Noodle Dish

China

Wonton noodles is a popular Cantonese noodle dish with many regional varieties found throughout Southeast Asia. Traditionally, it consists of chewy egg noodles and wonton dumplings, combined and served in a flavorful chicken, pork, or seafood broth. The dumplings are usually filled with a combination of minced pork and shrimps, lightly flavored with sesame oil, soy sauce, and grated ginger. The stringy thin egg noodles are the most common variety found in many versions of the dish. The choice of garnishes is region-specific and is influenced by common culinary traditions of the particular area where wonton noodles are found. The traditional Cantonese version is typically served with sliced chives and scallions sprinkled on top of the assembled soup. In Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, slices of barbecued pork are the most common addition, usually placed on top of the soup. Malaysian versions are often adapted with the addition of green leafy vegetables and use pickled green chilis as a standard condiment. The dish is also widely popular in dry form, in which the noodles are drained and served alongside dumplings, meat, and vegetables, while the fragrant broth is served on the side. Whether it is favored as a clean and original Cantonese variety or the more nutritious version found in other Asian countries, wonton noodles is one of the classic dishes that is considered a staple of Chinese and Asian cuisine.

Wàhn tān mihn

Wakame soba is a traditional salad. It&rsquo;s made with a combination of soba noodles (made from buckwheat), wakame seaweed (most often used in miso soup), and other ingredients that vary from recipe to recipe, such as cucumbers and a dressing consisting of rice vinegar, lime juice, ginger, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, mint, shallots, and cilantro. Everything is simply mixed together, then served while still warm. The dish is sometimes garnished with radish sprouts for even more flavor.

Wakame soba

Wakame udon is a traditional noodle dish. The simple dish is prepared with a combination of udon noodles, dashi broth, tsuyu sauce, and wakame seaweed, along with the toppings of your choice such as bonito fish flakes, fish cakes, and chopped spring onions. The dried wakame seaweed is soaked, then used as a topping for the thick udon noodles that are served with a dashi broth in a bowl. The dish is garnished with the other toppings before serving, but they shouldn't overpower the real star of the dish, wakame seaweed.

Wakame udon

Japan

Wakayama ramen is often described as a Tokyo-style ramen served in Tokushima broth. In Wakayama, it is usually referred to as chuka-soba (Chinese noodles). The noodles in Wakayama ramen are thin and straight, while the soup can either be clear and soy sauce-flavored (shako-mae style) or it can consist of a combination of tonkotsu base and soy sauce. Pork ribs are one of the most common additional ingredients in Wakayama ramen, and the dish is typically served with a boiled, runny-yolk egg instead of a raw one that is served with Tokushima ramen. Interestingly, Wakayama ramen is often served with sushi on the side, and when it&rsquo;s time to pay, customers will tell the staff how many of these side dishes they&rsquo;d consumed.

Wakayama ramen

Wanko soba is a Japanese noodle dish where noodles are served in a bowl many times in small quantities, as soon as the consumer finishes the bowl. This goes on until the consumer is full or gives up. The noodles are served with numerous condiments such as mushrooms, radish, or tuna sashimi, and there is usually a dipping sauce on the side. The name of the dish, wanko, means bowl, referring to the small bowls in which the noodles are served.

Wanko soba

United States

With no written recipe and of mysterious origin, yaka mein is one of the best-kept secrets of New Orleans. The soup is made with stewed meat (typically beef), meat broth, spaghetti noodles, and garnishes such as hard-boiled eggs and green onions. Chili powder, Tabasco sauce, sriracha, or Creole seasoning are often added to the broth in order to elevate its flavors. Yaka mein is a great hangover cure, which is why it&rsquo;s sometimes referred to as Old sober. Although the locals love this soup, it is not well known outside of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

Yaka Mein

Yakisoba is the Japanese variety of fried noodles. Originating from the Chinese chow main, these noodles are usually mixed with a variety of meat and vegetables. Japanese favorites are usually pork, cabbage, onions, and carrots. The most common noodle varieties used in the dish are ramen noodles (made with wheat flour) or soba noodles (made with buckwheat). Although soba noodles did give the name to the dish, the ramen variety is still the most common type used in yakisoba. When the meat and vegetables are stir-fried, and the noodles are fully cooked, a special yakisoba sauce, similar to the thick Worcestershire sauce, is added to complete the dish. Yakisoba noodles are eaten everywhere in Japan, they can be found in restaurants or at traditional food stands, but they are also commonly prepared at home. There are numerous varieties of yakisoba noodles in Japan, and every restaurant, seller, or family has their signature yakisoba recipe. Typically, the noodles are served on a plate alongside different condiments such as fish flakes, mayonnaise, pickled ginger, and ground seaweed. Occasionally, they come in sandwich form, when they are served in a special bun and garnished with pickled ginger and special Japanese mayonnaise.

Yakisoba

Yaki-udon is a famous Japanese dish which consists of chewy udon noodles that are stir-fried with a variety of ingredients and doused in a rich soy-based sauce. The dish can employ a wide variety of sliced vegetables, meat, or seafood, which are all shortly fried, mixed with the thick udon noodles, then doused in a fragrant sauce. It is believed yaki-udon first appeared in Fukuoka as a result of food shortage, which influenced the restaurants to replace the traditional soba noodles with the more available udon variety. Over time, yaki-udon was recognized as one of the local favorites which has quickly spread to other parts of Japan to become a satisfying and straightforward national dish.

Yaki-udon

Yom wun sen is a traditional glass noodle salad originating from Thailand. The salad is characterized by bright and refreshing flavors and crunchy texture. It's made with a combination of glass noodles, fried garlic, cilantro, chili peppers, dried shrimp, lime juice, fish sauce, onions, Chinese celery, and roasted peanuts. Ground pork or beef can also be added to the salad for extra protein content. Yom wun sen is usually served cold or lukewarm and it's especially popular in the summer. It can be found in many Thai restaurants, but it's also often prepared at home.

Yam wun sen

Duck blood and vermicelli soup is a traditional delicacy made by cooking vermicelli, duck liver, blood, and intestines with dried tofu, dried shrimp, ginger, sesame oil, and caraway seeds. Although the dish is consumed in many Chinese regions, it is a specialty of Nanjing, famous throughout the world for its duck dishes, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the capital of duck. According to a popular story, a poor man in Nanjing had killed a duck and used a bowl to hold its blood. While cleaning the duck, he accidentally dropped some vermicelli into the bowl and cooked the stew afterwards. When he tasted the stew, he found it quite flavorful, and a wealthy man heard about the newly created dish, thus employing the poor man as a cook for his family. Today, duck blood and vermicelli soup hold the status of a Nanjing favorite, while some cooks add 20 different Chinese herbs in the soup, believing that their ingredients help with blood circulation, removal of toxins from the body, and the maintenance of one's beauty.

Ya xie fen si tang

The pink-colored yen ta fo is a Thai soup consisting of various types of noodles served in a hearty chicken or pork broth seasoned with the pungent, fermented red bean curd. Each bowl of this flavor-packed soup is topped with various condiments such as fish balls, squid, shrimps, fried tofu, and the leafy water morning glory. Typically served in traditional Thai restaurants and sold at numerous street stalls, yen ta fo is popular throughout the country and is usually enjoyed as a filling main course.

Yen ta fo

Yokohama-style ramen or iekei ramen is a Japanese type of ramen originating from the Yokohama area and dating back to 1974. The dish consists of thick noodles and a stock that's a mix of creamy tonkotsu (pork broth) and soy sauce. The toppings include chashu pork, chopped seaweed, leeks, and spinach. There are also optional toppings and condiments such as minced garlic, sesame, preserved vegetables, and black pepper. The name of the dish means home-style ramen, and it was created by a former truck driver called Mr. Yoshimura, who'd opened his own ramen shop in 1974.

Yokohama-Style Ramen

This cold noodle dish is a simple Japanese classic consisting of buckwheat (soba) noodles served with mentsuyu or tsuyu sauce on the side. The noodles are cooked and chilled and should be quickly dipped in the sauce that usually combines sake, mirin, soy sauce, and dry bonito flakes. The dish was named zaru after a traditional bamboo strainer on which the noodles are traditionally served. Because it is light and simple, zaru soba is a summer specialty in Japan. The dish is sometimes garnished with sliced onions, but it's always topped with shredded nori&mdash;dry seaweed sheets.

Zaru soba

Zhajiangmian is a Shandong specialt, consisting of wheat noodles in soybean sauce and vegetables such as summer radish and sliced cucumbers. The sauce is usually made by cooking ground pork or beef in combination with fermented soybean paste. There is also a vegetarian version of the dish that substitutes the meat with smoked tofu in the production of the sauce. Although the dish is native to China, it was embraced by the Koreans 100 years ago, when it was introduced to them by Shandong immigrants. In Korea, the dish is known as ja jang myun, and it is extremely popular because it is cheap, convenient, and casual. It has become so commercialized in Korea that it can even be bought in an instant ramen package.