Egg noodles don’t always actually contain eggs. Sometimes they do, but what really turns them that shocking yellow and gives them their characteristic taste and slippery, chewy texture is a magic ingredient called kan sui. Most recipes call for this highly alkaline lye water, but you can mimic the results by using baked bicarbonate of soda. Baking turns it from sodium bicarbonate to sodium carbonate, which is a stronger alkaline. I started making my own egg noodles when I realized commercially produced fresh egg noodles often contained nasty preservatives and colourings. It also helped that I was gifted a pasta machine for my twenty-first birthday. Making your own noodles is immensely satisfying and actually not too difficult. The noodles aren’t as yellow as your usual lye-added (or, more likely, artificially coloured) noodles, so you may want to enrich your dough with an egg yolk or ‘cheat’ by cooking them in water with a shake of turmeric.
- bicarbonate of soda (I bake a whole small tin, since you can do more at a time and store it)
- To make the baked soda, spread bicarbonate of soda out evenly on a lined baking tray and bake at about 120°C/gas ¼ for 1 hour. It will lose about a third of its weight in water and carbon dioxide. Keep in a tightly sealed jar to prevent it from absorbing moisture in the air. Be careful not to touch it; it’s not as strongly alkaline as lye, but it’s still strong enough to irritate!
- Dissolve 2 teaspoons of the baked soda in the warm water, then add this alkaline water to the flour slowly, mixing it in just until it comes together to form a shaggy dough. I don’t like to add it all in one go just in case I need less or more, so play it by ear, but do note that this dough is kind of rough and crumbly. You will see the flour turn yellow almost instantly. Magic!
- Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then wrap in clingfilm and set aside for 20 minutes. Work those biceps again for another 5 minutes, or until you get a nice pliable dough. Wrap it up again and give it a final rest in the fridge for anything from 1 hour to overnight.
- Cut the dough into two portions. Roll out each portion using a pasta machine, starting from the thickest setting until the dough reaches your desired thickness. You can also do it by hand using a rolling pin if you’re brave, until it’s about 2–3mm thick. Keep it well dusted with cornflour or rice flour to avoid sticking. For flat egg noodles, I did it until the thinnest setting, and then sliced the dough into 5mm wide ribbons. For thin egg noodles, I used the small strand spaghetti cutter. For thick round noodles, I only did it until the third setting, and then I used the larger strand spaghetti cutter.
- To cook, simply drop these noodles into boiling water; they are cooked once they float to the top. The timing will depend on the type of noodle, but note that as these are fresh noodles, they only take a short while. Generally, flat and thin egg noodles will only take seconds, while thick noodles should be boiled for longer.