Homemade Saimin Noodles
Learn how to make homemade saimin noodles from scratch, springy alkaline egg noodles with the chewy bite that makes Hawaii's favorite noodle soup so good.
Servings 8 bunches
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Noodle Dough
- 1 lb all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup water plus more as needed
- 4 tsp lye water or baked baking soda substitute, see notes
- cornstarch for dusting
Instructions
- Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
- In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, water, salt, and lye water.
- Pour the liquid slowly into the flour well, mixing with a chopstick as you go.
- Fold the dough together with your hands and knead for about 5 minutes. Add a little more water, a teaspoon at a time, if the dough feels crumbly.
- Pack the dough tightly into a bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let rest 30 minutes to 2 hours in a cool spot.
- Cut the dough into 4 slabs. Working with one at a time, use a rolling pin to flatten it until thin enough to pass through the machine's flat rollers.
- Dust the 4 slabs with cornstarch and pass the dough through the flat rollers 4 times, folding it in half between each pass.
- Starting at setting 1, run the dough through, then move up through each setting, 2, 3, 4, 5, all the way to 6, so it gets thinner with every pass.
- Switch to the 2mm cutter attachment and pass the dough through to cut it into noodles. Cut the strands into 10 to 12 inch lengths. Wind the noodles into fist-sized nests. Cook them right away, or wrap individually for the fridge or freezer.
- Boil the noodle bundles in rolling water for 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and rinse briefly under hot water for a clearer broth. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Store fresh noodles in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Boil straight from frozen.
- No lye water on hand? Bake 1 cup of baking soda at 250F for 1 hour to make a kansui substitute