"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you want and let the food fight it out inside."Mark Twain This unorthodox philosophy may have worked well for the famous 19th century American author, but it runs completely counter to the Chinese belief that every meal should contain an equal division between rice, grains and starches, and fruits and vegetables. One of the grains they rely on to provide this harmonious dietary balance is noodles.
        Whether you slurp them, gulp them down, or twirl them on your fork, everyone seems to love noodles. Nearly all cultures have at least one cherished noodle dish, from German Spaetzle (homemade noodles with egg), to Jewish Kreplachs - noodle pastries filled with beef, chicken and spices. But only the Italians rival China for the title of the culture most devoted to noodles. (For more information on Italian pasta, check out this excellent article by Kyle Phillips, About Guide to Italian Food).
        There is some dispute over who originally came up with the idea of mixing water and flour to create noodles. The Arabs claim to have been the first to use dried pasta, as a means of preserving flour during their forays across the desert. But regardless of their origin, we do know that the Chinese have been feasting on noodles for at least 5,000 years, since the Han dynasty. In fact, some experts believe that the Italians got their first taste of pasta when Marco Polo returned home from his long trek across China with a host of exotic food items, including noodles.
        Like Italian pasta, Asian noodles vary in width - they can be thick as coffee stir sticks or thin as toothpicks. When it comes to length, however, they are usually served long and uncut. This is because long noodles symbolize a long life in Chinese tradition. Noodles are commonly served at birthday celebrations, and fresh noodles are regularly placed at gravesites.
Types of Noodles
        Chinese noodles, known collectively as mien, fall into three main categories. The most common are wheat flour noodles, which can be made with or without eggs. While today wheat flour noodles are enjoyed throughout China, they originated in the north, where wheat is a staple crop. Depending on the remaining ingredients, wheat noodles can be white or yellow, thin as spaghetti or thick as fettuccine, stiff or extremely elastic.
        Made from rice flour, water, and salt, rice noodles can also be thick or very thin, the latter almost resembling long strings of coconut. The same is true of rice sticks. There are also rice paper wrappers, which come in either circular or triangular shape. Finally, cellophane noodles are clear noodles made from ground mung bean paste.
        In China, making "hand-pulled" noodles is an art that involves holding the stretched out paste in both hands and whirling it around several times. Then the paste is laid out on a board and folded and refolded repeatedly. Eventually the paste is transformed into long, thin, noodles. While in China it is still possible to watch vendors make hand-pulled noodles, today most noodles are made by machine.
Chinese Noodles
Types of Chinese Noodles
        Cellophane Noodles - Also called bean threads, slippery noodles, or even bean vermicelli, cellophane noodles are made from mung bean starch. Before using, soak them in hot (not boiling) water. Cellophane noodles work well in soups and stir-fries, absorbing the flavor of the foods they are cooked with. When deep-fried they puff up and become quite crispy.
        Egg Flour Noodles - Fresh or dried, you'll usually know these noodles by their yellow color. Made with eggs, wheat flour, and water, they come in a number of widths and shapes, from the thinner vermicelli to flat thicker noodles (Instant Ramen noodles are a type of egg flour noodle). Used in soups and stir-fries, they need to be boiled before using.
Tea flavored noodles, Rice sticks, Broad Noodles, and Rice Noodles
        Rice Noodles - Made with rice flour and water, a large variety of rice noodles are available, from thin rice vermicelli to the thick broad flat noodles used in stir-fries and heartier soups. (The rice noodles in the first photo always remind me of shoelaces). There's some confusion over the use of the term "rice sticks." Commonly, this refers to the thin rice vermicelli, shown in the second photo below, however you'll sometimes find medium-sized and thicker flat rice noodles referred to as rice sticks as well. Rice noodles should be soaked in hot water for fifteen - twenty minutes before using. Medium sized rice noodles, called Banh Pho, are used to make Vietnam's popular Pho soup.

        Rice Paper - Also made from rice flour and water, rice papers are available in either round or triangular form. The unique patterning on each paper comes from their being dried on bamboo mats in the sun. Available only in dried form, they are firm and must be softened in hot water before use. In Chinese cooking there is a trend towards using them instead of cellophane to make Paper Wrapped Chicken; in Vietnamese cuisine rice papers (Banh Trang ) are used to wrap spring rolls.
         Wheat Flour Noodles - Made with wheat flour and water, they are available fresh or dried. As you can see in the photos below, the shape and thickness varies - the Broad Noodles are quite thick and flat, reminding me of coffee stir sticks, while the Tea Flavored Noodles are much thinner. The thinner varieties are often used in light soups, while the thicker ones work well in thicker soups and stir-fries. Boil before using.

How to Enjoy Noodles
        Noodles are eaten hot or cold, steamed, stir-fried, deep-fried, boiled, or served in a soup. The nutritionally-inclined noodles are an excellent source of protein. Besides being low in calories, they are extremely high in complex carbohydrates.
         Readers often ask me to explain the difference between "lo mein" and "chow mein" noodles. Actually, the difference between the two lies not in the type of noodles used, but in the way the two dishes are prepared. In the case of chow mein, the ingredients are stir-fried and then served over noodles that have been prepared separately. By contrast, lo mein involves tossing boiled noodles in the wok and mixing them with other ingredients during the final stages of cooking. This allows the noodles to pick up more of the sauce flavor.
        There are no hard and fast rules about what type of noodles to use with either dish. (In fact, you'll often find chow mein recipes that substitute rice for the noodles). In the west, it is customary to use crisp noodles when preparing chow mein, while in China chow mein is made with soft noodles. Meanwhile, Italian pastas such as fettuccine or spaghetti work quite well in lo mein recipes. However, theoretically you could use the same noodles to prepare either one.

Sichuan Noodles
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh noodles (Shanghai thin noodles are good)
1/2 pound chicken breast, cut into strips
4 ounces shrimp, shelled and cleaned
2 tablespoons hot bean sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 bok choy, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup carrot, cut on the diagonal
1/2 cup broccoli or cauliflower, trimmed, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
Marinade:
1 teaspoon wine
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Sauce:
1/2 cup stock
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Directions:
Mix together marinade ingredients.
Marinate chicken for at least twenty minutes.
While marinating chicken, mix together sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Also while marinating chicken, parboil noodles in a pot of boiling water for three minutes.
Loosen up noodles with chopsticks as they are boiling.
Drain and heat wok.
When heated, add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Add garlic and chicken and stir-fry.
When the chicken is nearly done, push the chicken up to the side of the wok and add the shrimp in the middle of the wok. Stir-fry.
When the shrimp are done, mix the chicken and shrimp and remove from the wok to a platter.
Reheat the wok and add 1 tablespoon of oil.
Add onions, bok choy, carrot and broccoli and stir-fry until tender and crisp.
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the vegetables and mix it in. Remove the vegetables to a platter.
Clean out the wok with a paper towel.
Heat wok again and add 3 tablespoons oil. Place noodles in the wok, using chopsticks to break them up.
Add 2 tablespoons hot bean sauce and 1 tablespoon light soy sauce.
Stir-fry until the noodles are heated through. Add cooked chicken, shrimp and all the vegetables.
Restir sauce mixture.
When it comes to a boil, test and adjust the seasoning if desired, then remove and serve.