Southeast Asia's Best Recipes. Wendy Hutton

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      Noodles were introduced by the Chinese and have, over the centuries, become a firmly entrenched part of Southeast Asian cuisine, although they have never replaced rice as the staple food. Noodles made from rice flour predominate, although wheat flour noodles are also eaten, especially in the towns and cities where Southeast Asians of Chinese ethnic origin tend to congregate. Both fresh and dried noodles are used. Fresh noodles should be refrigerated until used; dried noodles will keep almost indefinitely in a cupboard. Fresh rice flour noodles are generally cut into flat strands about 1/2 in (1 cm) in width and are usually thin and light in texture. These are known as sen men in Thailand and bahn pho in Vietnam. Fresh rice flour noodles tend to be thicker and heavier in Singapore and Malaysia, where they are known as kway teow or sa hor fun. Spaghetti-like fresh round rice flour (laksa) noodles are also found and generally used in noodle soups. It is also possible to buy flat sheets of rice flour dough, which can be cut to the desired size. Very thin fresh rice vermicelli is also available in the region, but seldom seen abroad. All fresh rice noodles have been steamed before being sold; before using, they should be blanched in hot water for about 1 minute to remove any oil which has been used to stop them sticking together, then drained and used as directed in recipes. Dried rice flour noodles come in several forms. Dried rice vermicelli is very fine threads of rice noodle, rather like angel hair pasta. Rice-stick noodles (or rice-ribbon noodles) are flat and vary in width from about 1/8 to 1/2 in (3 mm–1 cm). (Some brands of rice vermicelli are confusingly labeled rice-stick noodles.) Dried rice-stick noodles should be soaked in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften. They are then generally boiled until cooked, which will take 30 to 60 seconds for rice vermicelli and about 3 to 5 minutes for rice-stick noodles, depending on their thickness. Transparent (bean thread) noodles, made from green mung bean starch, are also known as jelly noodles, glass noodles, cellophane noodles and green bean threads. The dried noodles are very fine and white and difficult to cut before soaking, even using kitchen scissors. For this reason, try to choose very small packets so that you will not have to fight to separate as little as 1 oz (30 g), which a number of recipes require. Before using the noodles, put the required amount in a bowl and add warm water to cover. They should be soft after 10 minutes, when they can be drained and cut to size. Packets keep almost indefinitely on the shelf. Wheat noodles in their fresh form are sold in flat ribbons of varying widths, or are round and vary in size from very thin noodles to fat, heavy yellow noodles looking like spaghetti. Wheat noodles are often called “egg noodles,” even though most do not actually contain eggs and get their yellow color from food dye. Fresh wheat noodles can be kept refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Wheat and egg noodles are also available dried, although the thickest variety is sometimes difficult to find. Before using fine or medium fresh wheat or “egg” noodles, shake them to dislodge any starch (used to stop them sticking together) and blanch in boiling water for up to 1 minute to cook. Rinse under cold water (this is important) and drain. Thick fresh wheat noodles (often known as Hokkien noodles) should be put into a bowl and blanched in boiling water for about 1 minute, to remove any oil or impurities. Drain and use as directed in the recipe. Dried wheat noodles are normally added to boiling water to cook, without any pre-soaking; the cooking time will depend upon the thickness, but is usually around 3 minutes (check the time stated on the package). The noodles should be separated with a long fork or chopsticks during cooking and once cooked, rinsed СКАЧАТЬ