Pasta in Asia

Pasta is always associated with spaghetti and so on. In actual fact, pasta is referring to products that are made from flour. In Western countries, it is called pasta and in Asia, it is called noodles. Whether it is pasta or noodles, it is one of the most consumed foods in the whole wide world.

In Asia alone, noodles are produced in various forms in various countries and cooked in so many countless ways. Pasta or noodles or “mee” in local language, play an important role in all Asian cuisines being it Chinese cuisines, Japanese cuisines, Korean cuisines, Thai cuisines, Indonesian cuisines, Singaporean cuisines or Malaysian cuisines. It is served at all places, from five-star hotels to the street stalls all over Asia.

Below are the more popular types of noodles in Asia:

1. Vermicelli is also called glass noodlse. When it is not cooked, it is very fragile. When it is cooked, it is very soft and clear in color. It is normally served in soup with fish ball, sliced meat and spring onion. Another great way to taste it is to stir fry it with egg, prawn, bean sprout and chili.

2. Soba is a specialty noodle from Japan. A very popular type of noodle in Japanese cuisines, whether you serve it hot in a soup or cold with a dipping sauce.

3. Fresh rice noodle is a kind of noodle made from rice flour. It is best to stir fry it with eggs, clams, bean sprouts and chili. “char koay teow”, a very famous dish from South East Asia is using this type of noodle. It is also good to serve in soup as well.

4. “Hokkien” noodle is a thick, yellow and rubbery-texture noodle. It is widely used in lots of street food in Asia whether served hot in soup or stir fry it.

There are many more types of noodles that are not mentioned here. There are also many ways on how to cook the noodles.

Pasta in Asia