What sort of rice and noodles are "brown rice" or "brown noodles"?
I am a university student about to enter his second year. At my school, only freshman are given (relatively cheap) access to the Dining Commons, and I recall, near the end of the year, a nutrition specialist held a table inside with recommendations to students about convenient ways to cook when thrown to the lions den their sophomore year. She said something about brown rice or brown noodles, cooked with my choice source of protein as well as vegetables, as a default meal when time is scarce during the work week. I thought it sounded like an enterprising idea, but my family and I are baffled at its execution.
What sort of rice and noodles was she referring to?
Also, what sort of meat and vegetables can I put into it?
Finally, how do I cook this?
Best Answer
No noodles are actually called "brown noodles" but the only noodles I'm aware of that are brownish in colour are either wheat or buckwheat.
Given the suggestion to cook it with a "protein source", and given that this is meant to be a quick and easy meal, I'm sure that the idea was to cook some dried noodles briefly in soup along with some sliced or shredded meat. This is common in Asian cuisine, and it can be nutritious, assuming you don't rely on instant noodles and artificial flavour packets.
You'd probably be looking at one of the following:
Ramen, which is traditionally made from la mian (hand-pulled buckwheat noodles, although sometimes they're made from wheat), served in broth, usually with meat and green onions, and often flavoured with soy sauce. Keep in mind that real ramen is actually quite difficult and time-consuming to make, and is not even close to the "instant ramen" you see for 99 cents a package. You can cheat a little and still have a decent meal by buying quality dried noodles and cooking them in real homemade broth, or at least canned broth.
Udon, AKA "thick noodles" (made from wheat), which are also typically prepared in broth, specifically dashi - broth made from kombu (kelp), dried tuna or bonito flakes, and occasionally mushrooms, and seasoned with soy sauce and mirin (rice wine). Meat isn't as common in udon, but fish and tofu are, especially deep-fried. You can still make it with beef or chicken. You can find decent-quality instant dashi at Asian grocery stores, so again, prep time is minimal if you get the right ingredients.
Soba (buckwheat) noodle soup, which (in my experience) is almost always served in miso (again, available in instant form). Seasonings and toppings are otherwise similar to udon, although they tend to get a bit more elaborate. For example, the wiki page references tsukimi soba which means poaching a raw egg in the cooked soup.
Finally Ph?, which is the Vietnamese take on this, which uses rice noodles (so definitely not brown). The most common preparation (at least in all of the Vietnamese restaurants around here) is simply the hot soup and noodles with some rare beef dropped in to briefly cook, then topped with basil and bean sprouts just before eating. The broth is really very difficult for non-natives to learn and instant pho is usually terrible, so I wouldn't recommend this for beginners.
Of course you can always just go with good old-fashioned Western chicken noodle soup or chicken soup with rice and vegetables. Chicken noodle soup usually uses egg noodles, which are, again, definitely not brown, so although they're a fine choice, they're almost certainly not what the question is referring to.
Pictures about "What sort of rice and noodles are "brown rice" or "brown noodles"?"
Is there such a thing as brown rice noodles?
Brown Rice PastaBrown rice pasta is one of the most popular varieties of gluten-free pasta due to its mild flavor and chewy texture \u2014 both of which work well as a substitute for most traditional pasta dishes.What are brown noodles made of?
Brown rice noodles are a type of noodle made from brown rice, and they are commonly used in Asian cuisine.What are the brown flat noodles called?
Wonton Noodles They come in a variety of widths, but all work well in wonton noodle soup. Also called: Yun-tun mian; wan-tan min, wonton mee. Shape: There are two main varieties: round, similar to a thin spaghetti; and flat, similar to linguini. Each shape is about a foot long.Which is healthier noodles or brown rice?
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out top. But if protein and fibre is your aim, pasta wins over rice. That said, both can play a part in a healthy diet - and as the nutritional differences are quite small, it often comes down to which you would prefer.The Truth About Rice: Brown vs White (Science)
More answers regarding what sort of rice and noodles are "brown rice" or "brown noodles"?
Answer 2
As brown rice has already been explained. I'm guessing whole wheat noodles to be the 'brown' noodles.
Answer 3
Well, brown rice is brown rice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_rice
That's not a particularly fast-cooking meal, though; brown rice can take up to 50min to cook fully. It is very nutritious, though.
I have no idea what your anonymous tipster meant by "brown noodles". I would help if you actually quoted her or gave us a name.
The modernist food periodical Lucky Peach (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/luckypeach) included a long article on how to spruce up instant ramen; maybe you should check it out.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Quang Nguyen Vinh, Ann Lee, makafood, Polina Tankilevitch