Dried mung bean vermicelli

The best known noodles are mung noodles, which are known in Korea and Laos as Chinese noodles. Dried mung bean vermicelli noodles are sometimes called cellophane, glass or jelly noodles, and are made from the starch of mung beans.

These translucent dried noodles are made from the starch of the mung bean (the same bean sold as bean sprouts) and sold in small bundles.

They have more of a slippery texture than rice vermicelli and are best used in coconut-based soups or salads. Popular in soups and occasionally stir-fried, these threadlike noodles have a more slippery texture than other rice or wheat noodles.

In Japan, mung noodles are known as harusame which translates into ‘string rain noodles’.

Cellophane noodles also puff up into a crisp nest when deep-fried. Some mung bean noodles look opaque and so are sometimes mistaken for rice vermicelli.
Dried mung bean vermicelli

Ramen in Japan

Ramen is the most popular Chinese dish served in Japan. The yellow-colored ramen egg noodles are boiled and served in a hot soup – usually made from either pork or chicken bones – with a selection of different vegetables, meats and other ingredients.

Ramen is best eaten extremely hot. Two or three minutes after the noodles come off the cooker, the flavor deteriorates because the fatty acids in the broth start to oxidize, giving off chemicals that block the flavor of the other spices and ingredients in the bowl.

This hotness factor is why Japanese people slurp their noodles, which takes air into the mouth, and cools the noodles down. Ramen may be considered a simple food, but cooking it is not easy at all.

In southern Japan, where pigs are raised, the ramen broth is made from boiled pork bones. In Tokyo, cooks make a soy sauce-based broth, while in Osaka, the broth is salt based. Making the broth can take anywhere from several hours to an entire day, and constant attention is required to control the temperature, strain the broth, and make sure the ingredients are added at the proper time.

Older Japanese rarely eat at foreign fast food outlets like McDonald’s but they frequently visit Japanese ramen noodle shops, which also serve ‘fast food.’

There is one notable exception: grandmothers and daughters,-in-law and grandchildren frequently visit fast food outlets together, thereby fostering an intergenerational intimacy.
Ramen in Japan