FoodFindsAsia | 3 Must-Try Asian Noodle Recipes | Noodles may all be made from the same ingredients, but they taste significantly different in various parts of the world. Their forms and styles also differ. Additionally, different regions enjoy them disparately. In Asia, for instance, there’s a huge variety of noodles drawing into the traditions of the region, resulting in some of the best noodle recipes you can try. Lo mein and chow mein are considered the most popular noodle stir fry dishes in Chinese cuisine, and many Chinese restaurants serve nothing but these two items.
One characteristic you should know about Asian noodles is their versatility. They come in different textures, sizes, and shapes and are made from rice flour or wheat. While the battle for the top Asian noodle recipe might be that of pad thai vs lo mein, the varieties available in the region mean a wide range of Asian noodle recipes to choose from.
So, if you love noodles, these three Asian recipes will excite you and provoke you to skip the take-out and enjoy a delicious homemade meal:
Vegetable lo mein noodles
Getting the recipe and learning how to make this take-out favorite noodle Asian dish will get you eating home a bit more often. Even better, you only need 25 minutes to make it. Here’s the recipe for six servings of delicious vegetable lo mein noodles:
Ingredients:
- One lb lo mein noodles (you can substitute with spaghetti)
- Two tablespoons of light soy sauce and a tablespoon of dark soy sauce
- A teaspoon of sesame oil (toasted)
- A teaspoon of brown sugar
- Half teaspoon of ground ginger
- Four cloves of minced garlic
- A cup of sliced mushrooms
- One julienned small carrot
- A cup of snow peas
- 2-3 cups of spinach
- A bunch of thinly sliced green onions
Cooking instructions
- Make the sauce by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and ground ginger. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl to make the sauce and place it aside.
- Cook the noodles by following the instructions provided on the package
- Cook the veggies and add your minced garlic. After the garlic is golden, add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Remember to toss them occasionally until they’re nicely cooked. Add the snow peas and carrots, and cook until they’re tender but crisp.
- Finally, add the noodles and then the sauce. Toss until you coat everything with the sauce. Taste for seasoning and add to taste, and then sprinkle green onions and enjoy your meal.
While this is a vegetarian meal, you can make it with any protein you want, including pork, shrimp, or beef, which you add to the cooked garlic and continue with the cooking process.
Sichuan dan dan noodles
This is a Sichuan recipe; you make your noodles in sesame chili oil and fried pork. The traditional street dish is spicy and full of flavor. Here’s the recipe for four servings: (2)
Ingredients
- Two and one tablespoons of sesame and chili paste (Chinese), respectively
- Four tablespoons of light soy
- Two cloves of minced garlic
- Three teaspoons of white sugar
- One teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder
- One teaspoon of Sichuan pepper powder
- 185 ml Chicken broth
- Chili oil (3 tablespoons or more)
- One tablespoon of vegetable oil
- 250g minced pork
- Two teaspoons of Hoisin sauce
- 30g preserved mustard greens
- 500g noodles
- Two finely sliced green onions
- About 16 Choi sum stems
- A tablespoon of peanuts
Cooking instructions
- Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients: soy sauce, sugar, garlic, Chinese sesame, Sichuan pepper/Chinese five-spice powder. Then, stir in your stock and oil, and set aside.
- Next, make the pork topping by mixing the five-spice, soy, hoisin, and Chinese wine. Then, heat the oil. Put in your pork and allow it to cook while breaking it until it turns white. Add the topping sauce you’ve just made and put the mixture in a separate bowl.
- Warm the mustard green in oil and low heat, stirring for 30 seconds, just to make it warm.
- Cook the noodles as per the given instructions, add Choi sum to it, let it cook for about a minute, and then drain. Unlike other noodle recipes, you can layer up dan dan without tossing. Put the sauce first, add your noodles and place the pork and toppings last.
Lemongrass chicken noodles
The Bun Ga Nuong is a Vietnamese staple made with lemongrass and chicken noodle salad, which is a perfect midweek meal. It’s a delicious, low-carb, and healthy dish that’s rich in flavor. Here’s the recipe for two to three servings: (3)
Ingredients
- 500g fresh egg noodles
- About six cups of chicken stock
- One or two lemongrass stalks
- About 500g chopped chicken breast or thigh
- Four lay or lime leaves
- Three minced garlic cloves
- A shredded thumb-sized ginger piece
- One large sliced carrot
- A sliced red chili pepper
- A tablespoon of oyster sauce
- A stalk of celery
- A tablespoon of brown sugar
- 2-3 cups of baby bok choy (separated and chopped leaves for larger ones)
- Two tablespoons of fish sauce
- Half cup of full-fat coconut milk
- A handful of fresh coriander, mushrooms (optional), and broccoli (optional)
- A tablespoon of lemon juice
Cooking instructions
- Prepare your noodles as instructed on the package, drain and rinse them in cold water, so they don’t stick together. Place them aside.
- Boil your stock in a large pot. Moreover, chicken, lemongrass, and bay leaves should be boiled in medium to high heat for four minutes.
- Set the heat to medium, and add your ginger, garlic, carrot, celery, and chile pepper. You can add mushroom at this point as well, if it’s part of your ingredients, and simmer for three minutes. As it simmers, add the fish, oyster sauce, and sugar.
- Also, add the chopped baby bok choy at this point, but only the white stalks. If you didn’t chop it, add them at the end as it cooks fast. Put in the broccoli and allow it to simmer for around three minutes.
- Add the unchopped baby bok choy, stir to mix, and let it simmer for 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low and add coconut milk as you stir. Taste to check for proper seasoning. Add coconut milk if it tastes too spicy and lemon juice if it’s too salty. If it tastes sour, add sugar.
Takeaway
There’s a wide variety of Asian noodle recipes to try, but the ones shared above will make you love homemade noodles more. The beauty of these recipes is that they’re easy to prepare and cook. They’re also healthy and quite versatile, allowing you to change up some ingredients to make variations of the same dish.
References
- “Asian noodle varieties and how to use them: Rice, udon, ramen, soba, glass and more”, Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/05/24/asian-noodles-varieties-rice-soba/
- “HISTORY OF DAN DAN NOODLES AND HOW TO MAKE IT”, Source: https://www.typicalnoodles.com/blog/2020/2/8/history-of-dan-dan-noodles-and-how-to-make-it
- “Thai Chicken Noodle Soup With Lemongrass Recipe”, Source: https://www.thespruceeats.com/thai-chicken-noodle-soup-3217660
Photo by Son Tung Tran: https://www.pexels.com/photo
