soft-fried first in oil, then removed from the pan. Next, the various meats and vegetables are stir-fried separately until nearly done. (These, used in various combinations, include: pork, beef, chicken, duck, ham, shrimp and such vegetables as bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, celery, Chinese cabbage, Chinese lettuce, cucumber, mushrooms, scallions, spinach and water chestnuts.) The soft-fried noodles are then returned at the end only to reheat and blend flavors.
Lo Mein means "tossed or mixed noodles" and calls for parboiled noodles (also previously drained dry and chilled) to be added, not to the hot oil and soft-fried as in Chow Mein, but directly to the meat and vegetable combinations, which have already been stir-fried. These noodles, tossed or mixed and heated through with the cooked combinations, are moister, having more of a sauce than the Chow Mein.
PREPARING NOODLES IN ADVANCE:
Since many recipes call for chilled, parboiled noodles, these can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed. Parboiled noodles will keep for several days when drained well, tossed in a small quantity of oil-about a tablespoon (to keep them from sticking together) -and stored in a tightly covered container or plastic bag.
The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.
This *Noodle Dishes recipe is from the Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.
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