That’s right, it’s “Eat your Noodles Day,” so let’s look deeper at this interesting group of food items and share a favorite recipe. The oldest bowl of noodles, discovered in China, dates back to over 4000 years ago. Over 40% of the flour China produces is used to make noodles, and noodles today are a staple in many cultures.
Noodles are made from unleavened dough, which is stretched and then stretched again and again to the desired size. I recommend watching this video if you have not been to China or seen it before. It’s pretty amazing to see how noodles are made!
Here is a video on how to make easy noodles, without all the stretching.
Noodles are normally cooked in boiling water, but sometimes they are pan-fried or deep-fried. The noodle is usually accompanied with a sauce or is added to a bowl of soup. There are many types of noodles out there today, from the macaroni noodle (which Thomas Jefferson brought to the United States in 1789, after a trip to France) to the famous ramen noodles. One of my favorite noodle dishes is a Filipino dish called “pancit,” which is a rice noodle dish. Below is a recipe I call “Santos Pancit.”
Santos Pancit Recipe
Yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounces) package rice noodles
- 1 lb chicken breast, cubed
- 1⁄2 cup teriyaki sauce
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup carrot, sliced
- 1 cup onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1⁄8 cup cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
- 1⁄2 cup green onion (optional)
Method
- In a plastic zippered storage bag or glass bowl, marinade cubed chicken with teriyaki sauce and 2 cloves of minced garlic overnight in the refrigerator.
- The next day, in a large bowl, soak rice noodles in warm water for 15-30 minutes; drain completely.
- Drain the marinade off the chicken and discard the marinade.
- In a skillet or a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and brown the chicken, drain and set aside.
- In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and sauté 3 cloves of minced garlic and accent for 30 seconds.
- Add carrots, and then stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add cabbage, onions, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, then stir-fry until the vegetables are tender.
- Add chicken to vegetables and continue stir-frying.
- Now add the noodles to the pot with 1/8 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of soy sauce; mix very well.
- Keep cooking and mixing until the noodles are tender and cooked thoroughly.
- Serve with the green onions.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this article or flight crew culinary training, contact me at jdetloff@airculinaire.com. For questions about in-flight catering, contact weborders@airculinaire.com.
