How To Cook Noodles

The Chinese believe that each meal should contain a balance between fan, grains and starches, and fruits and vegetables. One of the grains they rely on to make this a harmonious balance diet is noodles.

Whether you slurp them, swallow them down, or twirl them on your fork, everyone seems to love noodles. Almost every culture has at least one loved noodle dish, from German Spaetzle (homemade noodles with egg) that Jewish Kreplachs - noodle cakes filled with beef, chicken and spices. But only the Italians rival China to the title of culture's most devoted noodles.

There is no discussion about who originally came up with the idea of mixing water and flour to create noodles. The Arabs claim to have been the first to use dried pasta, as a means of preserving flour during their raids across the desert. But whatever their origin, we know that the Chinese have been the celebration of noodles in about 2000 years since the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). Indeed, some experts believe that the Italian got their first taste of pasta when Marco Polo returned from his long trip around China with an abundance of exotic foods, including noodles.

Like Italian pasta, Asian noodles vary in width - they can be thick as coffee stir sticks or thin as toothpicks. When it comes to length, but they are usually served long and uncut. This is because long noodles symbolize longevity in Chinese tradition. Noodles are usually served during birthday and fresh noodles are regularly placed on the gravesite.

Types of Noodles

Chinese noodles, known collectively as mien, fall into three main categories. The most common are wheat flour noodles, which can happen with or without eggs. While the days of wheat flour noodles are enjoyed throughout China, they originated in the north, where wheat is the staple crop. Depending on the remaining ingredients, wheat noodles can be white or yellow, thin as spaghetti or thick as fettuccine, rigid or highly elastic.

Made from rice flour, water and salt, can rice noodles also be thick or very thin, the latter almost look like long strings of coconut. The same goes for rice sticks. There are also rice paper wrappers which come in either round or triangular shape. Finally, cellophane noodles are clear noodles made from ground Mung bean paste.

In China, that preferred to do "hand" noodles is an art that involves stretching paste in both hands and swirls it around several times. So pasta is posted on a board and folded and refolded repeatedly. Eventually the paste is transformed into long, thin noodles. While in China it is still possible to see vendors make hand-pulled noodles, today most noodles are made by machine.

How to Enjoy Noodles

Noodles are eaten hot or cold, steamed, stir-fried, steamed, boiled, or served in a soup. For nutritionally-inclined, noodles are an excellent source of protein. Besides being low in calories, they are extremely high in complex carbohydrates.

Frequently Asked explanation is the difference between lo Mien and Chow Mein noodles. Actually the difference between the two lies not in the type of noodles, but in the way the two dishes are prepared. In the case of Chow Mein are the ingredients, stir-fried and then served over noodles, prepared separately. Contrast, mein noodles tossed cooked in work out and mixes them with other ingredients during the final stages of cooking. This will allow noodles to get more of the sauce flavor.

There are no fixed rules about what type of noodles to use with either dish. (In fact you will often find Chow Mein recipes as a substitute for rice. In the west it is common to use crunchy noodles when preparing chow mein, while in China, chow mein is made with soft noodles. Meantime Italian pastas such as fettuccine or SPAGHETTI work quite well in Mein recipes. But in theory, you could use the same noodles to prepare one.

Here is an excellent noodle recipe for you:

This recipe is so easy to do and it will quickly become a favorite in your family. It is a great deal, goes well with meat or a salad, and many people like me can eat as snacks.

Need:

• ½ bag Great Egg Noodles
• ½ stick butter or margarine
• 1 egg
• Sweet taste
• Regular or Golden Raisins
• Optional: chopped apples
• Nice pot, you can put in the oven

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta in salted water until done.

2. Drain the noodles then run hot water over them and brain good again.

3. Melt butter or margarine in a shallow pan. I prefer much more than butter, I said to play with. You really like buttery, too.

4. Put all the pasta in a bowl and add half the melted butter or margarine.

5. Beat the eggs and pour mixture over noodles, mix well.

6. Add sugar and raisins to taste, if desired, add some sliced apples.

7. Stir well, taste again and adjust the flavor for your taste, if necessary.

8. Pour into a shallow pan easily lubricated with oil or butter.

9. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 / 2 hour until golden and crispy. If it is not hard enough, will be put back in the oven a little longer and check regularly, until the crust is the way you want.