Original subtitles

If you're a fan of this program, you know full well that we've committed

of our episodes to exploring and exploiting the culinary virtues of dry

mostly in the Italian style.

Now, what's really interesting about Italian pastas is that the parts list,

ingredients are almost always the same. There's hard -dried wheat, some water.

and the occasional leg, and that's pretty much it.

What really differentiates all of these pastas is not the ingredient as much as

the shape. Each one finely tuned to match, say, a broth or a chunky ragu,

butter, cheese, oil, et cetera, and that is all fine. The truth is, noodles and

noodle -like devices can hail from other sources.

You just have to know where to look.

Truth is, most of the world's noodles are conceived, cooked, and consumed in

Asia, where we now know, due to recent archaeological finds, the noodles have

been consumed for more than 4 ,000 years, longer than anywhere else on the

planet. And the source material for these noodles is just astoundingly

I'd be happy to sell you plans, you know, for your own passageway through

center of the earth. The truth is, most of us already have easy access to a

plethora of Asian noodles via our local Mega Mart or, of course, our local Asian

grocery, either of which are chock full of...

The first time you poke your head into a well -stocked Asian noodle aisle, you

can expect to be a little... intimidated.

After all, you could come face -to -face with hundreds of different noodle

styles from maybe, I don't know, eight different countries and maybe a dozen

different culinary subcultures. You're not going to be able to read most of the

packages, the words you can read, you can't pronounce, and the words you can't

pronounce, like say...

Stick, thread, noodle, vermicelli probably aren't going to mean anything

manufacturers change them up willy -nilly. There's no standardization.

The exception would be Japanese noodles. They're usually in English, and they're

very standardized, all right? Udon's are udon's, and soba are soba.

Japanese noodles are another show. Today we are going to dive into the far

murkier water that is the Chinese noodle, the Vietnamese noodle, the Thai

noodle. And when it comes to these, I suggest you forget everything that you

on the package except for the major source.

of starch, which is always going to be in English. It is the law.

And there are going to be three big ones, okay? There are going to be wheat

noodles, there are going to be rice noodles, and there are going to be bean

noodles. All right? Now, the wheat noodles will include a majority of the

Chinese -style noodles, such as lo mein and ramen. And, yes, those are actually

Chinese. More on that later. Now, rice noodles, far more complex. Take a look

this package. Look at this. Look at this. All right, now, forget this.

this. Forget... That and that tiger, there's no tiger, and that's okay. All

need to look for is the word rice, okay? And know that this rice noodle and this

rice noodle, this rice noodle, and even these wrappers are all made out of the

exact same stuff. In fact, many of these noodles will appear together in the

very same application.

We will soon see that. Now, when we're talking about bean -based noodles, we

are, of course, speaking of...

Mung beans. Now, most of us are familiar with mung bean sprouts, which are an

excellent source of protein. But the noodles are actually made from the

dried beans.

Yes, I'm going to buy something. I always do, don't I? Just don't push me,

Thicker bean -based noodles are often referred to as cellophane because they

indeed translucent in their dry state.

My actual favorites, however, are the bean threads.

Highly versatile, as you'll soon see.

Oh, while you're here, you might want to stock up on some Asian noodle allies.

For instance, rice wine vinegar, always very, very useful stuff, as is plain old

rice wine. But never buy the sweet kind. Always just go for the standard issue.

A couple of oils.

Sesame oil, very, very valuable, flavorful stuff. Use that in a lot of

well as chili oil. Yeah, it's hot, but it's not too hot. Trust me on that.

You are also going to want something that is hot. This is called a sambal. It

a chili garlic paste, really kind of ubiquitous in Asian cuisine.

So I thought, I prefer the low -sodium version, but that is completely up to

you. Oh, and keep in mind, some of the better brands actually won't have any

English on the front label. But that's okay. If you look on the back, it'll

always be there. See, that has to be by law.

Big flavor is all, but don't worry, these noodles can take it. My good man,

don't think I'll have anything today. My Asian pantry is already perfectly

stocked. Good day.

What a weird...

Unlike wheat -based noodles, which are held together by a protein matrix called

gluten, which you're certainly familiar with if you're a fan of this show,

noodles from rice, beans, and vegetables are held together by long starch

molecules called amylose.

Now, when the noodle paste is first formed, these molecules are just kind of

scattered around, like these udon noodles. But as the paste dries, they

a durable, rigid pattern. The process is called retrogradation, and it's also

responsible for bread staling. But that's another show. What's really great

about it... amylose -based noodles is that they're highly absorbent and they

don't necessarily need to be cooked prior to use.

Two of today's three dishes will be heavily influenced by the flavors of

Sichuan, a region in southwestern China well known for its flagrant use of

chilies, ginger, garlic, and sesame.

Now, this first dish is one of my favorite fast weeknight dinners, and

built upon a bed of bean threads. It is called Mai Sheng Shu.

No, I'm not going to tell you what that means. Not yet.

Most mung bean noodles or threads come in bundles, usually tied with a piece of

dried noodle, and that can actually stay in place during the soaking process.

Now, I have three bundles here, which weigh about 1 .5 ounces apiece, and

just going to soak them in hot tap water for 20 minutes.

While the bean threads soak, we turn to the second component of ma yin shen ju,

a curious meat concoction.

which begins with a marinade composed of two ounces of soy sauce, one tablespoon

of rice wine, and one tablespoon of sambal chili paste. Just whisk that

in a mixing bowl, along with one teaspoon of cornstarch.

The cornstarch will, of course, help to thicken the sauce, but it will also help

it to integrate into the noodle mass to come.

There. Now, the meat.

Ten ounces of ground pork. Now, most Mega Marts keep this on hand these days,

but if yours does not, just ask them to grind up some pork butt. That's the

shoulder, not the, well, you know. Now, while you're in here, grab four green

onions and half a cup of chicken broth or stock, canned, parted, and homemade,

all just fine.

Thoroughly integrate the meat into the liquid to create a paste, which will

marinate for 30 minutes.

Now, this is a curious procedure.

Typically, we do not soak ground meat in a liquid, but it's important here

because after the meat absorbs the liquid and the starch, it'll tend to

apart more readily over heat, which is critical to the success of this

particular dish.

Once integrated, let that sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

When you're about maybe 10 minutes away, go ahead and snip the soaked noodles

into manageable pieces.

Originally, they're 15 to 16 inches long. We prefer them 3 to 4. So just use

your scissors, cut those up, and then drain them thoroughly, at least 10

minutes.

Good. Last but not least, 4 green onions, chopped for a total of 1 1⁄4

volume.

When there is one minute remaining in the meat marination period, place a 12

-inch skillet over the very highest heat you possess.

Let that heat for one minute, and then add one tablespoon of canola oil, and

just kind of swirl to let that coat. Then in goes the meat. You want to keep

this constantly moving, and I find this wooden spatula is the best tool for the

job. Two minutes will go by, and then you can add two -thirds of the green

onions. Then continue cooking again on high heat for another two minutes,

constantly moving if you please.

Once that two minutes is up, drop the heat slightly and introduce half a cup

chicken broth. And then allow that to cook for three minutes before dumping in

the thoroughly drained noodles.

And stir to combine.

Keep stirring and tossing until the noodles and meat are completely

and the noodles have soaked up every bit of liquid in the pan, something they

would not be able to do if they had been soaked in boiling rather than hot

water.

Mound onto a platter and serve family style, topped with the rest of the green

onions. Now this is easily enough for, say, an entree for four or maybe an

opening course for six or one midnight snack.

For me. By the way, ma yi sheng shu means, roughly translated, ants climbing

tree. I kid you not.

While most Asian noodles, like these rice sticks and vermicelli, are

that is, put through some sort of small nozzle, like the one in this classic toy

of my youth, not all starch pastes are treated in this manner.

Rice pastes can be spread thinly, en masse.

steamed and dried to create parchment -like sheets that can be rehydrated and

wrapped around a wide array of ingredients to make things like spring

which utilize both wrappers and thin noodles. We will begin by soaking five

ounces of these thin rice sticks in warm water for 15 minutes. Because like

gelatin, the starches here need to hydrate before they can be cooked to

tenderness. Of course, gelatin is protein, but you get the point.

Fetch from the chill chest a pound of raw shrimp, any size peel on, two medium

limes, which will give us the three tablespoons of juice that we require,

large carrot, one cucumber in the 10 -ounce range, and a large head of bibb

lettuce, from which we will harvest 14 leaves.

We're also going to need some herbage, a small head of cilantro, and yes.

I do keep that in a water glass covered with a motel -issue disposable shower

cap. I also need mint or Thai basil. In either case, we will need three

-quarters of a cup chopped of each.

The carrot we can quickly dispatch on the large holes of a box of grater.

As for the herbs, they will need to be removed from their stems, at least

somewhat, and then chopped. Now, you don't have to make this very pretty, but

make sure you use a sharp knife so that you do not bruise the leaves.

Now, if for some reason you cannot find Thai basil, that's fine.

Fight the herbs to use regular Italian basil. It is just too strong. You're

better off sticking with the mint.

Thank you.

All right, as for the cucumbers, slice off the end, save this for another

purpose, then split the body into about two -and -a -half -inch sections and

perform a roll cut, just peeling off the outer few millimeters of skin, which we

will then cut with a julienne or matchstick cut.

There.

Continue the spring rolls by bringing a half gallon of water to a boil over high

heat in a large saucepan. Now ordinarily I would season this kind of cooking

water with salt, but in this case we will use a tablespoon of soy sauce.

Now, when the water reaches a full boil, add the shrimp and cook until just

firm. It will be one to two minutes, depending upon the shrimp. Then, fish

out. Do not dump out this liquid. We're not finished with it. Just fish them out

with your spider and let them cool.

Then, drain the noodles, which have soaked, and cut the bunch into

lengths. Just three sections should do. And move those into the rapidly boiling

stock.

There, and those are going to cook for approximately three minutes until just

tender. Then drain and allow them to cool.

Next, whisk another tablespoon of soy sauce with three tablespoons of the lime

juice, one tablespoon of chili paste, and two teaspoons of sugar. Once that is

mixed together, introduce the noodles, which will soak up a majority of that

liquid. Just mix them with your hands as long as they're clean. Once the shrimp

are cool, peel and chop them into small chunks.

And so, everything is gathered for the building of the spring rolls, which

should be assembled immediately prior to consumption.

As you can see, I have my workstation all organized. So, one rice wrapper goes

into warm water, and by that I mean 100 to 110 degrees for 10 seconds.

All right, that's enough of that.

Drain thoroughly.

and then place on your work surface.

Time to load. Grab your tongs and use up to a quarter of a cup of the noodles,

followed by, say, two tablespoons of the shrimp and another quarter cup of the

vegetation. These amounts, of course, depend on whether you like your spring

rolls to be on the chubby side or on the thin side. Now, for rolling, just think

burrito. Firmly fold over the end and then the side,

thusly, and then kind of apply a little...

back pressure as you roll so that it is nice and taut.

There. Now, as you wrap, you want to line them up on parchment and cover with

moist towel to keep them from drying out.

Now, you can serve spring rolls just as is, but they can get a little sticky, so

I prefer to apply a final wrapping of bib lettuce.

Like that. Now, as for a dipping sauce, be a nice idea.

Perhaps one -half cup of soy sauce, a quarter cup of rice wine vinegar, two

tablespoons of fresh ginger, finely grated, two tablespoons of green onion

chopped, two medium cloves of garlic minced, two teaspoons of sugar, and one

teaspoon of sesame oil, all shaken up in a glass jar.

Completely up to you, though.

There is one and only one edible you're guaranteed to find in every room and

every dorm on every college campus in America.

Took me all of 30 seconds to find them.

Ramen noodles.

Little did inventor Mamafuku Ando know back in 1958 when he was attempting to

come up with a quick version of a Japanese adaptation of a Chinese wheat

in order to supply the people of war -torn Japan a cheap square meal that he

in fact creating Gakusei Ryori, a student cuisine.

Now the process that Ando worked out involved first cooking the noodles with

water laced with an alkaline salt called Kansui.

which gives the final product a firm texture and yellowish hue. The noodles

then dried and then flash -fried. Now, ramen have a shelf life of Godzilla,

thanks to the fact that palm oil, which is as saturated as the liquid fat you

get, is used for the frying.

Saturated fats keep really well, but they're not exactly heart -healthy,

is why I don't eat ramen very often. And when I do, I toss this salt -lick

flavor pack.

Dude, what?

Well, good afternoon, gentlemen.

What? I assume you two are aware of the fact that you've been on double -secret

probation since the beginning of the semester. What? Dude.

Mm -hmm. I'm also certain that you're aware of our rules against cooking in

rooms. Dude. What?

Look, guys, I'm going to cut you some slack this time to make this stuff

disappear. What? What?

What's that on your chest?

Pledge pin. A pledge pin?

On your uniform?

Dude. Drop right now and give me 20. And maybe, just maybe, I'll forget this

whole stinking rotten incident.

Although the standard...

Ramen scenario is to serve them as a soup in a broth that has been consumed

a lot of slurping. These curly little guys are actually based on a Chinese

noodle that's often served cold.

All right, now my favorite, the classic cold sesame noodle, is easily within the

reach of even the most limited pantry. We will begin with four quarts of water

in a six -quart pot over high.

heat. While that comes to a boil, place four cloves of garlic minced in the work

bowl of your food processor along with two tablespoons of ginger grated.

these ahead of time will prevent the sauce from being too strong. Then two

tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce followed by a tablespoon each of black

vinegar. You could use Worcestershire sauce. Sesame oil, chili oil, and also

brown sugar. And I like to use the darkest brown sugar that I can get my

on. There. Now just lid up and process until that just comes together as a

sauce.

There. Now add a third of a cup of peanut butter. And by the way, I know

you are out there thinking, oh, I'll use all -natural peanut butter and it'll be

even better. Well, it won't. We need just plain old smooth Mega Mart E, B,

butter. That's all.

Add the peanut butter to the sauce, lid up, and process.

Give it a few seconds and then slowly drizzle in a quarter of a cup of low

-sodium chicken broth.

And when the sauce is smooth, move to the noodles. Place four 2 .1 -ounce

packages, that standard issue of ramen noodles, into the boiling water. Do not

add the flavor packs, please.

They'll be done in about one to one -and -a -half minutes. Remember, they're

technically pre -cooked. Then kill the heat and drain thoroughly.

That water we no longer need.

Once they're as dry as you can get them, add to the sauce and toss. I suggest

you do this while the noodles are warm but not hot. To finish it, all you have

to do is garnish with green onion and chopped toasted peanut.

I feel I must warn you that given a few hours in the fridge, this dish will

improve considerably.

But you know what?

I'm not always interested in having my patients rewarded.

What's this?

Did I?

Ugh, bother.

I left the light on.

See you next time. Have a good evening.