[Love Mein In Italian Free Download
Tilo Chopin
To properly explain the difference between Italian and Asian-style noodles, we consulted Chris Barch, chef, and manager of culinary standards at North Italia; Bryan Forgione, executive chef, Buddy V's Ristorante; and Steven Aung, executive sous chef at China Poblano by Jos Andrs.
"The Asian version is always referred to as noodles, and the Italian version is generally referred to as pasta," says Brach. "The process of making both types is somewhat similar in that you have to work gluten, build structure, and extrude or cut to the desired shape."
Aside from how they are generally referred to, the other key difference is the ingredients that are used to make each. Brach says that Asian style noodles vary in ingredients much more than Italian ones do.
"For example, soba uses buckwheat, lo mein uses eggs, rice noodles use rice," he says. "Italian pasta essentially has two main pasta doughs: egg dough and non-egg dough. These [kinds of] pasta can be seasoned with anything, such as squid ink, herbs, [and] spinach."
Forgione says that the majority of Italian pasta is made from wheat flour, specifically durum semolina, and then shaped into different noodles. Just think about how many kinds of Italian noodles there are out there: from rigatoni to fusilli, the pasta shape options are quite endless.
"With Asian noodles, I've noticed you can see a lot of different flours used, such as mung bean starch, buckwheat, and rice flour applied in various ways. Wheat is used a lot as well, but the stretching process can be a bit different," says Forgione.
"Italian noodles, both fresh and dry, are generally all cooked to the same texture: al dente," he says. "Asian noodles vary in textures, ingredients, and shapes. Asian noodles may be made with rice or wheat flour, legumes, root vegetables, egg, and even seafood. Depending on the dish, the texture can be soft, crispy, chewy, or firm."
"This is really hard to define, as there are so many off-shoots of other [kinds of] pasta," says Barch. "For example, tortellini, tortelli, and tortelloni are all variants of the same thing based on size. Based on who you ask, there can be anywhere from 60 to 260 different shapes."
"Asian countries have made noodles for thousands of years," says Aung. "There are certain styles that are over four thousand years old! The main techniques used are: hand-cut, extruded, peeled, pulled, kneaded, and flicked. The style and variety of noodles produced are endless."
"I've seen a lot of [kinds of] pasta are interchanged in classic sauces depending on who is making it, but some of the ones I personally love are Pappardelle con Ragu, Linguine con Vongole and Bucatini alla Carbonara," says Forgione.
"At China Poblano, we serve a few common dishes like Dan Dan Mian made with hand-cut wheat noodles; Beijing Glass, which is a chilled cellophane noodle dish; and Swallow a Cloud, our wonton soup made with egg noodles," says Aung. "Other popular Asian noodle dishes are China's Chow Fun, Japanese Ramen, a Korean sweet potato noodle dish called Jap Chae, Thailand's Pad Thai, and Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup."
Forgione says to think about the kind of texture you want to achieve before you cook the pasta. "When doing a creamier style dish, for example, you will want to use a thicker pasta that will hold up, like the classic fettuccine, or pasta that will grab onto the sauce with its ridges, like a cavatelli or penne rigate."
"Finishing the pasta in the sauce is also key, says Barch. "The starch from the pasta thickens the sauce and helps bind the dish together. It also allows the sauce to permeate the pasta and really make the dish shine."
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