I love Chinese food, indianised version of Chinese to be specific. The desi hakka noodles spruced up with a whole lot of veggies and soy sauce along with a fiery hot plate of manchurian is my idea of a perfect Chinese meal. The noodles can be white or yellow, thick or thin, depending on the availability and the place you are eating at. The manchurian can range from bright red to dark brown, depending on the amount of sauce you’ve added to it. Indians have managed to bring about a drastic change in the Chinese cuisine by adapting it to their own tastes and needs. While chowmein can be attributed to China, popular restaurant dishes like chilly chicken, chilly paneer, vegetable manchurian and gobhi manchurian are nowhere to be found in the native land of this cuisine.
The interplay of cultures has clearly resulted in an inter-mingling and culmination of flavours from different parts of the world, giving rise to new cuisines altogether. From China to Vietnam, from Italy to Thailand, the fan fare of noodles has spread far and wide. Different countries have devised ways to make the foreign noodles their own. Be it meat or vegetables, or simply a sauce, the noodles have entangled a one too many nations in its loop.
Here are some of the ways in which people are eating their noodles around the globe and you can too.
1. Fideo From Mexico
Are you aware of sevaiyan or vermicelli? Well, this fideo is just a smaller version of that. Broken down into smaller pieces, fideo are a type of noodles in the Mexican cuisine that are lightly fried and usually dunked in a tomato soup. While tacos and enchiladas might be your first thoughts when it comes to Mexican cuisine, they’ve got some amazing noodles that you can gorge on in a bowl of soup. You might just get fidah on fideo!
2. Spatzle From Germany
Move beyond the German sauerkraut and try these egg noodles from the region. The soft texture of these short and thick noodles will surely make your heart melt. Add to that some butter, herbs and cheese and you’ll not miss your mac and cheese even one bit. These noodles can be diced with a potato rice cutter or simply cut into long strips of dough.
3. Pad See Ew From Thailand
Yes, the name has ew but isn’t ew at all. The interestingly-named dish is made from wide rice noodles which have been glazed with oil to avoid sticking. Pad See Ew translates into stir-fried soy sauce noodles, where the wok-cooked noodles are spiked with veggies and a sauce. The noodles are tossed in a sweet and savoury sauce in a wok and served hot. You can add meat like pork to this and relish the wholesome dish.
4. Idiyappam From India
While we have made chowmein our very own, it still remains a Chinese dish. In this regard, idiyappam is our original noodle dish made from rice flour and salt. The long and thin noodles are paired with a South Indian curry and relished in the southern states like Tamil Nadu. In fact, this dish has managed to attract the eyeballs of Sri Lankans too.
5. Pho From Vietnam
The most famous dish from Vietnam after the Vietnamese egg coffee is this Pho. A typical pho would comprise of banh pho (rice noodles) dunked in a broth (chicken or beef) that is served with a host of condiments like hoisin sauce and fish sauce. This enhances the flavour of the wholesome meal.
6. Japchae From Korea
The sweet-potato noodle dish from Korea makes for a perfect side dish. Slightly tossed in sesame sauce, seeds and sugar, the noodles are garnished with a heap of veggies. The thin, glass-like dangmyeon or sweet potato noodles are the specialty of japchae and a great addition to the holiday season menu.
7. Mie Goreng From Indonesia
All of Asia has some or the other form of popular noodle dish that their region is well-known for. The thin strands of these egg noodles are flavoured with garlic, onions and tomatoes and served atop fried egg. Break the yolk and dive into a world of sweet and savoury delight that can be found in Singapore and Malaysia too.
8. Saimin From Hawaii
These egg and wheat noodles from Hawaii will surely remind you of the Japanese ramen. The soft noodles are dunked in a clear broth and loaded with veggies, showcasing culmination of diverse cultures in a bowl.
