When you were a kiddo how many times did you wander where were pastas from? Usually they go together in the same group of highly appreciated kid dishes together with potatoes and rice. So potatoes grow in the ground, rice under water, and pastas? Well... I didn't have a very clear idea about it till I visited some of the world most amazing pasta houses in Italy 10 years ago. Pastas don't grow on trees. Surprise! They're "just" dough... D'Oh!
Dough? You mean like bread, pizza, and... dumplings? Oh, I see... So Pastas never come on Earth as a food gift from God, you don't seed them? Good I haven't tried to hard growing penne in my backyard.
So Pastas come from dough, and it is funny to think about how many people eat Pastas (billions) and how few knows the secret of their making.
The same way I visited factories and traditional handmade manufactures in Italy last Century, and with the same curiosity, I was granted access to one of the best Chinese restaurant in Shanghai, "SOAHC", in Xin Tian Di, for a private lesson of noodle making. And yes, it all started with dough.
I should thank my dear friend and owner of several restaurants in Shanghai, Ping Ping CHAO-NUGERON thanks to whom I discovered the behind-the-scene and met some of her amazing Chefs. I had really no idea what it takes to sculpt these noodles, a perfect dough, the perfect hands, the perfect move, the throwing in the air, result of years of practice. Well, after all, there is something divine about Pastas.
Soahc
South Block Xintiandi
House 3, Ln. 123 Xingye Lu (Madang Lu)
Shanghai, China 200021
6385-7777
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