Storage and Cooking Instructions

Appears in
At Home with Japanese Cooking
At Home with Japanese Cooking

By Elizabeth Andoh

Published 1986

  • About
Japanese noodle products are packaged and marketed in a number of forms, and unfortunately the labeling and cooking instructions in English on the package are not always clear. Since storage and cooking times are determined by whether the noodles are fresh, dried or instant rather than by type (buckwheat, egg, etc.), let’s look at different kinds of Japanese noodles you’re apt to encounter.

First there is nama, which means “raw” or “uncooked, ” and also “fresh.” These noodles are dusted in flour and haven’t been treated by heat. They are highly perishable and should be eaten within 2–3 days of purchase. (Occasionally nama noodles have been frozen for transport but are sold defrosted; never refreeze them.) You will find them packaged in mounds or bundles of about 6 ounces (each intended as a single portion) in the refrigerator or freezer section of large Oriental groceries. (I’ve included one recipe for making your own fresh thick white noodles.)