All language subtitles for Good Eats - S14E22 (2011) - Use Your Noodle V - Asian Noodles

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.