Brief Guide to Asian Noodles

            Asia is home to hundreds of noodle varieties, each vastly different in color, texture, and length. Here, we will take a brief look at some of the most famous Asian pastas.

Chinese Noodles

            China is the first country in recorded history to make and serve noodles. It seems most Asian noodles have evolved from delicious Chinese forerunners. Chinese noodles are typically wheat flour based with egg or water added.

            Ramen, a noodle dish typically associated with Japan, actually originated in China. Variations of ramen noodles, known in Japan as chuka-men (Chinese noodles), are used in dishes as yakisoba (noodles stir fried with pork and vegetables), and chanpon (thick chuka-men noodles in pork broth with seafood and vegetables)

            A friend’s recent encounter amusingly illustrates how Chinese noodles are now commonly thought to be akin to Japanese noodles. A Japanese resident of 20 years, Jim was in Hong-Kong for a one-day layover on a trip to his native Australia. Meeting up with an old friend at the airport, the two went to have dinner at a Chinese restaurant where Jim’s friend ordered some chicken, and Jim, unable to read the Chinese menu, asked for some noodles in soup. He was expecting something exotic, but was presented with a bowl of Hakata Ramen, which is, ironically, the renowned noodle dish of his city of residence in Japan. 

 Japan and Korea

            Udon is a thick white Japanese noodle made by kneading wheat flour with water and salt. Normally it is eaten in a hot fish broth with seaweed, spring onions, and frittered seafood. Chankonabe is an Udon dish enjoyed by everyone in the winter months, but its original purpose was for the fattening Japan’s celebrated Sumo wrestlers. Somen is based on the same ingredients as Udon, but is as thin as pencil lead and served ice cold in the summer.  

            Soba is grey Japanese noodle made with buckwheat and wheat flours. Soba is served either hot in broth, much like Udon, and is enjoyed ice cold in a soy based dipping sauce like Somen.

            Harusame, (pronounced meh and not me, thank you very much), are thin transparent noodles that resemble their literal meaning, which is “spring rain”. These also originated in China.

            Japanese noodle dishes are seldom spicy in contrast to Chinese, Korean, and South-east Asian noodle dishes, which are often burning hot. 

            Many Korean noodle varieties are also based on Chinese predecessors, but generic noodles, like Dangmyeon, are based on sweet potato starch. Another noodle known as Olchangee guksu is made with ground corn. Memil guksu is more or less the same as Japanese buckwheat Soba.

 South-east Asia

            Characteristically spicy, Thai, Malay, and other South-east Asian noodle dishes are often made with rice noodles resembling Italian vermicelli. Pad Thai, the famous Thai fried noodle dish, is made with Rice Vermicelli. Chinese based wheat noodles are also used.

Asian Noodle Availability

            In general, Asian noodles are cheap in their native countries and inexpensive abroad if you look for them in the right places. Most supermarkets have what you are looking for. In dried stick or wavy form, noodles will keep for several years. In cellophane packets fresh, noodles will have to be used within three days or less from the day of purchase. Follow the cooking directions on the packet. If the noodle packet is purchased outside of its native country as imported, it will invariably have English directions.

            Asian noodle varieties are now facing enormous popularity abroad in instant cup noodle form. Sweetened, filled with chemicals, and made mild and less spicy for a mass market, these are not recommended as either nutritious or authentic.