Japanese Noodle

Japanese Noodle
During the heat summer, Japanese noodles wonderfully refreshing when serve floating in a bowl of ice water and accompanied by a chilled dipping sauce. In winter, noodles are commonly served in hot, shoyu-season broth. Whether in soups or salads, sautéed with vegetables, baked or topped who the sauce, noodles are always delicious.

Although there are many varieties within each type, there are two main categories of Japanese noodles: those made from buckwheat (soba) and those made from wheat (udon and somen). Because buckwheat requires cooler, drier growing conditions, the thin brownish gray soba noodle is mostly popular in northern Japan. Natural foods stores and Asian markets offer a wide variety of soba noodles.

One hundred percent buckwheat soba is a hearty, delicious, wheat free noodle that comes in salt free and salted varieties. Most soba noodles are made from 40 to 80 percent buckwheat flour, with the reminder being unbleached white flour. Ito soba, which contains 40 percent buckwheat flour, is a thin, delicate, noodle that cooks quickly and easily absorbs the flavor of broths, sauces or seasonings.

Udon is a thick, chewy, beige wheat noodle that resembles linguine and is favored in Kyoto and southern Japan. The varieties sold in natural foods stores are made from 100 percent whole wheat flour, or a combination of whole wheat and unbleached white flour.

One hundred percent whole wheat udon is a sturdy noodle with a robust whole wheat flavor and textured appearance. For a noodle that will readily absorb the flavors of broths, sauces and seasonings, use lighter, smoother udons – typically those made with some unbleached white flour. Brown rice udon, a combination of brown rice and wheat flour, is not a traditional Japanese food, but rather was developed especially for the natural foods market.

Though Japanese noodles are well suited to a variety of cooking styles and preparations, it is important to choose the right noodle for the dish to be prepared. For example, while soba and udon are excellent choices for stir-fried noodles, thin, delicate varieties of soba, such as ito and cha soba, are not recommend for frying, and 100 percent soba is also a poor choice. Somen, a thin wheat noodle is too delicate for frying.
Japanese Noodle