Originally Posted by
LapLap
Getting the right noodles is key, I agree. I wouldn’t use the standard flash fried noodles used in instant ramen but there’s a huge range of noodles that keep their toothy, springy texture after you boil them, drain and rinse thoroughly in cold water. I end up taking quite a few packets of tried and trusted variants (including soba) to Spain with me as I can count on my kid eating them along with a pile of vegetables throughout the heat of August.
Chinese noodles have been experiencing a side-effect of the rising food costs here. Restaurants/Food stalls have been ordering flat rice noodles in larger quantities here and then storing them in the fridge. Unfortunately when you take them out, the texture and other properties will have changed (they harden and become brittle). So now we're experiencing a lot of noodle "chips" rather than long rice noodles. Egg noodles are more forgiving, but everyone seems to be cooking at a lower temperature too (my guess to keep fuel costs low) so they soak up oil and are no longer the crispy they usually are. FWP to be sure, There are a few restaurants who realise this and have gotten creative (replacing rice noodles with spaghetti for example).
That said, always looking to experiment and try new flavours. Some of the food manufacturers are introducing new things (at least for the Ontario market)... but some at the price of neglecting basics.