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buckwheat noodles

Buckwheat Noodles

Buckwheat noodles (soba) are noodles made of buckwheat flour and water. They are then kneaded and cut into thin slices.

thick white noodles

Thick White Noodles

Thick white noodles (udon) are made of wheat flour, water and a little salt. The mixture is then kneaded and cut into thick slices. There are four kinds udon made in Japan-cooked; frozen (cooked, and then frozen); uncooked dried; and nearly raw (uncooked, dried until nearly raw). These usually can be found in most Japanese grocery stores. The type of udon depends on the region, and each udon has special characteristics as shown in the table below.

Udon Table

Udon	Characteristics
Sanuki Udon Originated in Kagawa Pref.	Very firm noodles. Most widely used type in Japan.
Goto Udon Originated in Nagasaki Pref.	Includes camellia oil. Because these are handmade, they are more expensive and harder to find.
Himi Udon Originated in Toyama Pref.	Firm noodles. Because these are handmade, they are more expensive and harder to find.
Mizusawa Udon Originated in Gunma Pref.	Firm noodles. Width is round and a little wider than other types.
Inaniwa Udon Originated in Akita Pref.	Width is flat and narrow.
Kishimen Originated in Aichi	Width is very flat and thin.

thin white noodles

Thin White Noodles

Thin white noodles (sōmen) are made of wheat flour, water and salt. This mixture is then kneaded and stretched into thin strips with oil.

fried noodles

Fried Noodles

Fried noodles (yaki-soba) are made from processed Chinese noodles which have been boiled and steamed. Fried noodles can be easily cooked. They can be bought at Japanese food stores.

instant noodles

Instant Noodles

Instant noodles (insutanto-rāmen) were first made by Japanese. The most common in Japan is ramen. Other types include buckwheat noodles and thick white noodles. Instant noodles are very easy recipes.

cellophane noodles

Cellophane Noodles

Cellophane Noodles (harusame), are dried noodles, which are made from mung bean starch, potato starch or sweet potato starch. In Japan, potato starch is used.