Beyond udon and soba: 8 underappreciated noodle dishes around Asia
We love a good headline act. Whether it’s the fatty sheen of a porky tonkotsu ramen or the herby steam rising off a perfect bowl of pho, Asia’s best-known noodle dishes have rightfully earned global followings. But these are just the start—there are plenty more noodle dishes out there to explore.
Beyond the fame of udon and soba lies an entire world of noodles that rarely make it out of their home regions. These noodle choices are quieter, more local, often eaten for breakfast and almost always missing from mainstream menus abroad. Some are ceremonial. Some are made for tropical climates. Others exist in a specific time slot (read: gone by noon) or require ingredients that don’t travel well. But every one of them deserves a seat at the table.
From Japan’s ice-cold somen to Indonesia’s comforting mi soto, these are the bowls that will have you slurping with feeling. You may not have heard of them. But after this, you’ll be hungry for all of them.
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Somen (Japan)
Could this be the forgotten summer sibling of udon, soba and ramen? Thin, white and cool to the touch, somen is Japan’s minimalist answer to summer heat. These wheat-based noodles are stretched ultra-thin (think vermicelli, but silkier), boiled briefly, then shocked in ice water. Served with a delicate soy-based dipping sauce (tsuyu) and often garnished with grated ginger, scallions and shiso, somen is less about umami overload and more about clean, subtle refreshment.
If ramen is winter, somen is a breeze-through-the-bamboo-forest August afternoon. The dish dates back over a thousand years, with roots in Chinese-style stretched noodles that arrived in Japan via Buddhist monks. Today, it’s often eaten during Tanabata, a summer star festival. However, you might also find it in summer bento boxes, roadside eateries and even floating down bamboo flumes in the Instagrammable nagashi somen tradition.
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Khanom jeen (Thailand)
These underrated rice noodles casually carry Thailand’s boldest curries. These fermented rice noodles are soft, slightly tangy and often overshadowed by the spicy, coconut-laced sauces they’re served with—like nam ya (fish curry) or green curry with chicken. While pad thai plays to the crowd, khanom jeen is what Thais eat at home, for breakfast or lunch, often with pickled vegetables and boiled eggs.
Historically, khanom jeen originated from the Mon people, and over time, it spread across regions and religions. You can enjoy it with everything from southern Muslim-style beef curry to northern-style chicken stews. It’s a dish with no singular form but many identities.
Idiyappam (India and Sri Lanka)
In South India and Sri Lanka, idiyappam (or string hoppers) is proof that delicate noodles don’t need broth or stir-fry. Made by patiently pressing rice flour dough through a noodle mould and steaming it into tangled mats, idiyappam is soft, springy and quietly versatile. It’s eaten with coconut milk, spicy vegetable stews or curry, usually enjoyed for breakfast.
Compared to the cult of biryani or the ubiquity of dosa, idiyappam is under the radar. But it’s been around since at least the 1st century AD, and its method—press, steam, serve—is a masterclass in subtlety. Think of it as rice noodles, redefined by restraint.
Jajamen (Japan)
If you’ve never heard of jajamen, you’re not alone. It’s a local speciality from Morioka, a city in northern Japan famous for having not one, but three signature noodle dishes (wanko soba, reimen and jajamen). Jajamen is a thick, chewy wheat noodle topped with a miso-meat sauce, cucumber and scallions. It resembles soba, while the dish itself looks like a cousin to Chinese zhajiangmian or Korean jajangmyeon. The saltiness is light, but the depth is definitely savoury.
The best part? At the end of your meal, you crack a raw egg into the leftover sauce and pour in hot noodle water (chi-tan tan) to make a quick soup. It’s both noodle dish and post-noodle ritual for noodle lovers who love an encore.
Mee sua (Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia)
Often served during birthdays and Lunar New Year celebrations, mee sua is a long, ultra-fine wheat noodle that symbolises longevity. (Looks-wise, they resemble angel-hair udon.) It’s soft and delicate, prone to falling apart once overcooked. The taste is heightened by a thickened soy broth with oysters or shredded chicken. In Taiwan, oyster mee sua is a street food staple, made unforgettable by garlicky vinegar, cilantro and chewy pig intestine (if you’re lucky).
Compared to beef noodle soup, Taiwan’s international darling, mee sua is a quieter comfort—more grandmother’s kitchen than night-market headline. But don’t mistake its softness for simplicity. The timing, texture and balance of flavours require a practised hand.
Bun rieu (Vietnam)
Bun rieu is often described as “Vietnamese crab noodle soup”, but that doesn’t really do it justice. Its tangy, tomato-rich broth is made with freshwater crab paste and fermented shrimp, giving it a punchy umami hit that pho wouldn’t dare. Piled with vermicelli, tofu, pork and herbs, it’s the kind of soup that wakes up your palate and clears your sinuses. Like pho, this one is more of a breakfast staple.
Despite its cult following in Hanoi and Saigon, bun rieu rarely makes it to the international stage, overshadowed by pho’s cinnamon-laced refinement. But if you’re looking for something a little louder, a little funkier, this is it.
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Pancit luglug (Philippines)
Pancit luglug is the louder, richer cousin of pancit bihon. It uses thick, chewy rice noodles bathed in bright orange shrimp gravy (thickened with annatto and cornstarch), topped with crushed chicharon, hard-boiled eggs and sometimes grilled squid or shredded chicken. It’s a must-have at birthdays and baptisms, but rarely gets exported—possibly because you need a serious umami tolerance and access to really good tinapa (smoked fish) to get it right.
Mi soto (Indonesia)
Mi soto is Indonesia’s spin on chicken noodle soup—bright yellow from turmeric, fragrant with lemongrass and lime leaf and layered with shredded chicken, thin egg noodles, bean sprouts and fried shallots. It’s comfort food with a kick, and there are dozens of regional variants (soto Lamongan, soto Banjar, soto Medan) depending on where you slurp.
In a world obsessed with spicy rendang and peanut-heavy gado-gado, mi soto keeps it light and citrusy, proving that clear broths can be every bit as satisfying as stews.
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