Receta Handmade Vegan Ramen Noodles
This feels almost weird; blogging. Weird but super awesome. It has been heavy on my mind since my last post. Like, three years ago.
I haven't forgotten about my beloved La Pure Mama blog, however sometimes things happen. Things like pregnancies that make you never want to cook again. And a toddler. Not just any toddler. But a 2 1/2 year old toddler who has taken up a vigilant campaign of letting everyone around her know that she is 2 1/2. Yeah.
But here I am! I'm back! Now, I can't guarantee I'll be posting as neurotically regularly as I did before, but I can guarantee that I will make a concerted effort to take photos and post, and... what I do post will be wicked awesome. So... thanks for keeping me in your little bloggy roll thing; even if you didn't necessarily know I was gone, ha!
So... for my first recipe of the year 2015, I'll be posting about noodles. I'll be posting about noodles because the almost-9-year-old's nickname is Noodle. No that's not why I'm posting, but that really is his nickname.
He was home sick yesterday and wanted 'noodle soup', so I thought, what better time to tackle handmade ramen noodles than when I'm home with one sick kid, and one VERY 2 1/2 year old. Perfect distraction.
I can't take credit for this recipe; I followed the great tutorial on NoRecipes. It was super easy; especially with the pasta attachment on my KitchenAid. Sadly for me, they were really really good! I am a self-proclaimed 'carb-hoe' and don't need any temptation lurking around the house. These noodles are that.
So here you go, and look for more from me! Also, pass me on! I do good things most of the time, and when I don't, I post about it anyway and it's funny :)
Hand Made Ramen Noodles
adapted from NoRecipes
Makes enough for about 4 bowls of noodle soup
Need:
- 2 cups unbleached bread flour
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (you can also use kansui, I just didn't have any)
Do:
Combine flour and baking soda in your KitchenAid bowl.
Note: kansui is a sodium bicarbonate that is 'technically' used to make these noodles. It gives them a great texture and also turns them that telltale yellow color that good ramen has. I didn't have any kansui hanging around my kitchen, and I had heard at one point in life that you can substitute it with baking soda. I also heard technically you have to 'bake' the baking soda to change it's chemical profile but I wasn't into going that deep, so I just put it in. Guess what? It worked great :)
Add water and mix on medium/high for about 8-10 minutes. The dough is dry and will be crumbly at first, go with it. It's ok. It will come together.
After about 8-10 minutes, turn dough out and form into a ball, then cut that ball in half.
Affix the 'sheet' pasta roller attachment onto your KitchenAid and insert first ball into it while it's on the widest setting. Keep running the dough through, folding it over itself each time. Once you have a firm sheet, fold into itself, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use, or for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Repeat with other dough ball.
Little hands can "help" ?? :)
Note: you can roll this dough out by hand if you don't have a pasta roller or KitchenAid. Simply use a rolling pin (french is my favorite). It will take more elbow grease, but you can do it.
While your dough is chilling, you can prepare your soup (if that's what you're using it for). I kept it simple: miso broth, diced carrots and zucchini, Gardein vegan meatballs halved, and fresh green onions on top.
When you're ready to make your noodles:
Get a large pot of salted water boiling on the stove.
Unfold your first dough sheet and run it through the 'sheet' pasta attachment on the next thinnest setting from the largest. Just roll it through once.
Change your attachment to the 'spaghetti' attachment. cut your dough in half lengthwise and run your dough through, creating fun spaghetti ramen noodles.
As your noodles come out, toss them in just a bit of flour so they don't stick, and set them aside. Repeat for all dough.
Once you have all your noodles run through, you can cook them. Toss them into your pot of boiling water and cook for just a couple of minutes. The noodles will float to the top when they're ready. Strain, rinse with water so the cooking process stops, and add to your soup.
Note: if you are going to use your ramen noodles for stir-fry, or other pasta with sauce, don't rinse them with water, just strain.