There is always something new on the fast-food scene! So if you are getting tired of the ubiquitous beef burger and do not look forward to a boring pizza, you might like to try instant noodles. The great thing about noodles is that they can be prepared in various combinations: With sauces, stir-fried or in soup, with all kinds of meat, seafood, and vegetables. And they are also cheap and delicious! This is certainly the main reason behind the success of Yummy Wok.
Whenever I pass in front of this little restaurant in the Azizia Panda off Takhassussi Street in Riyadh, it is always teeming with customers either eating on the premises or queuing up for a take-away meal.
The menu is deceptively simple. You can choose between noodles or rice and the price you pay depends on whether you order chicken (SR20), beef (SR25) or shrimp (SR27) and can you can garnishes, including shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn, green onion, green pepper, white onions, chestnut mushrooms, and mung bean sprouts. Each garnish costs an extra SR2. Finally you have to settle for a sauce. You have three options: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce or oyster sauce, which like the rice and the noodles, are included in the final price.
If you decide to order noodles, you will have to choose between three different kinds: Udon noodles, egg noodles or whole-wheat noodles. Udon are the thickest of the noodles served in Japanese cuisine. They are white and basically made by kneading wheat, flour, salt, and water. Incidentally, udon noodles can be served both hot or cold. Yummy Wok serves only hot udon noodles but it is interesting to know that in Japan chilled udon noodles are popular during the summer. Chilled udon are eaten with a special sauce, “Mentsuyu” and served with various toppings such as grated fresh ginger, nori (dried seaweed), chopped green onion, wasabi and sesame seeds to name but a few.
Instead of udon noodles, you can order egg noodles or whole-wheat noodles. Egg noodles are made with eggs and wheat or rice flour. Generally, the Chinese and Japanese egg noodles are long, wide, flat strips of dough, whereas the German variety is shorter, thicker, and much smaller.
If you do not feel like eating noodles, you can order stir-fried rice. Similar to the noodles, you have a selection of three different kinds of rice: long grain rice, Chinese rice and jasmine rice. I personally prefer to order the fragrant jasmine rice, which is in fact Thai rice with a nutty aroma and a subtle jasmine scent. Its moist and sticky texture is great for making delicious stir-fried dishes especially with the right choice of garnishes.
And speaking of garnishes, shiitake are a must! Recent studies have shown the ability of this medicinal mushroom to help protect us against cardiovascular diseases. Moreover scientists are now convinced that shiitake provides many non-polysaccharide substances that have anti-tumor effects. Shiitake also contains a unique variety of phytonutrients including a cholesterol-lowering nutrient called lentinacin.
After you have chosen the garnishes, you only need to pick a sauce, which as I mentioned earlier, is included in the final price like the rice or noodles. There are three options: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and oyster sauce.
I would definitely go for the oyster sauce, a thick, brown sauce with a salty, and earthy flavor; it goes very well with stir-fried noodles and stir-fried rice dishes as well.
Traditionally, oyster sauce is made by slowly simmering oysters in water until the juices caramelize into a thick, brown, intensely flavorful sauce. Oyster sauce has a nice balance between sweet and salt with a rich, earthy undertone, thanks to the oyster reduction or extracts. The quality of oyster sauce will greatly affect the flavor. Lower quality oyster sauces use artificial oyster flavoring while the best oyster sauces use only real oyster reductions for flavoring.
If you prefer sauces with a sweet and sour flavor, then you should order the teriyaki sauce. Teriyaki, in fact, is the Japanese culinary term for meat that has been marinated in a teriyaki sauce, and then grilled over coals. Nowadays, the word is used to describe any food marinated in or served with teriyaki sauce. Teriyaki sauce is made of three main ingredients: soya sauce, sugar and ginger.
Yummy Wok serves tasty fresh food cooked to order right in front of you.
Despite their ancient origins both noodles and rice dishes are highly suited to the fast beat of our modern way of life. Noodles are still the archetypal fast food in the Far East and in the last two decades they have worked their way not only into the American diet but also the rest of the world.
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