My favorite noodle dishes ever

There is a Chinese custom that recommends that one eat noodles on his or her birthday to ensure a long life. You can forgo the birthday cake, but noodles are a must. Noodles are long and it is believed that eating them on your birthday will prolong your life as well. This is also why cutting the noodles is discouraged because doing so is symbolic of life being shortened.

Birthday noodles are usually served with quail eggs which symbolize wealth. And though it is a Chinese custom, Filipinos have adapted this practice during birthday celebrations as well, serving either spaghetti or pancit. And since June is a special month in our family with five celebrators, I must admit I had an overdose of noodles last month.

This got me thinking…what are my personal favorite noodle dishes?

At the top of my list are crispy noodles with seafood sauce, which I love when the sauce is poured after it’s served on the table in a Chinese restaurant. I like how the crunchy noodles, the thick sauce, and the shrimps, cuttlefish, vegetables and mushroom toppings balance each other out. I used to frequent a Chinese restaurant in the mall near my condo whose crispy noodles with seafood sauce I could finish all by myself! Unfortunately, this restaurant has closed due to the pandemic.

Second on my list of favorite noodle dishes is the olive oil pasta with vongole or shrimp scampi. Both dishes are light and easy to cook. The key ingredients are the clams and shrimps, which must be very fresh for them to be flavorful.

I also love tomato-based pastas like puttanesca and seafood marinara. “Puttanesca” is roughly translated as “whore” or “prostitute.” There is a theory that the dish was invented in one of the whorehouses in Naples. As the story goes, the courtesans who were in a rush to feed their clients must have thrown together whatever ingredients were available in the pantry, namely, anchovies, tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, onions, salt, pepper and oregano. Traditionally, spaghetti noodles are used but these can also be paired with penne or linguini. Seafood marinara, on the other hand, is still tomato-based with shrimps, mussel, squid and scallops. This dish is unequalled, especially when it comes with a piece or two of garlic bread which I can then dip into the sauce for an even more delectable meal.

For noodle soup, my favorite hands-down is the original Masuki mami paired with their siomai. This has been one of my comfort food since I was a child! My parents used to take us to the original Ma Kong Mami establishment along Benavides Street in Chinatown. And if memory serves me right, I was four years old when I learned to use chopsticks while eating Masuki mami. Luckily, they have a branch on Ortigas Avenue corner Madison Street that is near my place. You can be sure that I will have frequent servings of Masuki throughout the rainy season.

Last but not least is pho. The word “Pho” comes from the dish Pot-au-feu, a French beef stew pronounced “FUH.” This is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, basil, lemon, bean sprouts and meat. I particularly like the beef flank, which is thinly sliced beef with some fat attached to it. The broth is simmered for hours, making it flavorful and hearty. For me, a bowl of pho is best enjoyed with either fried or fresh spring rolls and a tall glass of iced lemonade.

Here’s to the hope and promise of a long life as you sip and slurp your favorite noodle dishes!