What can I substitute for Chinese egg noodles?
In this brief article, we are going to answer the question, “What can I substitute for Chinese egg noodles?”, and discuss what egg noodles are, along with the types and some of the substitutes that can be used instead of Chinese egg noodles.
What can I substitute for Chinese egg noodles?
Fettuccine, linguine, lasagna, spaghetti, and ribbon pasta can be substituted for Chinese egg noodles.
Fettuccine
Fettuccine comes under the same category of egg noodles and are used in the preparation of Italian dishes. The pasta consists of eggs and flour, making it similar to egg noodles.
Even the taste of fettuccine and egg noodles are very similar. The appearance of fettuccine is wide and flat and is mixed with alfredo broccoli pasta mostly. The only drawback is that it is not as soft or chewable as the egg noodles. However, it can be used in soups, salads, and stir frys, just like egg noodles.
Linguine
Linguine is also a type of pasta which is a close relative of fettuccine. They come under the family known as ribbon pasta and as fettuccine is made of flour and egg. It is estimated that about 3.5 ounces of flour is needed per egg to make linguine.
Ribbon pasta
The name is obtained by the shape they have. It is rectangular in shape, consisting of a fair cut and is medium sized with the edges curled. Ribbon pasta is mostly made from corn flour or rice flour.
It is quite thin and appears as a shape of a noodle, served as dry or fresh and does not absorb water like some other pastas can. That and the taste of ribbon pasta and egg noodles are almost similar so they can be used as a replacement.
Spaghetti
Majority of the types of spaghettis are made from flour and eggs, which also makes them a good substitute for Chinese egg noodles. The taste or texture is altered only slightly when spaghettis is used instead of egg noodles.
Lasagna
Lasagna is a unique type of noodle which has wavy strands. The word lasagna refers to the mix of noodles and cheese. The lasagna is typically 2 inches wide, and has a length of 13 inches, which is bigger when compared to other noodles, making it a good substitute for egg noodles.
The taste of this noodle is bland with no flavours, so it can blend well as an ingredient in sauces too. Lasagna noodles have a shelf life of 2-3 days.
What are Chinese egg noodles?
Chinese egg noodles are a type of pasta and their formulation is a bit different as they also contain eggs while other types of pasta do not. Chinese egg noodles are formed with balanced quantities of flour and eggs. The egg noodles are wide in diameter as well as thick and come in different shapes and sizes.
Types of chinese egg noodles
Thin wonton noodles
Thin wonton noodles are eaten in light delicate broths and are made with a combination of pork and seafood. They are also used in the preparation of various dishes which are cooked with ginger, scallions or oyster sauce.
Wide wonton noodles
Wide wonton noodles are similar to the thin ones, and are ideal for heartier noodle soups such as beef noodle soup or dishes braised with beef having oily flavours. Both the thin wonton noodles and the wide wonton noodles take about 30-40 seconds to cook, and it is also advised to not boil them for more than a minute.
Hong kong style pan fried noodles
Sometimes known as chow mein noodles, are par cooked in boiling water.Making them ready for stir frying. This variety is used for dry noodle dishes which are stir fried and whenever the noodles are needed to be very crispy.
Boil the noodles in water until they are barely tender, drain and dry them and then toss them with a little oil.
Lo Mein noodles
Lo Mein noodles are the thickest variety of the egg noodles, and is only reserved for dishes of noodles which involve stir frying. They are also denser and less springy compared to other varieties, which means that the quality is higher even if they sit for long or are reheated.
They take about 3-5 minutes for cooking, and if they are not to be served immediately, they should be rinsed under cold water.
Other FAQs about Egg Noodle that you may be interested in.
Can you freeze cooked egg noodles?
How to store homemade egg noodles?
Conclusion
In this brief article, we answered the question, “What can I substitute for Chinese egg noodles?”, and discussed what egg noodles are, along with the types and some of the substitutes that can be used instead of Chinese egg noodles.
References
https://www.seriouseats.com/chinese-noodles-101-guide-to-types-and-styles-of-chinese-egg-noodles
