We’re not talking about sauce at all here, this method is all about the noodle. Whether they’re flat and wide for belt noodles with cumin lamb or thick and long to toss through a stir-fry. It doesn’t matter what you top them with, this method will leave you with a fresh noodle that’s medium-firm but with a pleasant chew.
Fresh noodles are like fresh pasta or bread, once you’ve had a taste, it’s hard to lower your measure of deliciousness to anything less. Making them can be a laborious process and can include additions like lye or egg, or mean kneading and resting for hours.
A lot of noodle eating and little experimentation brought this recipe to life. Add a little starch (tapioca, potato or glutinous rice flour work) and you’ll be rewarded with that pleasant chew.
It’s worth noting that you shouldn’t add too much to the mix of wheat flour (this isn’t a gluten-free alternative sorry) as it will make the dough difficult to work with. About 1/3 works best, any more and your dough will become too delicate to work with and the noodles will be too chewy.
How to make toothsome noodles at home
I used tapioca starch but potato starch, or glutenous rice flour also work great. Source: Camellia Aebischer
Take 1 cup plain flour and ½ cup tapioca starch and mix them in a bowl to combine. Add 1/2 tsp salt and enough water to form a smooth dough - around ¾ cup. This will make enough for two serves, so adjust as necessary.
Knead briefly then rest for 5-10 minutes to relax. Roll out to around 2mm and slice into desired thickness. For belt, noodles roll closer to 1mm and slice nice and wide.
Boil in salted water for 1-2 minutes til just cooked through then shock quickly under cold tap water to stop them from overcooking and from sticking.
From here, enjoy your blank noodle canvas. Serve with desired toppings or add to your favourite stir-fry.
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In a soup, covered in sauce or wok-tossed. What will it be? Source: Camellia Aebischer
