Pastas, Noodles and Dumplings

Ants climbing trees (má yǐ shàng shù) is a Szechuan dish that gets its name from the resemblance of the small pieces of pork to ants on noodle "branches." Because it is easy and cheap to make, ants climbing trees is a traditional favorite of Chinese college students.

Bun thit nuong is a simple and favorite meal in Vietnam consisting of cold rice vermicelli mixed with fresh vegetables and topped with hot barbecued pork. Served with nuoc cham sauce, it is a good summer dish--light, lowfat, healthy and cool.

Char kway teow, which means "fried flat noodles," is a popular and cheap dish found in Malaysia and Singapore. Hearty and filling, it started out as a poor laborer's meal. Over time its popularity has spread. Char kway teow was originally stir-fried in lard and it got a reputation as unhealthy. But using vegetable oil makes a much healthier dish with much of the flavor. Other spellings: chow kueh teow, char koay teow, char kuay teow.

Couscous is a commonly served starch in the region of Northwest Africa known as the Maghreb. In typical Maghreb cooking, couscous is cooks in the top part of a pot known as a couscousière. The bottom part holds a stew, or tagine, whose simmering steams and flavors the couscous. The method described here is the quick way to make couscous. It does not make as fluffy or fragrant a dish, but it is much easier and requires no special equipment.

Csipetke (chip-ET-keh) are one of the many varieties of simple noodles or dumplings found in Hungarian cooking. They are often dropped directly to simmering soups and stews to cook and are a common addition to bográcsgulyás.

Jap chae (chop chae, japchae, jabchae), is Korean for "mixed vegetables" and is a common Korean side dish. The sweet potato starch noodles are traditional, but cellophane noodles are easier to find and have much the same texture.

Kushari is a simple yet healthful dish of pasta, rice and lentils widely sold in small Egyptian restaurants and roadside stands. With its full complement of protein, a spicy topping of tomato sauce and crispy fried onions, kushari is often considered the Egyptian national dish. It was originally a poor man's dish, but nowadays kushari is enjoyed by all strata of society. Variously spelled koshari, kosheri, koushari or koshary.

Longevity, or long-life, noodles are a popular Chinese dish for birthdays and Chinese New Year. As their name indicates, they symbolize living to a ripe old age. There are innumerable variations on the basic noodle dish; this one serves a simple broth over the yi mein egg noodles. It is very important not to cut or break the noodles while cooking or serving them. To do so would be very bad luck indeed.

Macaroni and cheese is an old American favorite dating back almost to the time of the American Revolution. Always a Southern favorite, its popularity really took off after Kraft® introduced a boxed version in the 1930s. Kraft's version became so popular that some people now prefer their packaged to the homemade. We still think homemade is best.

Thai for "fried noodles," mee krob is a popular dish in Thailand that takes crispy fried rice noodles and tosses them with a tasty sweet-sour sauce. Most of this dish's components can be prepared ahead and the noodles tossed with the sauce at the last minute. The noodles will get soggy if you stir them into the sauce too soon before they are served.

This simple recipe comes together quickly and is a great first course for any Italian meal or can serve as a light dinner on its own. Orecchiette, an ear-shaped pasta, is perfect for this dish, but you can substitute other shaped pasta like penne, fusilli or farfalle.

While pad thai is often considered the quintessential Thai dish, it has only been around for the last 50-75 years. Pad thai dish is Thai fast food, found in noodle shops or made on the street at innumerable pad thai carts. Sometimes spelled phad thai, phat thai or paad thai.

Puttana is the Italian word for "whore," and legend has it that this dish was used by Neapolitan ladies of the night to entice potential clients to sample their other offerings. It's a simple, straightforward dish with bold Mediterannean flavors. The sauce should cook only a minimal amount of time so that each ingredient maintains its identity and the olives don't discolor it. And be careful with how much salt you add. The anchovies, capers and olives are all salty ingredients.

Ragù bolognese is a good Sunday dinner dish. Its long simmering is perfect for a lazy day. Serve this rich meat sauce over tagliatelle, rigatoni or penne or as a lasagne filling. One thing the residents of Bologna never do is serve bolognese sauce over spaghetti.

Spaghetti and meatballs has been a favorite of the Italian-American community since immigrants from southern Italy first arrived on U.S. shores early in the 20th century. Although the dish is no longer made in Puglia and Sicily, its popularity continues in the United States and has spread to the population at large.

Udon noodle soup is a long-standing Japanese favorite, imported originally from China. Udon shops are found all over the country, and each one has its own specialty. The flavor of the broth and choice of garnishes vary widely from region to region.

Tuna noodle casserole was in deep vogue during the 1970s in the United States when casseroles in general were all the rage. Tuna casserole was particularly popular since it could be quickly and easily thrown together with canned and dried goods that most people had in their cupboards. This version eliminates the canned soup and substitutes a homemade sauce. The tuna, though, still requires a can opener.

Zhajiang mian is a popular, rib-sticking noodle dish from Northern China. It has been compared to the Italian spaghetti bolognese. Brown bean sauce is found in jars at most Asian markets. Names of other sauces often used in this dish include yellow bean paste, broad bean sauce, sweet noodle sauce and hot bean paste. There is no hard and fast rule. Use whatever sauce you like and can find.

Gnocchi alla Romana are gnocchi, Roman-style. Unlike the more familiar potato gnocchi, these are made out of semolina and are baked with a cheese topping. Owing to its large Italian community, this dish is also found in Argentina.

Gundi, a wholesome and comforting dish of dumplings made of ground chicken and chickpea flour, originated with the Jewish population of Iran. The recent emigration of Iranian Jews people to Israel has made gundi (sometimes called gondi) more and more familiar to Israelis.

Kartoffelknödel figure in the cuisine of most of the regions of Germany, and are a typical side dish with roasted and braised meats. This particular dumpling recipe, using both cooked and raw potatoes, comes from Bavaria. Potato dumplings are also popular in the Czech Republic, where they are known as bramborové knedlíky.

Maultaschen are a Swabian specialty from southwestern Germany. The word means "mouth pockets," and they are akin to Italian ravioli, Chinese wontons and Jewish kreplach.

Pierogi is the Polish name for this popular East European stuffed dumpling. But they are known as vareniki to Russians. Jews of Eastern European origin call them pirogen, or piroshke. Pierogi come in both savory and sweet versions. Potato and cottage cheese fillings are the most common, but mushroom, meat, cabbage and fruit-filled versions are popular in different areas and countries.

These dumplings, also known as Semmelklöße, come from Bavaria. "Semmeln" is the German word for dinner rolls. Serve these dumplings as a side with roasts or pork chops and a sauce. Known as zsemlegombóc in Hungary and houskové knedlíky in the Czech Republic.

Spätzle (SHPEHT-sluh, SHPEHT-sel, or SHPEHT-slee) is a simple egg dumpling popular in southwestern Germany and parts of Switzerland and Austria. It is served as a side dish, often with roast pork, sausages, schnitzel or goulash. It is sometimes spelled Spaetzle. Other names are Spatzen, Spätzli and Knöpfle.