The Noodle Thread

[KNNBCCB]

Do you slurp your noodle whole strand or bite it off the strand as you eat it? Do you prefer your noodle served whole strand or chopped up? Some strands breaking in the preparation process is inevitable, but I notice many hokkien char hay mee cooks actually intentionally break up the noodle strands into wormy shreds. Another one is laksa that's served without chopsticks, just eaten with a spoon.

I prefer noodle to be chopped up. but not too short lah..
Some noodle eg. laksa.. when you slurp, the gravy all splash to your whole face and shirts...
Same goes to Char Kuey Teow, Chopped up to square parts seem to be more tasty.

 

[Ramseth]

I prefer noodle to be chopped up. but not too short lah..
Some noodle eg. laksa.. when you slurp, the gravy all splash to your whole face and shirts...
Same goes to Char Kuey Teow, Chopped up to square parts seem to be more tasty.

Yes true, slurping laksa is dangerous for your shirt. However in Japan, breaking up strands of noodle seems to be taboo, whether when cooking or when eating. Whole strands certainly look nicer at serving. But for Japanese, not only at serving, but they don't break up the noodle even when eating. A whole strand must go into the mouth, not bitten off with the other half falling back to the bowl or spoon. They don't even use spoons, just chopsticks only. Slurp up the noodle first, then drink the soup from the bowl.

 

[KNNBCCB]

Yes true, slurping laksa is dangerous for your shirt. However in Japan, breaking up strands of noodle seems to be taboo, whether when cooking or when eating. Whole strands certainly look nicer at serving. But for Japanese, not only at serving, but they don't break up the noodle even when eating. A whole strand must go into the mouth, not bitten off with the other half falling back to the bowl or spoon. They don't even use spoons, just chopsticks only. Slurp up the noodle first, then drink the soup from the bowl.

I heard that the Japanese must slurp out loud to show that the noodles are delicious. Else the Tauke not happy ... is it true ?

I think the Japanese noodles are more neat than our sinkapoor noodles... that makes them easier to go in the mouth ?

 

[Ramseth]

I heard that the Japanese must slurp out loud to show that the noodles are delicious. Else the Tauke not happy ... is it true ?

I think the Japanese noodles are more neat than our sinkapoor noodles... that makes them easier to go in the mouth ?

Japanese don't have so much noodle varieties like Chinese do. There're only ramen, ubon and soba. There's no such thing as dry Japanese noodle as in Chinese style, it's always served in soup. It's served dry only when served cold (soba and ramen) or fried (udon). All are quite easy and safe to slurp. I'm not sure about how the chef or restauranteur feels when one eats quitely, but slurping noodle seems to be a eating culture.

When I ate noodle dishes with my Japanese ex-GF, she would slurp loudly like a miss piggy though she's quite skinny. The noise comes naturally as when one slurps long strands, more air are sucked in producing that noise. I think it's not so much about the noise, it's about not breaking the noodle strand.

 

[jw5]

Do you slurp your noodle whole strand or bite it off the strand as you eat it? Do you prefer your noodle served whole strand or chopped up? Some strands breaking in the preparation process is inevitable, but I notice many hokkien char hay mee cooks actually intentionally break up the noodle strands into wormy shreds. Another one is laksa that's served without chopsticks, just eaten with a spoon.

One of the joys of eating noodles is the option to do either.
How I eat the noodles will depend on a few factors, e.g. who I'm with, working day or not, attire, location, time to spare, delicious or not. :p

Don't eat laksa often, but when I do, will always go to a stall which offers yellow noodles. So chopsticks are essential.

 

[KNNBCCB]

 

[jw5]

What's that? You mean the ones that look like flat piece pasta? Saw before but never try before. I can't really speak Chinese so I usually just follow what my Chinese friends order.

Mee hun kway (mandarin is mian fen guo) is flat and quite thick, a little like pasta or kway teow. It's more filling than eating noodles.
Some stalls selling ban mian will have it, but not all.
The most common types of noodles are ban mian (a little like mee pok) and u mian (a little like instant noodles). Some stalls also have mee hun kway, mee sua which is a little like bee hoon (mian sian) and yee mee (which looks like u main except it is darker in colour and tastes different).

 

[Forvendet]

Another common Chinese dish that looks like what you mentioned as mee hun kway is kway chup. Sometimes I eat it with Chinese friends. It's quite delicious. But I only eat it with egg, beancurd and fishcake, not the meat or intestine. The meat always look horrendously fatty and the intestine, well, I'm just not into eating intestine.

 

[Ramseth]

The intestines are essential to the dish. You don't know what you're missing. Small intestine is good and big intestine is great. But I know what you're thinking, intestines process shit. True, only trust good stalls that clean them properly. Ask around your Chinese friends. I'd recommend the one at Toa Payoh Lor. 8 coffeeshop.

 

[kukubird58]

The intestines are essential to the dish. You don't know what you're missing. Small intestine is good and big intestine is great.

hahaha....big intestine heads the bestest.

 

[myfoot123]

Another common Chinese dish that looks like what you mentioned as mee hun kway is kway chup. .

Hor Fun also look like Kway Chup. BOth are made of rice flour. Mee Hun Kway is much thicker and yellowish, very pasta-like, and make of wheat flour. Am I right?

 

[Ramseth]

hahaha....big intestine heads the bestest.

That's the way, birdy! Toa tng tao!

Hor Fun also look like Kway Chup. BOth are made of rice flour. Mee Hun Kway is much thicker and yellowish, very pasta-like, and make of wheat flour. Am I right?

Try the Thai ratna, almost exactly the same as Canto hor fun but served with red chili powder mix-in instead of vinegared green chili in soy sauce side dip. Available at Golden Mile and some neighbourhood Thai stalls.

 

[Forvendet]

I like Chinese breakfast chee cheong fun too. Is that considered noodle too?

 

[Faidenk]

Is Phad Thai cooked using this thin kway teow?
I like Phad Thai as well, best eaten with chilli flakes, lots of lime juice and chilli padi, accompanied by a hot bowl of tom yum soup.

Spaghetti and kway chup, not so much.

I avoid Pad Thai like the plague - too much sugar and way too much MSG. Now I avoid the noodles here in Phnom Penh as well. These people seems to be addicted to MSG.

I was at my favorite Pho Bo stall very early one Sunday morning after walk, saw the lady ladling enough MSG in the stock to de-hair a sheep. With all those delicious beef bones in the stock, why in the world is the MSG needed?

 

[Ramseth]

I've never liked phad thai or thai thin kway teow. In Thailand, go for the ba'mee or mee lueang, something like Chinese mee kia. All four versions, dry, soup, tomyam or yantohfoo are good. Otherwise, go for simple bee hoon. However, for those adverse to MSG, I don't think that there's any such thing as a Thai meal without MSG. Thai yontohfoo is a bit different from Singapore Hakka version. The ketchup is mixed in the soup, i.e. ketchup soup.

 

[po2wq]

I like Chinese breakfast chee cheong fun too. Is that considered noodle too?

no! ... chee cheong fun is fun ... not noodle ...

 

[Ramseth]

no! ... chee cheong fun is fun ... not noodle ...

Canto "fun" means powdered rice, but it's still kind of a noodle nevertheless, like bee hoon (mai fun) and kway teow (hor fun). Chee cheong fun is simply broad rolled hor fun. Hope not to spoil Forvendet's appetite by this, but the name chee cheong in Cantonese actually means pig's intestines! But not to worry, just a name after the shape, no real pig's intestines used or added. Take it like what westerners call hot dog, but there's no dog meat in it.

 

[vamjok]

indomee cook yourself, BEST

 

[myfoot123]

Canto "fun" means powdered rice, but it's still kind of a noodle nevertheless, like bee hoon (mai fun) and kway teow (hor fun). Chee cheong fun is simply broad rolled hor fun. Hope not to spoil Forvendet's appetite by this, but the name chee cheong in Cantonese actually means pig's intestines! But not to worry, just a name after the shape, no real pig's intestines used or added. Take it like what westerners call hot dog, but there's no dog meat in it.

You forgot another white variety called "MEE TAI MAK". One of my favourite "light" lunch.

 

[Forvendet]

indomee cook yourself, BEST

I'm always with Myojyo for instant noodle. Good enough for me.

You forgot another white variety called "MEE TAI MAK". One of my favourite "light" lunch.

That white white noodle, good also. As good as macaroni, but too bad, can't find instant or raw version for it.