Milk Street Noodles Cookbook
Nearly every culture serves some sort of noodle, from fettuccine, ramen and spaetzle to lo mein, gnocchi and udon. So we traveled the world to learn the secrets to the best pad Thai, Italian ragù, spicy North African couscous and buttery Turkish noodles flecked with feta cheese. In Italy, we were taught the real fettuccine Alfredo—so much lighter, simpler and satisfying than what we knew. In Sapporo, Japan, we learned to develop the deep umami flavors of miso ramen with minimal time and effort. And from Ho Chi Minh to Lima, we learned the art of the quick noodle stir-fry, from Vietnamese shrimp noodles to Peruvian chicken and pasta. Noodles are a perfect canvas for spring and summer vegetables, as well as hearty wintertime baked casseroles. And if speed is the need, try hoisin-ginger noodles or our cheesy one-pan cacio e pepe, both ready in 20 minutes. What’s for dinner? Use your noodle.
Gobun Handmade Inaniwa Udon Noodles
These handmade noodles stand out from the pack. With a versatile thinness unlike traditional udon, yet with the same slurpy, chewy texture that’s distinctive of the noodle, Inaniwa udon has been handmade by artisans for over 300 years. The process takes four whole days: The noodles are kneaded on a starched surface before drying, followed by a series of hand kneading sessions before they’re shaped into their final form and left to sit. The resulting noodles are silky smooth with a mild taste, with a lovely kick of salt that makes the flavor come alive.
Izumo Soba Noodles
These soft, fresh noodles are made from equal parts buckwheat flour and wheat flour, which yield an especially springy, yet tender texture and full flavor compared to other soba we’ve tried. The flour is milled in-house and no preservatives or other binding agents are used in the noodles—just a dash of salt to round out the flavors. We love the subtle nuttiness of buckwheat and how it plays up the overall umami flavor of soba. Plus, the wider surface area of these noodles allows them to sop up even more sauce.
Sfoglini x Sporkful Cascatelli
Otherwise known as “little waterfalls” in Italian, cascatelli was created to be an accessible pasta option that enhances the eating experience with maximized “forkability,” “sauceability” and “toothsinkability.” Made from high-quality North American wheats and slow-dried for over nine hours, Pashman’s succeeds in hitting all three categories. We love that it has a good toothsomeness and clean pasta flavor, plus there are no eggs in the dough which keeps it from being too rich and tender. The thing that really sets apart this experimental pasta shape though is the texture. Not only do the ruffles, frills, right turns and curved shape keep sauce clinging on, but each bite becomes a sensory experience for your mouth too. This pasta is the perfect form to serve with a chunky sauce, Rather than finding bits of sauce at the bottom of your bowl like you would with other kinds of pasta, cascatelli will hold on effortlessly.
Chinese Laundry Kitchen Dan Dan Noodle Sauce
Bring dan dan noodles, a popular Sichuan street food, home with this ready-to-use jarred sauce from Chinese Laundry Kitchen. The layered, umami-forward sauce gets its tingly spice from roasted Sichuan peppercorns and nutty flavor from sesame, a classic dan dan sauce ingredient. With a hint of sweetness and warm aromatic spice, it makes a near-instant dinner—just boil noodles and toss with the velvety sauce. But we also like it with other ingredients, like fried tofu or in a green bean stir-fry. Made with 100 percent real ingredients and no additives by a family-owned business in California. Each jar contains 6-8 servings.
Mutti Triple-Concentrated Tomato Paste (2-Pack)
Mutti Tomato Paste is tomato paste as it was originally intended. Traditionally, this ingredient was made by drying tomato sauce on wooden boards in the sun; likewise, Mutti's modern version has a sun-dried flavor and caramelized richness reminiscent of molasses. Yet the tomato paste is not overly sweet—as tomatoes cook, their amino acids break down, which produces savory umami compounds. And unlike most tubed tomato pastes which are double-concentrated, this version is triple-concentrated, so a little goes a long way. We far prefer it to other tomato pastes in tubes, not to mention canned varieties that inevitably have a metallic taste from reacting with acidic tomato juice.
Vietri Campagna Collection Pasta Bowl
Please give our vendor up to two weeks to ship this product.
These hand-painted ceramic pasta bowls from Vietri’s flagship Campagna collection are a playful, heirloom-quality addition to any tabletop. Inspired by pastoral southern Italy, every unique piece features a whimsical hand-rendered animal motif. Choose between a horse, rooster, cow, pig, fish or bird, plus vibrant wildflowers or bright coastal algae native to the area. Serve pasta in Vietri’s Large Serving Bowl and dish it up in these mix-and-match, dishwasher-safe bowls. Terracotta, locally sourced from the Amalfi Coast, has been used for Italian ceramics for centuries: the first pieces were dried in the sun. Today, Vietri’s artisans make the Campagna line the same way ceramics have been made for 500 years, but instead of using the sun’s heat to set each piece, each one is fired in a kiln. Careful control of the kiln’s temperature influences each unique piece’s shape and glaze colors. The Campagna line’s cheeky name refers both to the line’s inspiration—“campagna” is Italian for “countryside”—and Vietri’s origins in Campania, a rural, coastal region of southern Italy.
Miya Company Monyou Assorted Blue Bowls - set of 4
Made in Japan, these four assorted ceramic bowls come in complementary, traditional blue and white patterns. With their mid-sized diameter and elegant, slightly flared rim, these bowls are perfect for rice or soup. The bowls are safe for the microwave and the dishwasher.
Grand Noodle Five Colored Noodles
Handcrafted by a master noodle maker, these multicolored guksu, or Korean noodles, are infused with clean vegetable flavor. Guksu Master Kim Hyun Kyu started his noodle operation in 1987, wanting to add flavor to basic, bland wheat noodles that only supplemented other recipe components. After years of experimenting with ratios, recipes and aging, Kyu developed vibrant, vegetable-forward twists on the classic noodle. These guksu get their distinctive color-true hues and flavor from garlic chives, sweet pumpkin, beets, and white and black rice. And the ingredients are more than natural food coloring; when cooked, the aromatic noodles impart a subtle but noticeable flavor to dishes and retain a pleasant chew. Try them in pasta dishes, Korean preparations—like bibim-guksu, a spicy noodle stir-fry, or kong-guksu, a cold soy milk soup—or boiled and tossed with oil and sea salt.
KariKari Garlic Chili Crisp
We were blown away by this Garlic Chili Crisp from KariKari. We find most chili crisps tend to be mostly oil, but this version is incredibly textured with thin slivers of golden garlic, shallots and peanuts—not surprising since the name KariKari which means crunchy in Japanese. Garlicky and spicy off the bat, followed with a hit of umami and a delightful tingling from Sichuan peppercorn, you can add this crisp to just about any dish for more flavor and complexity. We like it mixed into noodles, rice, veggies and dolloped on top of fried eggs. Or try it spooned over vanilla ice cream for a sweet and spicy treat.
Milk Street Digital Class: Homemade Ramen with Hugh Amano
Cancel that takeout order: it’s time you learned to make ramen at home. Guest chef Hugh Amano, author of “Let’s Make Ramen” and “Let’s Make Dumplings,” is the teacher of this pre-recorded Zoom cooking class all about the component parts of a perfect bowl of ramen. The star of the show are homemade ramen noodles. You’ll learn why baked baking soda (you read that right) is the key to getting the perfect texture in genuine ramen noodles, and how to perfectly time your noodles to achieve the ideal hydration level. Noodles alone do not a bowl of ramen make, however, so Hugh also walks you through his favorite broth recipe, which sticks to a short ingredient list of just chicken, scallions, ginger and kombu. With broth and noodles as our foundation, the real fun begins, as you decide which ramen toppings to treat yourself to. Hugh covers his favorite tare (a general word for Japanese dipping sauce), which features both red and white miso. He also makes seasoned soft-boiled eggs, ultraquick sauté-steamed vegetables, Japanese-style chili oil, pickled ginger and shiitake mushrooms, and more. The result is a vibrant, colorful and customizable bowl of ramen.
Kenmin Rice Vermicelli Noodles
While many vermicelli noodles—a long, slender variety of rice noodle—may seem like forgettable fare, these Rice Vermicelli Noodles from Kenmin stand out from the pack. Made by steaming and mashing rice to form ultra-thin, chewy, springy noodles, these vermicelli cook up glassy in appearance and almost elastic in texture, with a mild rice flavor. They particularly shine in herby soups or punchy broths or dressings featuring bold flavors, like lime and fish sauce, as the noodles absorb the flavors of the surrounding dish.
Making these noodles takes a high amount of skill: They’re made from 100% pure, carefully selected, high-quality rice grown in rich soil, without any salt, additives or binders (which makes their impeccable texture and mild aromatic flavor all the more impressive). In fact, these vermicelli noodles from Kenmin earn a certification mark from the Rice Vermicelli Association—an honor reserved for vermicelli made from over 50% rice. Exclusive to Milk Street in the United States.
Shimanohikari Handmade Somen Noodles
Mild, delicate and nutty, these handmade somen noodles from Shimanohikari cook up tender and smooth to pair perfectly with bold flavorful broths, sauces and more. Thin and long, they come in individual bundles for easy portioning, require little time to boil and take on a pleasant chew when cooked. Over a two day process, the noodles are handmade from high quality wheat flour, local sea salt and sesame oil, unlike other brands that simply use flour, water and oil. They are then sun-dried for a light and flavorful result. Use in stir-fries, soups, stews, chilled noodle dishes and more.
Wa Imports Ramen Noodles
Made in China with wheat flour and egg, these ramen noodles from Wa Imports are delicate and soft, with a perfect tender chew. Requiring only a few minutes in boiling, these noodles absorb the flavor of whatever they are added to beautifully, adding a springy texture to any dish. Plus, their flat shape offers more surface area for ingredients to cling to and makes them easy to pick up.
Milk Street Rice Washer with Silicone Bottom and Handle
Rinsing your rice is a crucial step in most recipes to prevent a gluey, sticky result, but most traditional colanders aren’t designed for small grains. That’s where Milk Street’s Rice Washer comes in. With small holes and a perforated pouring spout at the top, this colander keeps rice inside and lets the cloudy water drain out easily. The colander works just as well to rinse fruits and vegetables, and raised bumps on the bottom add a bit of friction to help wash especially dirty produce like turnip greens or bok choy. And the silicone base and handle allows for extra grip during even the most slippery task.
Vietri Campagna Collection Oval Platter
Please give our vendor up to two weeks to ship this product.
Brighten your tabletop with this hand-painted ceramic serving platter from Vietri’s flagship Campagna collection. Inspired by pastoral southern Italy, every unique piece features a playful, hand-rendered painting of a horse, rooster, cow, pig, fish or bird, plus vibrant wildflowers or bright coastal algae native to the area. Pair this dishwasher-safe platter with Vietri’s salad plates (mix and match them for extra style) to add an extra touch to a meal. Terracotta, locally sourced from the Amalfi Coast, has been used for Italian ceramics for centuries: the first pieces were dried in the sun. Today, Vietri’s artisans make the Campagna line the same way ceramics have been made for 500 years, but instead of using the sun’s heat to set each piece, each one is fired in a kiln. Careful control of the kiln’s temperature influences each unique piece’s shape and glaze colors. The Campagna line’s cheeky name refers both to the line’s inspiration—“campagna” is Italian for “countryside”—and Vietri’s origins in Campania, a rural, coastal region of southern Italy.
Vietri Campagna Collection Salad Plate
Please give our vendor up to two weeks to ship this product.
These hand-painted ceramic salad plates from Vietri’s flagship Campagna collection are a playful, heirloom-quality addition to any tabletop. Inspired by pastoral southern Italy, every unique piece features a whimsical hand-rendered animal motif. Choose between a horse, rooster, cow, pig, fish or bird, plus vibrant wildflowers or bright coastal algae native to the area; mix and match these dishwasher-safe plates to add extra style to your table setting. Terracotta, locally sourced from the Amalfi Coast, has been used for Italian ceramics for centuries: the first pieces were dried in the sun. Today, Vietri’s artisans make the Campagna line the same way ceramics have been made for 500 years, but instead of using the sun’s heat to set each piece, each one is fired in a kiln. The Campagna line’s cheeky name refers both to the line’s inspiration—“campagna” is Italian for “countryside”—and Vietri’s origins in Campania, a rural, coastal region of southern Italy.
Vietri Campagna Collection Large Serving Bowl
Please give our vendor up to two weeks to ship this product.
With its wide basin and gently sloping sides, this hand-painted ceramic serving bowl from Vietri’s flagship Campagna collection is designed for serving pasta, soup, salad or a large shareable dish; you’ll want to dish up dinner quickly to show off the bowl’s painted interior. Pair it with Vietri’s salad plates or pasta bowls to complete your pasta night set. Inspired by pastoral southern Italy, every piece features a playful, hand-rendered painting of a horse, rooster, cow, pig, fish or bird, plus vibrant wildflowers or bright coastal algae native to the area. Terracotta, locally sourced from the Amalfi Coast, has been used for Italian ceramics for centuries: the first pieces were dried in the sun. But today, Vietri’s artisans make the Campagna line the same way ceramics have been made for 500 years, carefully firing each piece in a kiln to set its shape and unique colors.