Chinese Noodles: A Rhapsody

The Chinese cuisine of 300 BC was not one of rice and fish and stir fries. That did not emerge until well over a millennium later. Instead the Chinese dined on rich stews of meat and vegetables accompanied by fluffy grains of millet that they had steamed over the stew. They had little use for the foreign cereal, wheat, which many centuries earlier had been brought to China by travelers from the west. For them, it was food for the miserably poor or as a last resort when stores were running low. For us, who relish wheat bread and pasta, and relegate tiny, round millet seeds to the birds, this seems strange. We have to remember, though, that the Chinese steamed or boiled wheat berries just like they steamed or boiled millet. Whereas this makes millet light and flavorful (it was the forerunner of polenta in Italy, after all, and is still worth trying), wheat berries stay chewy and slightly bitter.

What changed this was the grindstone. Around the 3rd century BC, when the RomanEmpire began trading with the Chinese Han Empire in China, merchants and nomads carried the grindstone from oasis to oasis along the Silk Roads. For the first time, the Chinese began grinding wheat into flour instead of cooking it whole. They mixed the flour with water to make a dough. Instead of slapping the dough on a hot surface or into a beehive oven to make flat bread sand leavened breads, as had been done in the Middle East and Mediterranean for millennia, they continued steaming and boiling. They made noodles, dumplings, thin pancakes, stuffed buns, and steamed breads, calling them all `ping.' Ping, of course, was equivalent to our pasta, and it was as delicious as boiled wheat had been dull. Wheat hop scotched over millet in the social scale and became the grain of the Emperor and his court.

Their favorite all-purpose pasta was the stuffed dumpling. Judging by Shu's rhapsody, they were very like those served today for dim sum, or like Italian ravioli or tortellini. Shu describes how the cooks sieved the flour twice, mixed it with water, and then, dough sticking to the tips of their fingers, pressed it out to make the thin wrappings. These they stuffed with finely chopped pork and mutton, flavored with ginger, onions, cinnamon, Szechwan pepper and black beans, before placing them in a steamer. Well made, no filling burst out to stick to the steamer, no extra flour was left to make a gluey deposit. Instead the filling swelled to fill out the thin but strong wrapper.

For those of us, though, who want to get some taste of what these early pastas were like, there are simpler alternatives. One is a simple sauced noodle dish. Noodles, often served in broth, were for the bitter cold months in northern China.

In dark winter's savage cold, At early morning gatherings Frost forms around the mouth. For filling empty stomachs and relieving chills, Boiled noodles are best.

Sometimes, though, noodles may have been served with this sauce that, according to Bruce Costin his well-researched Ginger East to West: A Cook'sTour (Berkeley: Aris, 1984), dates from about 100 AD. It is reliably good. Fresh Chinese noodles are best but spaghetti will do if you live, as I do, hundreds of miles from the nearest Chinatown. The sauce is saltier and oilier than is currently fashionable but to my mind worth it for the romance of eating such a venerable dish. In any case, a little goes a long way and if you serve the sauce and pasta separately, everyone can adjust the proportions to their own tastes.

1/4 cup of cooking oil 1 pound ground pork 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh ginger root 6 tablespoons Chinese bean sauce 1 teaspoon of ground Szechwan pepper 1-1/2 teaspoons of sugar 1 pound spaghetti 1 teaspoon sesame oil ? cup spring onions, sliced on the diagonal into half inchlengths.

Put about four quarts of water to boil in a large pot. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet and add the pork. Cook until it has turned color, mashing it to break up any lumps. Add the ginger and stir for another minute. Add the bean sauce, Szechwan pepper and sugar and adjust tastes, bearing in mind that there will be lots of pasta in relation to the sauce.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and toss in a serving bowl with the sesame oil. Stir the scallions into the sauce and serve in a separate bowl. Throwing authenticity to the winds in favor of flavor and health, you can add a platter of finely cut vegetable garnishes, such as red or green peppers, carrots, cucumbers, celery, and bean sprouts. A little fresh coriander, for those who like it, adds a nice contrast of color and flavor. Serves 6.

WHEN I was in school the average tiffin we carried to school was paratha, puri or sandwiches or it used to be a variation of the three and occasionally, it would be pakora. Then somewhere between my school years and my son's school years came a jingle, which said in just two minutes and the noodle fad was born. Today I often see noodles in my son's tiffin. A healthy wholesome meal to compete with the school canteen's soft drinks and burger which hold so much sway over a school boy's mind. Coming back to the topic of noodles, they have been around in China for a long, long time. When Marco Polo visited that country in 1270 A.D. he recorded their usage. Some people say that Marco Polo carried the concept back and spaghetti was born, but many people dispute that theory saying pasta was always there well before the noodle from China was got by Marco Polo. Though what is not disputed is the fact that the noodle got its name from the mid-European (Germany, Bavaria, Austria) word for dumplings i.e., nudlen, knodl or knodel. The original Chinese word for noodle is `mein' - hence, chow mein . Original noodles were always made with egg and so you will see egg noodles as a very common term used for it. If they are not made with egg it is supposed to be mentioned on top of the packet that they are plain noodles.

Noodles are a symbol of longevity in China and are often served at birthday parties as a wish for long life. Though Maggi will probably take the `chosen one' place in Indian markets, there are many types of noodles. Apart from the Chinese egg noodles are the noodles made from rice which are soaked in warm water and not boiled. Then there are the transparent variety or glass noodles or cellophane noodles made from moong bean starch paste. Bijon noodles from South-East Asia is made from corn kernels. From Japan came a number of different noodles one being shirataki (white waterfall) made from the starch of a tuber which colloquially is called the Devil's Tongue. There is of course the famous Soba noodles made with golden buck wheat. Then there are noodles like cellophane called Udan Sotanghan used in the fish soup like laksa. Udon noodles are flat ribbon-like noodles served in hot dishes with mixed meat or vegetables. There are many more like miki, misua, somen and so on. India also produces noodles called seviyan and of course, falooda. Most noodles are made into a stiff dough and then they are passed through machines to cut them into long strands. Then they are steamed partially dried, packeted and sold in the market. Noodles are also very versatile. Try a noodle soup with vegetables. Try tossed noodles with a little Indian gravy like a Roganjosh. Crisp fry your boiled noodles by tossing in a little cornflour and then fry it. Top crunchy noodles with any spicy, thick gravy for an innovative meal.

So needle a noodle and come up with some creative meals.