Know Your Noodles
Cooking Skills: Noodles 1
Chapter 1 · Know Your Noodles
Skill goal
Recognise the main types of noodle, cook each one properly and sauce hot noodles so they stay glossy.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
There are many noodles, but you can sort them into a few families by what they are made of. Knowing which you have tells you how to cook it, and how long: most cook in just a few minutes, and the difference between perfect and mush is often under a minute.
The main noodle families
| Family | Made from | Examples | Texture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat | Wheat flour and water (sometimes salt) | Udon, somen, ramen, thin wheat noodles | Springy and chewy, from slippery thin to thick and chewy |
| Egg | Wheat flour and egg | Egg noodles, chow mein noodles | Rich and springy, yellow |
| Rice | Rice flour and water | Rice vermicelli, flat pad Thai noodles, rice sticks | Soft and slippery; no gluten (check the label) |
| Buckwheat | Buckwheat flour, often with some wheat | Soba | Earthy and slightly grainy |
| Glass (cellophane) | Mung bean or sweet potato starch | Glass noodles | Slippery, chewy and transparent |
Fresh, dried or instant
- Dried: keep for months in the cupboard. Cook as the pack says. The best value for most dishes.
- Fresh (chilled): cook very quickly (often 1 to 3 minutes) and keep in the fridge until the use-by date. Often available in the chilled aisle.
- Instant: pre-cooked and dried, ready in minutes. Chapter 7 shows how to turn them into a real meal.
How to cook them
- A big pan of boiling water: noodles need room to move, or they stick.
- Salt wheat and egg noodles lightly if you wish; rice noodles and soba don't need it.
- Stir at the start, then once or twice. Don't walk away.
- Taste a strand near the end: tender with a slight spring, not mushy or chalky in the middle.
- Drain at once. For hot dishes, don't rinse (the starch helps sauce cling); for cold dishes, rinse until cold (see Cooking Skills: Noodles 1, chapter 4).
- A drop of oil stops them sticking if they have to wait.
How much?
Plan on about 75 to 100 g of dried noodles per person for a main dish, and about 50 to 60 g for a soup. Noodles roughly double or triple in weight when cooked.
Storing
- Dried noodles: in a dry, cool cupboard, tightly closed.
- Fresh noodles: in the fridge, used by the date, or frozen in a bag.
- Cooked noodles: cool quickly, chill within 1 hour, eat within a day.
Boiling water and storing
Boiling water: drain noodles away from your face because the steam is scalding, use oven gloves for heavy pans, and tip the pan away from you. Don't carry a full pan of boiling water across a room with people or pets in it.Leftovers: cool noodle dishes quickly (within about 1 hour), keep them covered in the fridge, eat within 1 day (soups with meat or egg: 2 days, with the noodles stored separately), and reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
Small children: long, slippery noodles can be a choking risk for very young children: cut them short for them and sit with them while they eat.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Three noodles cooked right
Cook a little of each type, one after another, so you can feel the difference. You are not making a dish: just learning what a properly cooked noodle is like. Taste a strand every 30 seconds near the end.
Ingredients (3 portions)
- 100 g dried egg noodles
- 100 g dried flat rice noodles (about 5 mm wide)
- 100 g dried thin wheat noodles (or somen)
- 1 tsp oil for tossing
- 1 pinch salt (for the egg and wheat noodles)
- Egg noodles: bring a large pan of water to the boil with a pinch of salt. Add the noodles, stir once, and cook for the time on the pack (usually 3 to 4 minutes). Taste a strand: it should be tender with a slight spring. Drain and toss with a little oil.
- Thin wheat noodles: cook in the same way, usually 2 to 4 minutes, and stir gently to keep them from sticking. Drain and toss with a little oil.
- Flat rice noodles: don't boil them hard. Cover them with just-boiled water in a bowl and leave for the time on the pack (usually 6 to 8 minutes), until soft but still a little firm. Drain.
- Taste all three side by side. Notice the colour, the springiness and how they cling together, and write it in the tasting-notes table.
Boiling water and storing
Boiling water: drain noodles away from your face because the steam is scalding, use oven gloves for heavy pans, and tip the pan away from you. Don't carry a full pan of boiling water across a room with people or pets in it.Leftovers: cool noodle dishes quickly (within about 1 hour), keep them covered in the fridge, eat within 1 day (soups with meat or egg: 2 days, with the noodles stored separately), and reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.
Level 1 · Quick
Soy butter noodles
A five-ingredient comfort dish: hot noodles tossed in salty, savoury butter. Save a cupful of the cooking water: the starch in it helps the sauce cling.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 200 g dried egg noodles
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 1 pinch black pepper
- Cook the noodles in boiling water as in the last recipe. Before draining, scoop out half a cup of the cooking water.
- Drain the noodles. Return the empty pan to a low heat and melt the butter with the soy sauce and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the noodles and a splash of the cooking water and toss for 30 seconds until every strand is glossy.
- Serve at once, scattered with the spring onions and black pepper.
Allergens and children
Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free. The butter adds milk.Small children: long, slippery noodles can be a choking risk for very young children: cut them short for them and sit with them while they eat.
Level 2 · Aromatic oil
Garlic and spring onion oil noodles
Hot oil poured over spring onion and garlic releases their aroma instantly. The noodles are tossed in this fragrant oil with soy sauce: very simple and very good.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 200 g dried thin wheat or egg noodles
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp neutral oil (vegetable or sunflower)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- Cook the noodles in boiling water, drain and put them in a bowl. Stir the soy sauce, sugar and vinegar together and pour over the noodles.
- Put the spring onions and garlic in a heatproof bowl or on top of the noodles. Heat the oil in a small pan over a medium heat until it shimmers (about 1 minute: if the garlic sizzles instantly when you drop in a piece, it is ready).
- Pour the hot oil over the spring onion and garlic: it will sizzle loudly. Stir everything together and serve at once.
Hot oil
Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.
Level 2 · Sauce
Sesame soy noodles
A creamy sesame sauce that coats hot noodles. The trick is to whisk the thick tahini with the soy and a little noodle water until it turns smooth and pale: it looks wrong and then suddenly right.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 200 g dried wheat or egg noodles
- 1 tbsp tahini or sesame paste (or smooth peanut butter)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 4 tbsp warm noodle cooking water
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
- ½ cucumber, cut into matchsticks (optional)
- Cook the noodles, saving half a cup of the cooking water, and drain.
- Whisk the tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and vinegar in a large bowl, adding the warm noodle water a spoonful at a time until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- Add the hot noodles, toss until coated and add more water if it seems dry.
- Top with sesame seeds and cucumber and serve warm or cold.
Sesame, peanut and allergens
Sesame and peanuts: both are common allergens. Check labels and label any dish you share.Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.
Experiments
Experiment
Salted or unsalted water
Does it matter?
- Cook two small portions of egg noodles, one in water with a good pinch of salt and one in unsalted water. Taste both plain.
Look for: The noodles cooked in salted water taste seasoned all through. The unsalted ones taste flat on their own, although a salty sauce hides the difference.
Experiment
Rinse or not
Starch and stickiness.
- Cook two portions of wheat noodles. Rinse one under cold water and leave the other unrinsed. Let both sit 10 minutes.
Look for: The unrinsed noodles clump and stay warm and starchy. The rinsed ones stay loose but are cooler and slightly less glossy when dressed.
Experiment
To the minute
Taste every 30 seconds.
- Cook a portion of egg noodles, taking out a strand every 30 seconds from 2 minutes. Taste each.
Look for: The noodles go from chalky to springy to soft in just a minute or two. This shows how narrow the window is, and why tasting beats the clock.
Experiment
Oil to stop sticking
A drop makes a difference.
- Cook two portions of thin wheat noodles. Toss one with a little oil and leave the other plain. Wait 15 minutes.
Look for: The oiled noodles stay loose; the plain ones set into a lump. Oil helps if the noodles have to wait.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three noodles cooked right | ||||
| Soy butter noodles | ||||
| Garlic and spring onion oil noodles | ||||
| Sesame soy noodles | ||||
| Salted or unsalted | ||||
| Rinse or not | ||||
| To the minute | ||||
| Oil to stop sticking |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Noodles stick together | Not enough water, or not stirred, or left waiting | Use a big pan; stir at the start; toss with a little oil |
| Mushy, gluey noodles | Overcooked | Taste early; drain at once; cook a little under for stir-fries |
| Hard, chalky middle | Undercooked | Cook another 30 to 60 seconds and taste again |
| Bland noodles | Unsalted water and mild sauce | Salt the water lightly; season the sauce well |
| Rice noodles broke into pieces | Boiled too hard | Soak in just-boiled water instead of boiling |
| Sauce won't cling | Noodles rinsed or too wet | Don't rinse for hot dishes; use a splash of cooking water |
Boiling water, hot oil and allergens
Boiling water: drain noodles away from your face because the steam is scalding, use oven gloves for heavy pans, and tip the pan away from you. Don't carry a full pan of boiling water across a room with people or pets in it.Hot oil: never leave a pan of hot oil unattended. If oil starts to smoke, take the pan off the heat and let it cool. Never put water on a pan fire: turn off the heat and cover it with a lid or damp cloth, then get out of the room and call 999 if it spreads. Dry vegetables and noodles well, because water on hot oil spits.
Allergens: most noodles and soy sauce contain wheat (gluten). Egg noodles contain egg. Check dishes for soy, sesame, peanuts, fish (fish sauce) and shellfish (oyster sauce, prawns), and label them if you share. Soba is often made with some wheat, so it isn't safe for coeliac disease unless the label says gluten-free.
Leftovers: cool noodle dishes quickly (within about 1 hour), keep them covered in the fridge, eat within 1 day (soups with meat or egg: 2 days, with the noodles stored separately), and reheat until steaming hot all the way through, and only once.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can tell the main noodle families apart.
- I can cook noodles in a big pan and taste for doneness.
- I know when to rinse and when to keep the starch.
- I can sauce hot noodles so they stay glossy.
- I store cooked noodles safely.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Noodles 1, chapter 2 is Stir-Fried Noodles: hot pans, loose noodles and sauce at the end.