Oodles of noodles recipe

STEP 1: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Allow noodles to soak for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse with cold, running water for 30 seconds. Drain well and set aside.

STEP 2: In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, red pepper, coconut milk, and if desired, the tamarind concentrate, stirring until the sugar is dissolved.

n STEP 3: Heat the sesame and peanut oils in a wok or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Just before the oil is smoking, add the shrimp and cook until pink, stirring constantly. Add the tofu, mushrooms, bean sprouts, carrots, red bell pepper, garlic, and reserved noodles, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

STEP 4: Pour the sauce mixture into the wok and toss until combined. Cook until the mixture is steaming and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the peanuts and green onions and cook an additional 30 seconds.

STEP 5: Remove the wok from the heat and season with lime juice and cilantro. Serve hot with Sriracha, if desired. Source: www.foodnetwork.com They can be slippery or dry, spicy or mild, healthy and not so healthy - you can make your noodles whichever way you like. Noodles are popular in Far Eastern cuisine, be it Malaysian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese or Thai.

Every country has their very own version of it. Noodles are also quite popular worldwide in their cup version, consisting of a cup of noodles into which you simply pour hot water and it's ready to eat. The instant version, equally renowned, involves boiling noodles for two minutes, adding the seasoning and it's ready to eat.

There are many kinds of noodles such as egg, rice, wheat, buckwheat, bean, etc. Noodles can be of different sizes and shapes too, such as flat and wide, flat and thin, thick and round, etc. Either frying or boiling can cook them. Noodles can be eaten in the form of a soup dish, or a stir-fry, or fried rice, or even in a dessert! There is no limit as to the number of ways in which noodles can be cooked or eaten; all you have to do is use your imagination. The most famous noodle dishes are Pad Thai, a dish from Thailand that consists of flat rice noodles, some vegetables and prawns.

The Japanese are known for their yakisoba noodles, which are wheat-based with some bite-sized meat, vegetables and special sauce. Laksa is quite popular in Malaysia and Singapore; this is a coconut-based noodle curry soup. And how can we forget chow mein, the most popular Chinese egg noodles with sautéed chicken and vegetables. The bottom line? Anything can be put into noodles, just use your imagination. For Thai cuisine lovers, make sure you try the Pad Thai recipe provided above as it's going to leave you hungry for more!

The writer is a freelancer based in Dubai n 7 ounces medium rice stick noodles n 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons palm sugar or dark brown sugar n 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate, optional
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil n 3 tablespoons peanut oil 1
- 2 ounces medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 cup diced firm tofu
- 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
- 2 large carrots, cut into matchstick-sized strips
- 1/2 cup matchstick-sized red bell pepper strips n 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup diagonally sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves n Sriracha (Thai hot sauce), for serving serves 4