How to Hand-Pull Noodles [拉面]

Growing up, this was my Play-Doh. Take a playful attitude to trying this out - it might take a few tries to get the hang of it.

Serves 4 | Prep time is 1.5 hours | Total time is 3-4 hours

Ingredients

Flour, 600g

Water, 250-300g, depending on the brand of flour

Salt, 1 tsp.

Plant-based oil

Special tools

Rolling Pin

Dough Cutter (optional)

Brush (optional)

Steps:

1. Combine flour, water, and salt together using a whisk. Shape into a round dough.

2. Dust a large bowl with flour, put the dough into the whisk. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.

3. Cut the dough into (fairly) even pieces. Using a brush or with your hands, cover the surface of each piece with a layer of oil.

4. Let sit for another hour.

Step 5-9 is shown in the video below (no audio).

5. Take each piece, dust the rolling pin with flour, and roll out the piece to a semi-flat rectangle. No need to go overboard. 

6. Use the dough cutter to cut the noodles into thin strips.

7. Take a strip of dough and hold each end with one hand. Then, begin lightly flicking your wrist forward, like an inward jump rope hand motion. As you spin it, the noodle should become thinner and stretch out longer. If the noodle keeps breaking, try doing the motion more gently, or the dough contains too much water (When I got a new brand of flour, it took a few tries for me to get this right). 

8. To get an even thinner and longer noodle, fold the noodle in half, and hold each hand with one hand. Repeat the motion in step 7. 

9. Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook the noodles for 1-2 minutes. Serve with protein and veggies.