Asian Noodles Category

These thin round sheets resemble rice paper, but they're made with mung bean starch and used as noodles. Before cooking, soak them in hot water until they're soft, then cut them into noodles.

These chewy noodles look like a pack of rubber bands, but they're made from compressed tofu and packed with protein and nutrients. They're usually served in salads, soups, or stir-fries. Look for them in the refrigerated or frozen foods section of Asian markets. Dried tofu noodles are also available; before using, soak them in water mixed with baking soda until they soften, then rinse. Don't confuse these with bean curd skin noodles, which are darker and chewier.

These slippery Japanese wheat noodles are popular in southern Japan, where they're often served in soups or stews. They're roughly as thick as spaghetti, but they come in different widths. Dried udon noodles are available in Asian markets and health food stores. Cook them for about 11 minutes. Fresh udon noodles are called nama udon, and should be cooked for about 2 to 3 minutes.

The Vietnamese are fond of rice noodles, which range in size from the slender banh hoi (rice vermicelli) to bun (thin rice sticks) to banh pho (medium rice sticks). They also use slender bean threads made from mung bean starch (which they call bun tao or sometimes mien), and Chinese egg noodles.

These thick rice noodles are popular both in Southeast Asia and China. Soak the noodles in hot water until soft, then either boil them or add them along with some broth to your stir-fry.

These are thin Chinese egg noodles of various widths. They're usually served in soups. They're available both fresh and dried in Asian markets.