Longdan, an oriental supermarket chain, opened a store in town a few months ago and I wasted no time doing a supermarket sweep searching for stuff that would be suitable for backpacking (and my dietary needs, of course). Generally I steer clear of oriental food stuff because it invariably includes soy sauce or wheat noodles which contains gluten. However I am still fond of soupy noodle dishes so I was excited to find udon noodles made from rice. And, at the time, I thought that they would make a good addition to my backpack pantry.
For some reason there were no cooking instructions on the packet, this didn't matter I reasoned, I'll just cook them like I would gluten free pasta... However my first attempt resulted in half cooked noodles in very gloopy water! After scouring the Internet, including having to translate various pages, I was still no wiser. A quick visit to the shop and I discovered from another manufacturer of fat noodles that they need to be soaked in 'warm' water for twenty minutes or until soft. Back in the kitchen I soaked the second batch in hot water, and the noodles took nearly forty minutes to soften up.
Sadly although I've enjoyed a number of great dishes with these lovely fat noodles the preparation time discounts them from being useful on backpacking trips for me. If you're prepared for the wait, or like some, who carry nalgene flasks to rehydrate food stuff and can't eat food with gluten in, then give them a go. There's always the opportunity however, depending what's in my store cupboard, I might prepare them at home for an overnighter perhaps and carry them in a ziplock bag.
6 comments:
Have you tried cooking them ready and then dehyrating again yourself? Re-cooking them again in the woods after this treatment should be faster if it behaves like most other food items :)
Doh I've donethis with basmati rice and it works a treat. I've cooked and dried gluten free pasta but haven't tried to use it in a dish. I don't want to spoil the illusion as at the moment the dried pasta looks good... I have a srong feeling that if I stick in a pot with some cheese sauce it will dissolve!
Great tip,I'll give it a try especially as I prefer these to the thin noodles.
Soba made from 100% buckwheat might fulfill your gluten free noodlely trail cooking desire.
It can be cooked in as less as 3 min.
That's an idea but i'm not over keen on the taste :(
I am a bit hooked on sweet potato noodles from Korean supermarkets, they cook in under five minutes and are very moreish.
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