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I'm so crazy about noodles I could eat them every day and never get
bored. Even the family I lived with in Italy was amazed at my capacity
for eating pasta. And I love all kinds of pasta--Asian varieties along
with Italian, being top of the list. Happily there are two books out at
the moment that make a variety of Asian noodle recipes easily
accessible to the home cook. Both have great photos and recipes that
will send you scurrying into the kitchen.
 First up is Takashi's Noodles. They say if you get just one great recipe from a cookbook, it is worth the price. In that case, let me tell you about Spicy Eggplant Ja-Ja-Men Udon. Chef Yakashi Takashi, owner of Takashi's in Chicago describes
this dish as a Japanese version of spaghetti and bolognese sauce. It's
basically a spicy eggplant and ground pork sauce over noodles with
peppers, spicy notes and a creamy sauce that is enriched with sesame
paste. The recipe has 18 ingredients but I skipped a few altogether and
used substitutions for a couple more and can't imagine it made any
discernible difference. I didn't bother with the 1/2 cup dashi, 1/3 cup
canned bamboo shoots, teaspoon of cornstarch or 3 Tablespoons of sake.
I used Chinese chili garlic paste instead of a Japanese variety and
Chinese sesame paste instead of tahini. I had to buy exactly 2
ingredients to make the dish, green peppers and ground pork. I could
eat this dish every week! It is so comforting and at the same time
exciting. The recipes vary in the number of ingredients but are
generally not that difficult. They are all Asian or Asian-influenced
but not all Japanese. You'll find crispy noodles, chilled ramen and
cold soba, curry shrimp rice noodles even potato gnocchi with lemon
butter sauce, scallops and sea urchin. These are restaurant dishes
adapted for cooking at home.
 Noodles Every Day features quick and easy recipes. For these recipes you will need the
basics of an Asian pantry which are explained in detail in an early
chapter. All are available at an Asian grocery store or online. However
a few recipes have some more exotic ingredients like garland
chrysanthemum leaves or silver pin noodles. All the recipes are titled
descriptively so Pad Thai becomes Stir-Fried Rice Sticks with Tamarind
Sauce, Dried Shrimp, Tofu, Sprouts, and Eggs. Over the years I've had
very good luck with author Corinne Trang's recipes and this book is no
exception. Her Somen Noodles with Shrimp Curry and Peas uses less than
10 ingredients and is the perfect kind of one pot meal you'll likely be
able to make with peas and shrimp in your freezer and without a trip to
the store. The book is divided into sections based on the type of
noodle you are using--egg, rice, buckwheat, etc. and it also has a
section on buns, dumplings and spring rolls.
When I was in Hawaii I was on a mission to try as many top-rated ramen joints as I could. While I'm still nowhere near satisfied with the ramen choices in San Francisco, I am pleased that on June 24th from 6:30 - 8:30 pm there will be a special program at the San Francisco Ferry Building called For the Love of Ramen sponsored by the Asian Culinary Forum. Andy Raskin, author of The Ramen King and I, Eric Nakamura, publisher and co-editor of the Asian-American pop culture magazine, Giant Robot
and George Solt, assistant professor of history, New York University
will be talking about ramen, a Japanese version of a Chinese noodle
dish, with a history spanning the post World War II period all the way
till today and including the instant version that has become so
ubiquitous. There will be refreshments of course, and great
conversation. As a side note, I've been to every Asian Culinary Forum
event and they have all been very well-organized, good fun and offered
plenty of food for thought. I've already bought my ticket, hope to see
you there!
Amy Sherman is a San Francisco–based writer, recipe
developer, restaurant reviewer and all around culinary enthusiast. She
blogs for Epicurious , Bay Area Bites and Cooking with Amy .
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