COMFORT FOOD
Chef Angus An of Fat Mao Noodles shares his secrets.
It’s January. The weather’s chilly, the holiday bills are due, Mercury is in retrograde again, and all we want is something to comfort us. In fact, what we’re craving is noodles, especially Asian noodles, tender-toothsome and swimming in fragrant, spicy, umami-rich broth.
“If I have a bowl of noodles, it just makes me happy,” says chef Angus An. “A bowl of noodles and broth is just comfort food. At the end of the day, it’s what my body craves.”
An is the chef-owner of the popular Thai restaurants Maenam and Longtail Kitchen, as well as Fat Mao Noodles, which opened in Chinatown last August. He decided to open a noodle bar because he felt Vancouver had a shortage of the kinds of eateries he fell in love with in Taiwan and Thailand: cheap fast-food joints that specialize in one or two dishes, but make them exceptionally well.
“There’s not a lot of gourmet fast food out there,” he says. “In Asia, noodles are fast food. It’s that convenience factor. This is supposed to be an everyday kind of thing.”
Besides, he says, “We all love noodles.” Yes. Yes, we do. Noodles have a long and glorious history in Asia. They likely originated in China about 4,000 years ago, and from there travelled all over the continent. As each regional culture discovered the noodle, it changed from short to long, thin to wide, boiled to fried, wheat-based to ricebased, and back again. In Szechuan it was cooked with chilies and pork; in Japan with pork broth and eggs; in Thailand with tamarind and shrimp; in Malaysia with curry and coconut milk.
(Some historians believe that western noodles, too, originated in China. For a while it was thought that the explorer Marco Polo brought pasta back to Italy from his adventures in China in the 13th century, though that story has largely been debunked. It is, however, possible that noodles travelled along the Silk Road into Arabia, where they were enjoyed as far back as the 5th century, and from there to Greece and Rome.)
Vancouver has no shortage of terrific places to enjoy noodles; the City of Richmond even more so. In the West End, lineups snake out the door of ramen shops. On Kingsway, the air is fragrant with Vietnamese pho. And on Richmond’s Alexandra Road — also known as Food Street — hungry diners can choose noodles from any number of Asian cultures.
At Fat Mao, An is serving up a pan-Asian approach to noodles, although most of the dishes originate in China. The most popular are the duck noodle soup and the spicy, peanutty dandan noodle, though his own favourite is the Taiwanese beef noodle, with its fat, wide noodles, braised beef and rich broth.
An was born in Taiwan, though his grandparents came from northeastern China and he’s spent a great deal of time in Thailand. When it comes to his love of noodles, “It’s a bit of nostalgia, I think,” he says. “I grew up with a lot of dumplings, noodles and handmade noodles.”
In Vancouver, we tend to think of Asian noodles as something to go out and eat, but there’s no reason not to make them at home.
True, it can be a bit intimidating, looking at all those brightly coloured packets of noodles in Asian supermarkets, trying to decide which to choose. And the ingredient list for many Asian dishes can be overwhelmingly long for something that is, ultimately, so simple.
But An insists noodles are pretty easy — as long as you plan a little bit ahead.
“In general, home cooks need to organize themselves better. They need to know what to preprepare,” he says. “Which day do I need to go shopping? Which day do I need to make the curry paste?”
If I have a bowl of noodles, it just makes me happy. A bowl of noodles and bro this just comfort food. At the end of the day, it’ s what my body craves.
ANGUS AN
For instance, with the recipes he supplied for us, he points out that the Roasted Chili Sauce can be made weeks in advance. So can the curry paste for the soup, if you freeze it. If you don’t, it can still be made a few days ahead. (Note that Thai and Malaysian curries require curry paste, not powder.)
Then all you need to do when you’re ready to make dinner is fry the curry paste, braise the chicken legs and your meal is ready in an hour or so.
There is one thing to keep in mind, though.
“A lot of people say the noodle texture is more important than the broth,” he says. “I think they are wrong. Broth and noodles are equally important. Don’t overlook the importance of the broth, or the sauce.”
As for choosing the right or wrong noodle, An says not to worry about it too much. Your recipe may call for a wide rice stick noodle, but if you prefer a skinny vermicelli noodle, there’s nothing wrong with that.
“I don’t think the authenticity police are going to be showing up at your door,” he says with a laugh. “Noodles are such a personal thing. I think it’s OK if you want to switch it up every once in a while. It’s totally fine.”
After all, he says, “Noodles are so simple.”