Over 100 slippery, slurpy recipes from an author who has enjoyed noodles from Hong Kong to Hunan, from Bangkok to Beijing, from Seoul to Singapore, and from Taipei to Tokyo. 40 color photos.
Why is it that spaghetti makes you want to fuck, while noodles make you want dessert?
Maybe the ingredients, maybe the way one eats these dishes, maybe...
All I know is that if you want to get laid after dinner, I wouldn't cook from this book. But if you want your guest to lick his lips and ask what dessert is, this is the one.
An absolutely lovely compendium of noodle recipes and stellar explanations of how each type of asian noodle is made, what can be substituted for what, and what each noodle does best.
One of my favorite cookbooks. It's a real shame it's out of print. A range of Asian cuisines are covered here, with an emphasis on China and Japan. My favorite recipe so far is for the Dan Dan Noodles. It's got a fantastic peanut-butter/szechuan peppercorn sauce that isn't at all like the szechuan oil-type dan dan noodles you typically get at a (good) szechuan restaurant. No complaints about authenticity though, because it's ridiculously good. Also, the jap chae and bibim naeng myun recipes were just like what I had in Korea.
I don't know what's going on with the little love stories to noodles that are dotted throughout the cookbook. I'm just in it for the recipes.
These do require some sourcing - finding the right noodles and right oils. It's worth it. But it's also easy to swap out for American ingredients.
I enjoyed reading this book. The noodle ID guide is absolutely the best tool for cooking Asian noodles that I have seen. The descriptions of the use of the noodles is very helpful along with the cooking methodology. I am really looking forward to cooking some of the noodles that I have been trying to prepare using the wrong preparation methods. I find that the instructions on the packages are not in a language that I understand, and this book will be a blessing.
The recipes look and sound delicious and really in many cases are quite easy. As I try different recipes I will add them to the discussion thread at the bottom of this page to share the experience.
This is a cookbook that you want to read all the information upfront to help your success once you get to the recipes in the back.
I found an excellent clean copy of this book at our local Bookarama that was put on by our local Rotary Club this week. I saw it twice over three days and was surprised no one had seen it or snapped it up. Being a foodie I really like the content, I like the way it has been written and the author who I did not know much about (I am a Kiwi) has certainly done his homework in creating some lovely dishes to match each noodle. I am not too sure about the books layout. I would have used perhaps a smaller font and although the photographs are great, this book may somewhat date in years to come. That said I came back to this book and are enjoying its recipes and what it has to offer.
Love his introduction "Long Life and Happiness". Having the Noodle ID is a great reference. Many of the photos are amazing, even though it could be just a bowl or plate of noodles with stir-fried meats and veggies on top. The number of recipes can be intimidating, but try to be hungry and possibly remember the region where the dish comes from and the joy of the meal, celebration, or season. The 4 Noodle Tales are quite interesting.