Handmade noodles

aXis · 28th April 2008, 1:39 PM

Hi guys,

I was on holiday recently and was inspired by the noodles the asian chef was hand-stretching. In typical fashion I thought "that cant be too hard". My noodle stretching attempt failed miserably, but the alternative method still produced a great tasting result.

My journey was:
1) Made a fairly simple and standard noodle dough using 2 cups plain flour, 2 egg yolks, some salt and cold water. The eggs are optional but I added them for flavour.
2) Kneaded it like a daemon for an hour or so, always working it in one direction to try and ecourage the stretchy glutens
3) Got tired, so rolled it up in glad wrap and put it in the fridge for half an hour or so. This helped the consistency quite a bit.
4) Gave up on the noodle stretching and instead rolled it out very long and thin, dusted liberally with flour to stop it sticking, folded it up several times and then hand sliced it to make something resembling fettucini
5) Boiled it for 3 minutes then tossed it into my favourite stir fry recipe.

I'd have to say, I was really impressed with the flavour and texture over regular instant noodles. I'd defintely do it again (leaving out step 2), and I'm sure it would impress the ladies (my girlfriend was) for those special dinners. The same process would suit itallian just as well - a good fettucini carbonara comes to mind.

Next time I'll experiment with using a blend of normal plain flour and cornflour as I think I'll have a better chance of getting it to stretch. I'd also cut amounts in half as it made too much (about 4 serves) and stuck together too much when I tried to store it.

So has anyone tried anything similar?

diider · 30th April 2008, 1:48 PM

Great attempt ! I love these noodles (also known as la-mian in Mandarin) but never attempted to make it myself. Mum's got a wicked recipe though but I never got around to make it so I didnt bother. Might call her this weekend and then I'll post on here !!

Now Im having cravings for these noodles with mushrooms and minced pork ...... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

scon · 30th April 2008, 2:09 PM

Never have tried making them, but good idea, i'll have to try.

28th April 2008, 1:39 PM	#1
aXis Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Kalgoorlie, WA Posts: 3,314	Handmade noodles Hi guys, I was on holiday recently and was inspired by the noodles the asian chef was hand-stretching. In typical fashion I thought "that cant be too hard". My noodle stretching attempt failed miserably, but the alternative method still produced a great tasting result. My journey was: 1) Made a fairly simple and standard noodle dough using 2 cups plain flour, 2 egg yolks, some salt and cold water. The eggs are optional but I added them for flavour. 2) Kneaded it like a daemon for an hour or so, always working it in one direction to try and ecourage the stretchy glutens 3) Got tired, so rolled it up in glad wrap and put it in the fridge for half an hour or so. This helped the consistency quite a bit. 4) Gave up on the noodle stretching and instead rolled it out very long and thin, dusted liberally with flour to stop it sticking, folded it up several times and then hand sliced it to make something resembling fettucini 5) Boiled it for 3 minutes then tossed it into my favourite stir fry recipe. I'd have to say, I was really impressed with the flavour and texture over regular instant noodles. I'd defintely do it again (leaving out step 2), and I'm sure it would impress the ladies (my girlfriend was) for those special dinners. The same process would suit itallian just as well - a good fettucini carbonara comes to mind. Next time I'll experiment with using a blend of normal plain flour and cornflour as I think I'll have a better chance of getting it to stretch. I'd also cut amounts in half as it made too much (about 4 serves) and stuck together too much when I tried to store it. So has anyone tried anything similar? __________________ Former OCAU Extreme Cooling Club H2O Member Intel Core Duo E6600 Noctua NH-U12F

30th April 2008, 2:09 PM	#3
scon Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Canberra Posts: 4,540	Never have tried making them, but good idea, i'll have to try. __________________ Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. Douglas Adams, "Last Chance to See" - 1990 Food Blog: Wok the Fuck?!

30th April 2008, 1:48 PM	#2
diider Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Melbourne Posts: 23	Great attempt ! I love these noodles (also known as la-mian in Mandarin) but never attempted to make it myself. Mum's got a wicked recipe though but I never got around to make it so I didnt bother. Might call her this weekend and then I'll post on here !! Now Im having cravings for these noodles with mushrooms and minced pork ...... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh