Dinner Tonight: The wonderful world of Asian noodles

Is there anything better than a bowl of rice noodles bursting with fresh flavors?

The wonderful world of Asian noodles

Jack Bishop Author, editor, and avid home cook

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to send me suggestions for this newsletter. I read every email and respond to as many as I can. Your feedback is appreciated. Many of you have asked for more Asian recipes. This week I’m focusing on noodles because they make quick one-dish suppers.

Let’s start with rice vermicelli, which are used widely across Southeast Asia. I appreciate their gentle sweetness in this salad with napa cabbage, citrus, and seared shrimp. The recipe couldn’t be easier. Briefly marinate the shrimp in a little fish sauce so that the salt and umami-packed glutamates in the fish sauce have time to work their magic. Meanwhile, boil and rinse the noodles. Toss vermicelli and cabbage with a 5-ingredient coconut-lime dressing. Sear the shrimp and then add the garnishes—clementine segments, fresh herbs, and peanuts. Wow!

Featured Recipe

Napa Cabbage and Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Citrus →

Next up: chewy, slippery udon, the wheat noodles popular in Japan. Udon noodles admirably absorb this brothy shiitake mushroom sauce. Fresh udon is quite different from dried and not really interchangeable. Look for vacuum-sealed packages of fresh udon in the refrigerator or freezer case. If using frozen noodles, just cook them an extra minute. Blanching the greens in the water that will eventually be used to cook the noodles nicely streamlines kitchen operations. This vegetarian recipe calls for mustard greens, but use spinach, chard, or kale if you prefer.

Soba noodles have so much personality. I prefer brands made with more buckwheat than wheat flour because they have the roasty flavors that make soba appealing: Just make sure buckwheat flour is listed first on the ingredient label. Soba pairs beautifully with gingery stir-fried pork tenderloin, and I love the crunch added by fresh bean sprouts. Take 10 minutes to make a double or triple batch of shichimi togarashi, the sesame-orange spice blend sprinkled over the finished dish. You’ll end up sprinkling leftovers on eggs, french fries, roasted veggies, and grilled meats.

Chinese fresh egg noodles are sturdy enough to withstand stir-frying in this vegetarian lo mein with shiitakes and bok choy. Add the boiled and drained noodles to the pan with the veggies and then cook, stirring just once, until the egg noodles are charred in spots—this will take about 4 minutes. Serve with chili-garlic sauce to balance the sweetness of the hoisin that powers this sweet and savory dish.

While chewy Korean rice cakes might not look like noodles, they are made in much the same way and, like noodles, they are designed to carry bold sauces. And, frankly, I want you to make this beef and rice cake stir-fry with bok choy, definitely one of my favorite recipes from 2025! It’s deceptively simple but so savory and satisfying. This recipe is a perfect example of making a little meat (just 2 ounces of flank steak per serving) go a long, long way.

Expand your noodle horizons by cooking one of these recipes this week. Let me know if you have a favorite.

P.S. Speaking of expanding horizons, we’re debuting eight unconventional Thanksgiving desserts this week. Here’s a sneak peek.