Only a generation ago, Asian cooks made noodles at home as a matter of course. And while we tend to think cooking is arduous enough when it entails opening packages, there is something life-giving about mixing, kneading, rolling and cutting that cannot be said for standing in a checkout line.

REAL JAPANESE RAMEN

Adapted from http://www.instructables.com

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoon salt Pinch baking soda
1/4 cup water

Mix dry ingredients together. Beat egg slightly with water, and combine with flour. Knead 5 to 10 minutes.

Rest dough up to 2 hours.

Roll and cut noodles as thin as practical.

Noodles cook in about 4 minutes. Serves 3 to 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (based on 4 servings): 190 calories, 1.5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 36 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 6 g protein.

FRESH UDON NOODLES

Adapted from Harumi Kurihara, “;Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking.”;

1-3/4 cup bread flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients and add water until dough hangs together.

Knead 5 to 10 minutes, using plastic bag technique.

Let dough rest 3 to 4 hours. Roll and cut noodles 1/8 inch thick.

Cook 5 to 7 minutes. Serves 3 to 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (based on 4 servings): 300 calories, 2.5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 60 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 0 g sugar, 10 g protein.

HANDMADE SOBA

Adapted from Linda Burum, “;Asian Pasta: A Cook's Guide to the Noodles, Wrappers, and Pasta Creations of the East”; (Addison-Wesley)

1-1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup bread flour
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
2/3 to 3/4 up water

Combine flours and salt and blend well.

Add water gradually, starting at 1/2 cup and alternately clumping and breaking up dough while adding water a tablespoon at a time.

When dough will form a ball, knead 5 to 10 minutes.

Rest dough 1 to 3 hours wrapped in plastic, then roll out.

Cook 45 seconds to one minute and rinse vigorously in cold water. Serves 3 to 4.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving (based on 4 servings): 220 calories, 1.5 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 750 mg sodium, 42 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 9 g protein.

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Nutritional analyses by Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S.