Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Noodles

Like the technique to quickly rehydrate dried mushrooms, Technique: How to Quickly Rehydrate Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (冬菇, Dung¹ Gu¹), the microwave is used to quickly rehydrate dried noodles. Usually dried noodles need to be rehydrated by using boiling water in a pot, which means the pot needs to be cleaned afterwards.

I use boiling water, a microwave safe covered container, and the microwave to speed up the process, and not have to clean a pot afterwards (the covered container gets placed into the dishwasher). Depending upon the type and thickness of the dried noodle and the strength of the microwave, the time required to rehydrate the noodles in the microwave is about 3-4 minutes after boiling the water. Using this method allows just about any dried noodle to be rehydrated using this technique. I have not tried using this method with long thick noodles, like spaghetti, since those noodles don’t fit into normal microwave safe covered containers. However dried noodles that are smaller in length, such as those found in Asian markets, this is a quick and easy method to rehydrate the noodles before making a stir fry noodle dish. These noodles usually come in 3.5 oz (100 g.) packages, so two of these packages are good for two meals (one portion to eat now, one portion to eat later).

Enjoy!

Ingredients

3.5-7 oz.	100-200 g.	Two 100 g. packages of dried noodles
		Boiling water

Equipment

		Microwave safe bowl
		Microwave oven

Instructions

1. Pour boiling water over the dried noodles in a heat proof microwave safe bowl. Fill the bowl with water to about 1-inch (2.5 cm.) below the rim to prevent overflow when microwaved.
2. Put the bowl with the dried noodles into the microwave and turn on the microwave using the high setting for about 3-4 minute. The noodles should boil in the water for about 30-60 seconds. If the sufficient space was left from the top of the bowl, the water will not boil over. When microwaved, the liquid will foam up in the bowl when boiled.
3. The amount of time to rehydrate the noodles depends upon the type and thickness of the noodles, and the strength of the microwave. The noodles should be cooked al dente, and in fact slightly undercooked since the noodles will be stir fried later, completing the cooking process.
4. Take the bowl with the noodles out of the microwave. Be careful since the bowl itself will be hot and is full of hot liquid. Discard most of the water (be careful since the water is very hot) from the container, keeping a small amount in the bowl. You’ll find that the noodles are easier to handle and stir fry if still slightly wet.