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Asians can safely be called the biggest fans of noodles in all its diversity. They are able to eat it every day just like that, add it to salads, side dishes and soups. The latter occupy a special place in the national menu of Asian peoples. We offer you to get acquainted with the world gastronomic hits more closely. How and when did noodle soups appear? What are their main features? And how to cook them at home? We will discuss all this in detail in our article.
Lagman: a hearty lunch for three
The history of lagman, one of the most popular dishes of Uzbek cuisine, originates in China. According to legend, it was invented by three travelers who accidentally met at the intersection of roads. One of them had a frying pan in his bag, the second had meat and some flour, the third had radish and a handful of spices.
In fact, lagman is an Asian pasta with the addition of strong broth, meat and vegetables. The main feature of the dish is that the components are prepared separately. The dough is rolled into flagella and stretched on straight hands into thin noodles. The rich broth is cooked in a cauldron. And pieces of meat with vegetables are fried in a cauldron. All the components are combined in a deep bowl right before serving.
Beef lagman is one of the most popular varieties of the famous soup. In advance, cook 2 liters of broth on beef with a bone. We cut 500 g of beef pulp into large pieces, brown it over high heat in a cauldron or a frying pan with a thick bottom. Pour out 2 onions cut into thick half-rings, continue to fry for another 5-7 minutes. We cut carrots, green radish and 3 potatoes into large cubes, and sweet pepper-slices. Pour all the vegetables into the cauldron and fry until they become soft. Add 2 tomatoes without skin, pour a little boiling water, put salt, allspice and garlic to taste. Simmer the beef under the lid on low heat for an hour. About 10 minutes before the end, we boil 400 g of noodles for lagman.
We put pieces of beef mixed with vegetables in a bowl, add noodles and pour everything with hot broth. Sprinkle the lagman with fresh chopped herbs and serve it to the table as soon as possible.
Fo bo: beef in a rice web
Vietnamese soup with beef and rice noodles pho bo has also gained popularity all over the world. The history of the dish dates back 150 years, and its birthplace is the town of Nam Dinh, which is 100 km from Hanoi. It is not known for sure who invented fo bo. But it was then that street food vendors began to offer it to passers-by. They had two boxes with them. A brazier with broth was placed in one, so that it was always hot. The other one contained ready-made meat, fresh herbs, noodles and various spices.
Unlike lagman, thin rice noodles are used for fo bo. Moreover, it is cut from special steam pancakes. To create a unique taste, rice vinegar, chili sauce, fish sauce and lime slices are added to the soup, as well as a generous bouquet of different spices. Meat can be not only boiled, but also raw. To do this, fresh frozen beef is cut into thin slices and steamed with steep broth.
We also start cooking fo bo with beef broth. Pour 400 g of beef on the bones and 200 g of beef pulp with 2 liters of cold water, cook for 1.5-2 hours, constantly removing the foam. At the end, we filter the broth, separate the meat from the bone and disassemble it into fibers. Boiled beef is cut into large slices.
In a cast-iron frying pan without oil, fry a stick of cinnamon, a star of star anise, 2-3 dried cardamom fruits, 0.5 tsp each of coriander and ginger, 2-3 peas of black pepper. Add the spices to the already filtered broth, pour out the chili pepper rings and stand on low heat for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, we boil 400 g of rice noodles and wash them in cold water so that they do not stick together.
We put the meat in a bowl, pour the spicy broth, add the noodles. Decorate the dish with sprigs of parsley, mint leaves and a slice of lemon. Also, green and red onions, basil, coriander, wild cherry and fish sauce are often used for serving.
Kuksu: noodles worth their weight in gold
Kuksu, or kuksi, is a special kind of wheat noodles in Korean cuisine. And this is also the name of the national soup based on it. According to the chronicles, the history of Kuksu dates back to about the first century. Then wheat was brought to China, and a little later to Korea. Since this grain was very rare in this region, it was extremely expensive. It is not surprising that wheat noodles were served only on special solemn occasions and for sacred rituals.
The dough for noodles is kneaded from wheat flour with a small amount of starch and hot water in an approximate ratio of 1:2.5. In some recipes, an egg is also driven in here. Next, the dough should stand for half an hour, after which it is rolled into a layer and cut into thin noodles. Sometimes it is made in the form of round flagella. In summer, kuksu soup is served cold, and in winter — hot.
We offer you to try the summer version. Cut 2 fresh cucumbers into thin long strips. We leave part of it for submission. Chop the onion head into half rings, chop 3-4 green onion feathers finely. Mix everything together, add a crushed garlic clove, 2 tbsp. l. vinegar and sugar, 1 tsp. hot ground pepper, salt to taste. Leave the mixture to marinate at room temperature for 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, we boil 400 g of kuksu noodles and 2 hard-boiled eggs. We put the spicy cucumber mixture on plates, pour the cooled soy milk, pour in 1 tsp of soy sauce. Each portion of the soup is decorated with a straw of fresh cucumber, half a boiled egg and generously sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Udon: a souvenir from China
The appearance of udon noodles in Japanese cuisine is associated with the name of the Buddhist Kukai, who went to China in the VII century. There, in addition to spiritual practices, he painstakingly studied local dishes. A special impression was made by the soup made of unusual udon noodles. He brought the signature recipe home with him, to Sanuki Prefecture, after which the recipe quickly spread throughout the country and became very popular.
Today, about 30 types of udon are distinguished in Japan, depending on the color, length, width, thickness and texture density. The broth is also prepared in different ways, combining light and dark soy sauce with various additives. Tofu cheese, mirin fish wine, kamaboko fish sticks, shrimp, tempura and green onions are in particular demand.
We offer you to try an unusual option-udon with breaded chicken. We will prepare 500 ml of fragrant chicken broth in advance. We cut 400 g of chicken fillet into portions, roll each in flour and spices for poultry, dip it in a beaten egg and sprinkle with ground breadcrumbs. Fry the white meat in a large amount of oil until golden brown.
Boil 300 g of udon noodles. While it is cooking, mix 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce, teriyaki and oyster sauce. For expressive spicy notes, you can put a little garlic or chili pepper. Subtle nutty notes will give 1 tsp of sesame.
We put ready-made udon noodles and breaded chicken pieces on plates, season with sauce and pour a small amount of chicken broth. Garnish each serving with chopped green onions, sesame seeds and a slice of lime.
Ramen: everyone’s favorite
Ramen noodles in Japan are considered a local fast food, which is eaten with pleasure and in large quantities. However, its homeland is considered to be China. Initially, the dish was served in small Japanese ramen-ya eateries. It quickly became popular and soon appeared on the menu of all restaurants without exception. Today, even in special vending machines, you can try instant ramen.
Noodles are traditionally made from wheat flour, water and salt, sometimes with the addition of eggs. Only instead of ordinary water, the Japanese use a special kansui water, saturated with minerals. Thanks to this, the noodles acquire a branded taste, color and dense texture. That’s why it doesn’t boil so much in the broth. Most often, pieces of pork, sprouted soy, bamboo shoots, seaweed, pickled eggs are added to it.
We offer to cook a chicken variation of ramen. First, mix 100 ml of soy sauce, 50 ml of dry white wine and 1 tsp of sugar. Marinate 6 peeled boiled eggs in this mixture for 3-4 hours. Meanwhile, fill a small chicken carcass with 3 liters of cold water, bring to a boil, put the onion and carrot, cook for an hour. The meat is carefully separated from the bones, and the finished broth is filtered. We measure about 1.5 liters, add 150 g of sprouted soy sprouts, 5-6 chopped green onion feathers and 2 tbsp. l. miso paste. Gradually bring the broth to a boil over low heat.
While it is being prepared, we boil 400 g of udon noodles. We put it on plates with pieces of boiled chicken meat and pour it with spicy broth. Before serving, we decorate the soup portions with halves of pickled eggs and sprinkle with green onions.
These dishes of Asian cuisine based on noodles, in our opinion, deserve special attention. Although, of course, you can find a lot of interesting things in the national menu. It is not for nothing that noodles are one of the most popular products in the East. Do you cook Asian noodle soups? We will be glad if you share your signature recipes in the comments.