There’s more to making hand-pulled noodles than you might expect.
There’s more to making hand-pulled noodles than you might expect. Last week, we began our walkthrough showing you how to prepare these delicious concoctions at home. However, we didn’t go quite far enough. Once you’ve reached the first resting period, you’ve still got some more to do. So, let’s keep going!
Shaping the Dough Up Until the Second Resting
After the first resting period is over, continue shaping the dough. A simple rolling technique can make this happen. Then wait some more. The second resting period lasts for two hours. You have to let it sit for so long because the gluten has to loosen up first. Thinner doughs produce noodle soups, pan-fried, and lo mein. The flat dough is also a good filling for noodle soups. Another idea to try is to make the noodle dish and then slather it with sauce. If you’ve decided to roll out wider dough rounds, you’ll be able to top it off with cumin lamb or da pan ji (a tasty chicken potato stew!)
Start Pulling the Noodles
Noodle-pulling calls for some finesse. Without following precise techniques, you won’t be happy with the outcome. Cut the dough to the right width depending on which recipe you want to make. Use plastic wrap to protect the cuttings; this stops them from getting too dry. Something else we forgot to mention earlier: coat the dough in oil. This will stop sticking and drying out that’ll affect the texture of what you end up with. Pull the dough into thin strips, then stretch and bounce. Folding, pulling, and bouncing are almost completely necessary – unless you’re making flat or wide noodles. It might help if you dust your dough strips with flour.
Cook, Serve, and Enjoy!
You’re almost done. Once the strips are ready to go, it’s time to cook them! For this step, you’ll need to have boiling water. Put in the strips a few at a time. Let them boil until they’re cooked all the way and have turned springy. The longer you boil them, the softer they will get. Once they’re done, grab the colander and drop them into it. Rinse with cold tap water to stop potential overcooking. Sauce them, stir fry them, toss them into soups. Do as you like, but can we suggest some experimental dishes? Besides cumin lamb and vegetable lo mein, you can also try making sesame, dan-dan, Lanzhou, and biang-biang (which is covered in hot sauce!)
Get All Your Asian Groceries at Lotte Plaza Market
Lotte Plaza Market is your go-to destination for all of your Korean and Asian grocery needs. With more than 10 Maryland and Virginia locations, this growing market is continually expanding and opening new markets to serve our customers better. Since we opened in 1976, our goal has always been to provide the best customer service and groceries to our customers. For answers to all of your questions, please email us at LottePlaza.com.