Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

I think you can blame Craig Rowley and Phil Uebergang for this piece. Craig for his piece on Desperate slaves: a pork-barrel regional rorts update - The Sour Pork: A marginal feast. And Phil for his piece on Creation or evolution: a Webdiary debate coming soon.

First, Craig’s for he mentioned of pork, and he was really very naughty for stating that “I'm sure my local butcher could recommend an extensive range of dishes featuring tasty pork. The Senate Committee has racked up a plethora of sour pork - enough to gorge yourself silly in a marginal feast”.

I mean the sight and smell of pork sausages and crackling is enough to send a grown man cry. I know, I know, “watch your bloody cholesterol” as the wife is keenly reminding me everyday. Not to mention the “Sweet and Sour Pork” that was so loved by the Aussies and was the only decent dish in Chinese restaurants when I first came to Oz.

If you try to order SSP in Chinese restaurants these days, they look at you funny, as if to say “where did this idiot come from”. Now you should order “soya sauce pork with black mushroom cooked in galangal ginger and coconut juice”. Things have changed.

Second, Phil’s courageous attempt to start a debate on the origin of species in “Evolution Vs Creationist”. Good ole Phil, he should get a medal. I promised to keep out of the debate or John Augustus would place a writ on me for a broken promise. So I landed with more time to read the posts as the debate unfolded.

My godfather, it was heavy going, arduous and torturous at times. I never realised there are so many Webdiarists going for a PhD. No wonder the other blog sites have not got a hope against Webdiary.

It was so taxing on my poor brain trying to remember “who said what” then “who refuted what was said” then “Who refuted what was refuted on what was said”. You know what I mean. Just finished catching up with First Statement and there are more than 400 posts in the Second Statement to catch-up, not to mention the third. Phew.

 

The String Theory

While reading the posts on the “Evolution Vs Creation” debate, I couldn't help feel that the twain shall never meet, which is a pity. The scientific world has been searching for a “Unified Theory” that will explain everything, the so called “Theory of Everything”, the Big Toe. A mathematical model that will explain, describe, and maybe, predict the interactions of all forces and matter in this Universe. A theory that would unify the theories of the four fundamental forces of nature, namely: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force and the strong nuclear force.

I made a pathetic attempt trying to unify the “Evolution Vs Creation” by suggesting that “God created the Big Bang”. John Augustus thought it was a bad joke. It was not meant to be joke, pathetic yes, joke no.

Einstein was about the first to propose that such a unified field theory must exist, and he struggled, without success, for most of his later life to find the right theory. The latest attempt at the Big Toe is this thing called The String Theory. The SBS program was an attempt to explain the String Theory in layman’s terms. I must admit, after watching it, I am still at a loss as to what exactly the String Theory is. The best short description of the ST that I can find is:

A unified theory of the universe postulating that fundamental ingredients of nature are not zero-dimensional point particles but tiny one-dimensional filaments called strings. String theory harmoniously unites quantum mechanics and general relativity, the previously known laws of the small and the large, that are otherwise incompatible. Often short for superstring theory. Superstring theories also include fermions, the building blocks of matter. It is not yet known whether string theory is able to describe a universe with the precise collection of forces and matter that we observe, nor how much freedom to choose those details the theory will allow. As with musical strings, this basic string can vibrate, and each vibrational mode can be viewed as a point-like elementary particle, just as the modes of a musical string are perceived as distinct notes! Currently there aren't any experiments proving OR disproving it.

So in desperation and frustration, I am putting up my own “String Theory” for my fellow webdiarists, namely about my favourite food, the NOODLES, and how to cook them. I hope my “String Theory” is easier to understand than the other “String Theory”.

Apologia Pro Vita Sua

Let me declare that I love foods and cooking. I have been cooking for myself, my family, my friends and the school fetes ever since I arrived in Australia. In the early days, it was out of necessity because there was not much good foods to buy, so I ended up cooking them myself. It wasn’t much of a success in those days because you can’t get the good and necessary ingredients.

As the years go by, the ingredients in Oz are getting better and better and now it’s a cook’s paradise. If you live in Sydney, there is nothing better than to go to the Flemington markets on Saturday morning to shop for anything and everything. You are not only getting the varieties and freshness, but it is also at half price of what you would pay at Coles or Woolies. For tofu or bean-curd lovers, Homebush shops, next to Flemington, sells the best tofu I have tasted anywhere in Asia.

Ditto with the restaurants in OZ. They are world class, offering you varieties and el cheapo prices. I go anywhere to eat if I can smell good foods. Like my music, I have no prejudice against any food types - as long as it looks, smells and tastes good, I will try.

My favourite cooking show is the Iron Chef on SBS TV. It’s a cracker with the professionals doing the cooking and interesting ingredients every week, although the dubbing is hideous. I heard that the American is copying and called it Iron Chef USA. It has been severely panned by the critics. As far as the other cooking shows, especially the newer ones with the so called Celebrity Chefs, they should stick to being a celebrity.

This is my second “indulgent piece”. The first one was Peace Like A River. Unknowingly, it triggered off a generation war. Hopefully, foods transcend generations, so please no more hatred of BBs, XXs, YYs and HHs. We love you all.

Also, in anticipation, I want to apologise for talking about foods while there are starving millions in this world. I am sorry, sorry and sorry. There you are JH, it is not that difficult.

The History of Noodles

Archaeological evidence reveals that noodles were consumed in China at least 5000 years ago. But confirmed records indicated that it was back to the early Han period between 200-300AD that noodles were commonly and widespread eaten. The name for noodle in Chinese is called “mien” as in Mandarin. It's called “min” in Cantonese.

It is interesting to note that wheat flour in Chinese is called “noodle flour”. It was brought to Japan around the 500Ad by the Buddhist monks and called as “ramen” in Japanese, with its obvious reference to its original Chinese name. It was spread to Southeast Asia during the height of the powerful Tang dynasty of 600-900AD. In South East Asia everyone knows noodles as “mee”, as in Hokkien mee, which has invaded the OZ supermarkets.

There is still an unresolved controversy regarding whether Marco Polo brought “noodles’” back to Italy from China and later turned into “spaghetti” or the Chinese dumpling back to Italy and later turned into “ravioli” or the Chinese ribbon white rice noodle and turn it into the fettuccini. Some even question whether Marco Polo ever visited to China.

The Mythology of Noodles

The Chinese noodles are called the 'dragon beards'. In ancient times, the noodle was considered as the Emperor's food because the dragon was considered to be the symbol of the Emperor.

The Chinese also consider the stringy noodle to represent longevity. In the Chinese custom, birthday celebrations must have a bowl of noodles for the birthday person. On other occasions such as Chinese New Year and weddings, noodle is always present as well to represent the good fortune of life.

To really enjoy the noodles, especially its smooth and slimy texture, the Asians believe that you should “kiss” it by “slurping it” with its full sound effect. Slurping is indeed sensual and something of an art. I leave that to your own imagination. So, it is OK to “slurp” your noodle in the noodle shop, especially a noisy one.

The Social and Economic Value of Noodles

For the poor people of Asia, noodle is a very important part of their daily diet. Noodle is inexpensive, tastes good, is easy to prepare, versatile in cooking, long lasting and can be eaten hot or cold, anyway and anytime. The instant noodles have become almost the stable diet for the poors and the children of Asia. It was created in 1958 by a Japanese food company called Nissin Foods. Initially, it was mainly known as Japanese dried noodle and was not overtly popular. However over the years the instant noodle has taken over. "Instant noodles, representing 'Made in Japan', are now not only just a national food but a global food," the Fuji Research Institute said. At the moment, instant noodles are consumed in more than 200 countries.

It is unfortunate that a lot of younger children in Asia are addicted to instant noodles. This represents a potential long term health problem due the high level of MSG that is contained in the flavouring of the instant noodles. "Most instant noodles are dried by deep frying, and only 3%-4% are air dried. Air-drying is not indicated on the package and they are not marketed on that basis. Instant noodles are about 18% fat", said Prof. Harold Corke, a wheat expert at the University of Hong Kong.

According to the International Ramen Manufacturers Association (IRMA), annual worldwide demand for instant noodles has reached 65.3 billion servings in calendar 2003. With 85% consumed in Asia, 6% in North America, 3% in Europe and 6% the rest of World. This represents a US$10 billion business. The largest instant noodle maker is Nissin Foods; the other big one is Indofood of Indonesia.

Today, the amount of flour used for noodle making in Asia accounts for about 40% of the total flour consumed. The key noodle wheat growers and suppliers are the United States, Australia and Canada. For Australia, because it is one of the major producers and exporters of wheat, noodle is a very important by-product to its export value.

The Japanese are very particular about their noodles, the Udon and Soba noodles, and the wheat and buckwheat flour that are used to make these noodles. They have invested heavily in Western Australia to ensure they get the best wheat flour for their noodles. Western Australia is regarded as the world's best source of wheat for the production of white salted Japanese Udon noodles. In excess of 1.2 million tonnes of WA wheat worth A$240 million is exported annually to Japan and South Korea. Australian standard white, Australian premium white, Australian hard, Australian prime hard, and Australian noodle wheat are major types of noodle wheats. They have excellent reputation for noodle making for their desirable noodle colour and unique texture.

The Making of Noodles

Noodles can be made either by hand or by machine or cut from sheets of pasta. The size of the noodles can range from a very hair-thin to heavy thread to ribbon like. The hand-pulled noodles are unique to China and can be made only by a professional cook mainly for entertainment value. It has been calculated that “a paste prepared with 1.5 kilograms of wheat flour can make 144,000 hair-thin noodles, each 0.17 metres long - a total length of 2 kilometres”.

Most of the noodles sold are made by machine. One such company is Dashanjiang Machine Works Co Ltd of China. It made machines for the making of noodle, rice vermicelli and other food machinery in China, and the company has won many awards. The company has been engaged in noodle and vermicelli machines since 1984. They export machines to Indonesia, America, Sweden, England, Russia, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Its machines have been used by multinational companies like Heinz, Unilever and Indofood.

Noodles are usually made using wheat or rice flour. In some more specialty noodles, mung bean and cassava flour are also used. The flour is mixed with water and salt to form the dough. The dough is then machine pressed into noodles or made into pasta sheets that are cut into noodles. The Chinese noodles get their yellow colour, flavour and firmer elastic texture by the addition of the alkaline lye water (aqueous sodium carbonate) and egg.

The Types of Noodles

There are basically three types of noodles according to their processing and state of readiness for cooking. These are:

Fresh or Raw: Noodle strands coming out of slitting rolls are cut into certain lengths for packaging without any further processing. Typical examples are Chinese raw noodles, Cantonese egg noodles, Peking Noodles, Shanghai Noodles, Japanese Udon and Soba noodles, and Thai bamee . These are often consumed within 24 hours of manufacture due to quick discoloration. Their shelf life can be extended to 3-5 days if stored under refrigeration.

Boiled: Fresh noodle strands are either pre-boiled (90% complete cooking) or fully cooked. This type includes Chinese cold noodles, hokkien noodles, Japanese Udon and Soba noodles. After pre-boiling, these noodles are rinsed in cold water, drained and coated with 1-2% vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Another type that is the very popular is the white ribbon like rice noodle. Marco Polo was said to have brought this back to Italy and it was later turned into fettuccini. The Cantonese call it ”ho-fan” and it is known as “kue-teow” in SEA.

Dried: Basically any noodle types can be dried to extend the shelf life and provide easy storage. Fresh noodle stands are dried by sunlight or in a controlled chamber. Both wheat, buckwheat and rice noodles can be dried. Instant noodle is another type of dried noodle.

Thai and Vietnamese salad uses a type of noodle that is called the cellophane noodles, also called bean thread noodles, are thin translucent noodles made with mung or green bean starch.

Another type that is commonly used in Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese cooking is the very thin, hair like, translucent noodle called vermicelli that is made from cassava starch.

The Cooking of Noodles

Noodle is so versatile, you can virtually cook it anyway you like. So where do you start? I will try to describe the basic cooking styles and then a selective specialties from each of the Asian countries.

Noodle Soup: This is the most common way. The basic elements are the noodles, the broth or soup and the garnishes. The key is the broth. A good broth is what enticed the noodle lovers, the noodles are secondary followed by the garnishes. The broth is made from boiling and stewing of meat, bones, vegetables, sometimes offals and spices. A good broth takes days to stew and boil. What spices used will depend on the recipe and country. Northern China and Japan prefer simple clear broth, where as others prefer plenty of spices. Fresh noodle is used. It is boiled separately, drained and the broth and garnishes added. Egg noodle is the best. The garnishes are rarely cooked with the broth. Commonly they are slices of meat, meatballs, dumplings and vegetables.

Stir-fried Noodle: The second most common way is stir-fried. The key to cooking good stir-fried noodles is the wok and the temperature. The temperature must be high enough to ensure that nothing sticks to the wok. This is also achieved by continuous, semi circular stirring. The professionals want to be able to flip or toss the stir-fried noodles in the air - that’s a sure sign of well cooked noodles.

The next important factor is the flavouring sauces, which can range from soya sauce, sweet soya sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce or bean paste sauce depending on the recipe. The noodles used can be any types except the fresh/raw noodles. Boiled noodles, like the hokkien noodles, are the best. It can go straight from the packaging to the wok. Dried noodles need to be softened with hot water and drained before cooking. Depending on the noodle type, the sequence of what to go into the wok can be of importance. The garnishes are commonly fresh meat, meatballs, sausages, cured meat, chillies and spices, and vegetables.

Wet Noodle: In this style, the noodles are pan fried in oil on their own, often until crispy. The gravy and garnishes are prepared separately. The gravy is usually thicken with flour together with the garnishes and pour on top of the pan fried noodles. The person eating then has the pleasure of mixing the gravy into the noodles. The Cantonese are very fond of this style of cooking noodle and call it “Lo Mein”. The key to this style of cooking noodle is the consistency and body of the gravy. It must not too thick or too thin.

Tossed Noodle: This is also sometimes called dry-noodle. Spaghetti is actually prepared this way. The noodles are usually boiled, drained and tossed in oil so they don’t stick together. The oil used can be any cooking oil, olive oil, butter, margarine, garlic oil and specially prepared animal fat such as pork lard. The garnishes can be wet or dried. Spaghetti Bolognese sauce is a wet sauce. If the garnishes are dried, the tossed noodles are usually mixed with sauces such as soya sauce, fish gravy or oyster sauce. The Indonesians are particularly fond of this type of noodle cooking using fresh egg noodles.

Salad Noodle: This is usually Thai or Vietnamese style where the cellophane noodles are used. It is often very spicy with the salad sauce made of chilli, shrimp paste, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, crushed roasted peanut and Vietnamese mint leaves. This is my favourite summer dish, especially when mangoes are in season. I like to add mangoes with the salad. I've got a variation where I mix in anchovies with the other ingredients. I got the idea while I was in Thailand eating this type of salad where they use pickled baby crabs.

The Great Noodle Dishes of Asia

China Peking Won-ton noodle soup: : This is a simple noodle dish. Egg noodle is used with clear chicken broth. The key partner is the won-ton or dumpling. The succulent WT is usually made of fresh prawn, minced pork, bamboo shoot and shallots. A classic for a wintry day.

China Cantonese “Lo Mein”: The classic is the ribbon rice noodles or “ho fan”, pan-fried until crispy with a thick oyster sauce gravy with beef/chicken and Chinese broccoli.

China Sichuan hot and spicy noodle: Sichuan food is famous for its hot spicy "Tongue Numbing" dishes. Their uniquely hot, pungent flavour is created by a mixture of spices and condiments, including red hot peppers, garlic, ginger, chilli bean sauce, and Sichuan preserved vegetable. This can be done in the style of soup noodle, wet noodle or stir-fried.

China Shanghai Noodle: Shanghai wheat noodles are white in colour and as thick as spaghetti with a soft texture. A sweet and sour sauce, ala sweet and sour soup, is often used and poured on top of the noodles.

Japanese Ramen: Ramen is thin egg noodles which are almost always served in a hot broth flavoured with shoyu or miso. Japanese prefer their noodles to be less spicy. To the Japanese the broth is everything. I remember watching a Japanese movie few years ago called Tampopo where the main character Goro embarks "on a quest for the perfect ramen recipe: the silkiest noodles, the savoriest broth, and just the right combination of precisely prepared toppings".

Korean Kimchi Noodle soup - Gook soo: As one reviewer said, "it is a marvellous thing, flat and slightly stretchy, about the size of fettuccine but more fragile somehow, knife-cut from a thin sheet of rolled dough". The basic gook soo here - identified on the menu as "handmade noodle" - is served in a broth based on dried anchovies, clear and slightly earthy, garnished with seaweed, kimchi or bits of meat, concealing a few chunks of boiled potato, and adding a presence, a depth, to the noodles, which seem almost to melt into it.

Thailand – Pad Thai: Pad Thai is a personal favourite. PT is essentially stir fried cellophane noodles with roasted peanut sauce, tamarind juice and fish sauce as the “piece de resistance”. Any meat or seafood can be used in addition to any vegetables.

Malaysian Laksa: This is now almost an Oz national dish and a popular lunch time dish for many office workers. Laksa is a Peranakan (Chinese-Malay) noodle soup from Malaysia and Singapore. The name may originate from the Sanskrit word laksha, meaning "many" and referring to the soup's many ingredients. Laksa is curry and coconut milk based. The broth is typically made from chicken stock

Singapore Char Kue-Teow: This is Singaporean national obsession. Like the Japanese’s quest for the best Ramen broth, the Singaporeans are forever looking for the best ‘char kue teow”. Kue teow is the hokkien name for the flat ribbon like white rice noodle that the Cantonese call “ho fan” or “fettuccini” by the Italian. The classic CKT is slices of beef stir fried with bean sprout and garlic chives. I hate to tell the Singaporeans that, in my humble opinion, the Indonesians do a better CKT.

Vietnamese Pho: This is the King of noodle soup. It is pronounced “Fur”. The basic ingredient is the beef broth which requires at least 2 to 3 days of stewing and boiling to get the best result. I won’t mention what goes in there, but the result is sensational. The noodles used are the white rice noodle mentioned previously, except the Vietnamese prefer the ribbon strip to be narrower than for the stir-fried variety. The classic is thin slices of raw beef cooked just prior to eating by the hot broth. This is further garnished by Vietnamese mint, bean sprout and lemon. We have Malcolm Fraser to thank for welcoming the Vietnamese boat people who brought this wonderful dish to our shore.

Indonesian Soto Mee: Like the Singaporean “char kue teow”, this is the Indonesian’s national obsession. “Soto mee” is the Indonesian style noodle soup. The broth can be chicken, beef or goat stock. The spices that are ground into paste are made of chilli, clove, lemon grass, green ginger, galangal, pepper, garlic, shallots and the Indonesian fried onion (a must). Some recipes call for the addition of coconut milk, some just clear broth. It has a very distinctive smell like the Indonesian clove cigarettes. This is the food for all stratas of the Indonesian society, from the poorest to the richest. The best Soto is found not in fancy restaurants but in hawker or roadside stalls. You will often see in Indonesia this humble roadside food stall with expensive cars parking near by and businessmen chomping away at the Soto.

Indonesian Bakmi Goreng: Like its famous cousin, the Nasi Goreng, this a well known dish to the Westerners. Bakmi is the noodle in Indonesian. This hokkien mee stir fried Indonesian style. The key ingredients are the pungent Indonesian sweet soya sauce and the addition of shrimp paste and chilli. The Indonesian also like to crack an egg or two into the noodles as the last ingredient added to coat the noodles and retain the full flavour.

Club Chaos Kitchen

Webdiarists can exchange or swap recipes, provide cooking hints and recommend good eating places. I declare the Club Chaos Kitchen open. Bon appetit.

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