Pasta is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs,and formed into sheets or other shapes,then cooked by boiling or baking. Pasta was traditionally only made with durum,although the definition has been expanded to include alternatives for a gluten-free diet,such as rice flour,or legumes such as beans or lentils. While Asian noodles originated in China,pasta is believed to have developed independently in Italy and is a staple food of Italian cuisine,with evidence of Etruscans making pasta as early as 400 BCE in Italy.
Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut,stretched,or extruded,into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noodles are those derived from either Chinese cuisine or Italian cuisine. Chinese noodles are known by a variety of different names,while Italian noodles are known as pasta.
Dough is a thick,malleable,sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavening agents,as well as ingredients such as fats or flavourings.
A mooncake is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is primarily about the harvest while a legend connects it to moon watching,and mooncakes are regarded as a delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is widely regarded as one of the four most important Chinese festivals.
Chinese noodles vary widely according to the region of production,ingredients,shape or width,and manner of preparation. Noodles were invented in China,and are an essential ingredient and staple in Chinese cuisine. They are an important part of most regional cuisines within China,and other countries with sizable overseas Chinese populations.
Fish balls are the balls made from fish paste which are then boiled or deep-fried. Similar in composition to fishcake,fish balls are often made from fish mince or surimi,salt,and a culinary binder such as tapioca flour,corn,or potato starch.
Fried noodles are common throughout East Asia,Southeast Asia and South Asia. Many varieties,cooking styles,and ingredients exist.
Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodles. Rice noodles are most common in the cuisines of China,India and Southeast Asia. They are available fresh,frozen,or dried,in various shapes,thicknesses and textures. Fresh noodles are also highly perishable;their shelf life may be just several days.
Bánh canh are a thick Vietnamese noodles that can be made from tapioca flour or a mixture of rice and tapioca flour. "Cake" refers to the thick sheet of uncooked dough from which the noodles are cut.
A rice noodle roll,also known as a steamed rice roll and cheung fun,and as look funn or look fun in Hawaii,is a Cantonese dish originating from Guangdong Province in southern China,commonly served as either a snack,small meal or variety of dim sum. It is a thin roll made from a wide strip of shahe fen,filled with shrimp,beef,vegetables,or other ingredients. Seasoned soy sauce –sometimes with siu mei drippings –is poured over the dish upon serving. When plain and made without filling,the rice noodle is also known as jyu cheung fun,literally "pork intestine noodle",a reference to its resemblance of a pig's intestines. There is no official recording of the history of rice noodle rolls;most cookbooks claim that it was first made in the 1930s. In Guangzhou,Guangdong Province,people called the dish laai cheung because it is a noodle roll that pulled by hand.
Shumai is a type of traditional Chinese dumpling made of ground pork. In Cantonese cuisine,it is usually served as a dim sum snack. In addition to accompanying the Chinese diaspora,variations of shumai are found in Japan and Southeast Asia,such as the Indonesian siomay. In Australia,it developed into dim sim.
Pempek,mpek-mpek and also known as colloquially as empek-empek is a savoury Indonesian fishcake delicacy,made of fish and tapioca,from Palembang,South Sumatera,Indonesia. Pempek is served with a rich sweet and sour sauce called kuah cuka or kuah cuko,or just "cuko". Sometimes local people also eat the dish with yellow noodles and diced cucumber to balance out the vinegar's sourness.
Yi mein or yimian is a variety of flat Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. They are known for their golden brown color and chewy characteristics. The slightly chewy and slightly spongy texture of the noodles is due to the lye water used in making the dough,which is then fried and dried into flat patty-like dried bricks.
Kal-guksu is a Korean noodle dish consisting of handmade,knife-cut wheat flour noodles served in a large bowl with broth and other ingredients. It is traditionally considered a seasonal food,consumed most often in summer. Its name comes from the fact that the noodles are not extruded,pulled,or spun,but cut.
Instant noodles,or instant ramen,is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash-frying cooked noodles,and this is still the main method used in Asian countries;air-dried noodle blocks are favored in Western countries. Dried noodle blocks are designed to be cooked or soaked in boiling water before eating. Ramen,a Japanese adaptation of Chinese noodle soup,is sometimes used as a descriptor for instant noodle flavors by some Japanese manufacturers. It has become synonymous in the United States with all instant noodle products.
Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough,often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread,wheat or other flours,or potatoes,and it may be filled with meat,fish,tofu,cheese,vegetables,or a combination. Dumplings may be prepared using a variety of cooking methods and are found in many world cuisines.
XO sauce is a spicy seafood sauce from Hong Kong with an umami flavour. It is commonly used in southern Chinese regions such as Guangdong.
A wonton is a type of Chinese dumpling commonly found across regional styles of Chinese cuisine. It is also spelled wantan or wuntun in transliteration from Cantonese 雲吞 / 云吞 and wenden from Shanghainese 餛飩 / 馄饨. Even though there are many different styles of wonton served throughout China,Cantonese wontons are the most popular in the West due to the predominance of Cantonese restaurants overseas.
