(China), rice (Japan), or sweet potato — are
prized for several qualities: their clarity and
glossy brilliance, their slippery, firm texture,
and their readiness for eating after just a few
minutes of soaking in hot liquid, whether
plain hot water or a soup or braised dish.
The firmest noodles are made from
starches high in the straight-chain amylose
form (p. 457). Where ordinary long-grain rice
is 21–23% amylose, special noodle rices are
30–36%, and mung-bean starch is 35–40%
amylose. Starch noodles are made by first
cooking a small amount of dry starch with
water to make a sticky paste that will bind the
rest of the starch into a cohesive dough. The
paste is mixed with the rest of the dry starch
and more water to make a dough with 35–45%
moisture, and the dough is then extruded
through small holes in a metal plate to form
noodles. The noodles are immediately boiled
to gelate all the starch and form a continuous
network of starch molecules throughout, and
barry
(Barry)
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