Move
Over Spaghetti and Macaroni!
Pasta lovers are heading in a
delicious new direction: east to Asia. Noodles, Asian style, are
"a candidate for the next culinary craze," says Newsweek
magazine, and simple delights like soba, somen, udon, rice
sticks, and cellophane noodles are being wrapped around the
forks and chopsticks of Americans everywhere.
Nina Simonds has traveled all over
Asia to bring the splendor, diversity, and versatility of
noodles into the American kitchen. At last, an authority on
Asian cuisine who appreciates the way Americans eat, shows that
the most satisfying and delicious noodle dishes are also fun,
healthy, economical, and easy to make at home.
In Asian cuisines, noodles are a
mealtime staple, morning to midnight, the year round. And
whatever the season, the pop-'em-in-the-pot convenience of
noodle cookery is perfect for busy American kitchens too.
What could be more refreshing in the
blazing heat of midsummer than cooling Pad Thai, the classic
noodle dish made with slim noodles twisted around plump shrimp
and crunchy bean sprouts, dressed in a sweet-and-sour sauce, and
topped with crunchy peanuts and fresh cilantro?
Or what could be more comforting, on
chilly fall days, than Saucy Garlic Pork Lo Mein -- stir-fried
noodles tossed in a rich, velvety sauce and generously garnished
with slices of garlicky pork, smoky black mushrooms, and pungent
garlic chives?
Of course, spring days call for a
celebration of the season's freshest offerings, which can be
sumptuously showcased in creamy Spicy Sesame Noodles, or tossed
with garlic and toasted pine nuts in stir-fried soba noodles.
And for winter warmth, you'll find the perfect chicken soup here
too.
For confirmed Asian noodle lovers,
there are recipes for classic dishes, such as Seafood Hot Pot,
Rainbow Noodles with a spicy peanut sauce, and Mushroom-Beef
Udon Soup.
But for the uninitiated or for those
who already love packaged ramen noodles -- and who are hungry
for more authentic flavors and textures -- Nina Simond's recipes
will be a revelation.
She demonstrates how easy it is to
jazz up a simple meal of grilled meat or seafood by serving it
atop a bed of stir-fried vegetables and noodles; and how a
peanut sauce or spicy sesame dressing transforms a simple salad
of cold chicken and noodles from ordinary to exceptional.
