Oodles of Noodles

I'm supposed to be writing a paper for school on the regional cuisines of Asia, but I need a break and I haven't written a paper for a realllllly loooonnnnng time so I'll just procrastinate a little bit by posting :D.

I just got back from visiting my family in LA and during the oh-so-exciting drive down endless I-5, I started thinking about my favorite noodle dishes. So here goes, my top 5 (or however many I can come up with) fav noodle dishes of all time!

Numero Uno: RAMEN (drool.....)


Specifically, a big steaming bowl from my favorite Ramen joint, Halu Ramen.
This is what I'm talkin' about - just looking at this picture makes me wanna go there right now. I simply cannot do it justice with any of the adjectives available to me in the English language. You simply have to go there and taste for yourself. Although, there have been folks who have not been as impressed as me when they did go try for themselves. Whatever :). Maybe it's just a matter of personal taste then.

#2 Beef Noodle Soup (Taiwanese style)


I *heart* this dish so much. It makes me think of my Mom and brings back so many good memories of childhood. The broth has hints of star anise and a lovely rich, smoky flavor. The beef and tendon melt away in your mouth and if you like things spicy, this dish will not disappoint. Unfortunately, I haven't been satisfied by any of the places that serve this dish ever since this one hole-in-the-wall place I frequented closed down. Boo :(. So, I'm really missing this dish.

#3 Laksa


All you Singaporeans out there know exactly why this dish is on my list. Every time I think of Singapore, I think of this bowl of curry noodle awesome-ness! The curry gravy is flavored with candlenut, lemongrass and so many other good things. It's usually seafood based (mostly shrimp) and the gravy is ladled over a combo of yellow egg noodles and rice vermicelli, then topped with deep fried tofu, bean sprouts, shrimp and more chilli sauce. My Mom used to tell me to stop eating this stuff so much cuz it was causing all my pimple outbreaks :). The last time I went to S'pore on business a couple years ago, I think I had this like 5 times in the 5 short days that I was there :D.

#4 Hokkien Mee


Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!!! Another Singaporean speciality. I wish there was a wormhole between the South Bay and Singapore which I could step through at any time and I would be directly deposited in front of my favorite Hokkien Mee hawker stall....sigh...maybe in another gazillion years. Till then I can only reminisce. I figured since all my other picks have been soup based noodle dishes, I should throw in a few dry noodle dishes too. This dish is sort of a braised noodle dish actually, because the preparation goes like this:

Step 1: Saute shrimp, squid and pork very briefly in large wok. Remove from pan and set aside.
Step 2: Add beaten eggs and cook briefly again.
Step 3: Add in noodles to the eggs and douse with broth. Cover and steam until noodles absorb the broth.
Step 4: Add the proteins back to the noodles and steam to reheat.
Step 5: Serve with flaming hot chilli paste, a lime wedge and enjoy!

#5 Hand Cut/Knife Cut Noodles (Dao Xiao Mian)


Ok, last one, cuz I really have to finish this paper. The way these noodles are made is very unique. The chef basically takes a hunking piece of dough and shaves off thin slices off the top using a knife. The noodles are then either boiled or sauteed with whatever ingredients you want. Usually, I order this with lamb because this dish is commonly found in Muslim-Chinese restaurants. The noodles have this extra bite to them and are really chewy and toothsome.

Well I hope you've enjoyed this little noodle tour - back to the grind!