On 3 Jan 2007 09:28:44 -0800, "ke8yy"
wrote:


Kenneth wrote:
Howdy,

I have been trying to get an authentic recipe for lai mein
(hand pulled) noodles.
...

Might you know of a lai mein noodle dough recipe that
actually works?

Part if the secret is lye water, which is needed to get the proper
elasticity, and the other part is technique, which only comes with a
lot of practice. I make no claim as to the latter!

Here's a recipe from a favorite food blog I visit often:

http://lilyng2000.blogspot.com/2005/...kkien-mee.html

They're cut, rather than pulled, but I think the recipe will work.

mike

http://smsfr.blogspot.com

Hi Mike (and others),

I am making some progress on the pulled noodles, but it is
not at all in the direction that I expected...

Before I detail my experiences, I would ask if you have
tried the cut noodle recipe as a dough for pulled noodles.

I ask because it would appear from my experiments (and from
my reading) that the addition of "lye water" (actually a
solution of potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate) to
the wheat dough has the opposite of the intended effect.

Rather than "relaxing" the gluten to allow for the stretch,
it radically "tightens" the gluten all but preventing any
stretch.

It is the lye water that gives the cooked (cut) noodles a
"rubbery" or "bouncy" texture. In fact, after allowing the
dough to rest, it behaves almost like latex. If I pinch a
piece and pull, the remainder forms a "film" that is
incredibly thin. When I first saw that, I thought that I was
headed for success, but with any attempt to stretch further,
the dough tears, and each end "snaps" back toward its
original shape.

I tried the addition of lye water in four proportions. I
also used it with three wheat flours of different protein
levels. The results were always the same.

So, I continue my quest, and would certainly welcome any
further suggestions.

Sincere thanks as before,
--
Kenneth

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