Q: Jamie I want to make your Vegetarian Pad Thai from Quick & Kosher Meals in Minutes cookbook, but I can’t find kosher rice noodles. What do you suggest?
Amy, Skokie IL
A: Now that everyone knows my secrets — how to make anchovy paste and fish sauce and the pareve substitutions for sweetened condensed milk, this is my most frequently asked question. If you’re not familiar with rice noodles, I’ll tell you that they are made from rice flour and water. Guess where they come from. (C’mon, you can do this.) Yes, of course, Southeast Asia. They are terrific in Asian recipes and they are a satisfying substitute for wheat-based noodles for people who are sensitive to wheat or gluten. If you have tried rice noodles before, you’re probably as obsessed with them as I am.
When I was developing the Pad Thai recipe, Willi Food used to import and distribute these thin-as-glass dream noodles with a reliable kosher certification. To my dismay (Can you believe they didn’t call me?), the product is no longer on the shelves in the US. Rumor has it that the absence is only temporary and the noodles are on the way back. I have been nagging my store manager about this so regularly that when he sees me coming he calls, “no, not yet Jamie.”
In the meantime, check your local kosher market and nag them to get you the kosher noodles that are available.
Notta pasta is notta hechshered anymore. I just tracked them down online and called. None of the Andre Prost foods distributed are.
This brand has brown rice noodles that are kosher http://www.explorecuisine.com/en/products/rice-noodles.html there are a few other brands that are imported and can be found in kosher markets.
Tamar Genger MA, RD
Executive Editor
http://www.joyofkosher.com
http://www.facebook.com/joyofkosher
Twitter @joyofkosher
Oh Barbara – so formal with your description, but great 🙂 SarahEats when you say “benefit” you have to also consider taste, texture and authenticity of the dish (now how is that for formal 🙂 I am not going to cook up a box of fettuccine when serving meatballs so goes if I am making a pad thai I am going for rice noodles. They are super thin and light and slide down so easily, delish and perfect for this dish.
Regular pasta is actually higher in protein,etc., but this has a different texture. I think the word is “toothsome.” There is a brand called Notta Pasta that is hechshered. I also, when I’m going over my calorie/weightwatchers points, use the fettucine Shirataki (tofu noodles) with excellent results, just add to stir-fry.
is this healthier than regular noodles? or is the only benefit for people intolerant to gluten?