Noodle Talk

Name: Noodle Talk
Address: 711 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale, CA, 94087, US
Telephone: 408-685-2299

Chinese

Mapo tofu: Soft tofu in a glossy red sauce of fermented broad-bean paste (doubanjiang), chili and ground Sichuan peppercorn, traditionally with a little minced beef or pork. The name honors the pockmarked (ma) old woman (po) said to have invented it in Chengdu; a vegetarian version is common. On this menu as: Mapo Tofu.
Hot and sour soup: A thick soup sharpened with black vinegar and white pepper, with shredded tofu, wood-ear mushroom, bamboo shoot, egg ribbons and pork. The "hot" is pepper heat, not chili; the "sour" is vinegar. Sichuan in origin, universal on American menus. On this menu as: Hot and Sour Lamb Rolls Noodle Soup.
Tofu (bean curd): Pressed soybean curd, from custard-soft (for mapo tofu and soups) to firm (for stir-fries and braises). Fried tofu puffs soak up sauce; tofu skin (yuba) is the sheet lifted off simmering soy milk, rolled and braised or fried as a "vegetarian duck". On this menu as: Mapo Tofu.

Menu