Easy and Simple Saucy Homemade Noodles Bowl

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If you love noodles, then you need to try this saucy homemade noodles bowl – Q弹手工捞面. The noodle is flavorful and has a wonderful smooth texture that you’ll want to slurp up the bowl.

Making noodles at home is actually quite easy and you only need two main ingredients: flour and water. From my experience, both all-purpose and bread flour works really well and my recipe today is using the latter.

I chose bread flour in this recipe for its higher protein content which produces a lot of gluten. For these reasons, you’ll get a chewier noodle and can be rolled out quite thinly.

5 easy steps to make homemade noodles

1. Mix flour, water, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Knead until a smooth top forms
3. REST for at least 30 mins or longer
4. Roll out the dough and cut into the desired width
5. Cook noodles in boiling water, drain, and serve

Noodle Cooking Tips

• Weigh the flour needed using a scale. Please see notes if using measuring cups for flour
• Start with 80g (1/3 cup) of water. Slowly add the remaining water and stop when there are no more dry spots of flour in the bowl.
• Do not add too much flour in between kneading, unless the dough is too wet. The rule of thumb is to add flour if the dough is still sticky after 10 minutes of kneading.
• On the other hand, if the dough is too hard to knead, let it rest for at least 15 minutes, then try again. You can also wet your palm to slowly incorporate water into the dough.

Key ingredients to a good noodle sauce

This sauce recipe is similar to what my mom likes to use for her dry noodles which include these ingredients:

• Mushrooms stir-fry sauce is made from a blend of mushrooms, soy sauce, and garlic. My Vegan Stir Fry sauce is a great homemade version to create that umami flavor if you can’t find a store-bought version.
• Dark soy sauce is a thick, rich, and less salty soy sauce. Not only does it add color to a dish, but it also gives a touch of sweetness to this recipe.
• Toasted sesame oil is one of my favorite oils to use in a lot of dishes. It has an amazing nutty flavor and a low smoke point so it’s best to add as a finishing touch like in this recipe. Fried shallot oil or chili oil such as Easy 5-ingredient Homemade Chili Oil is also a great addition or substitution.
• White pepper has a complex peppery taste and they smell so good. A little goes a long way so I love to spice up the sauce with a few dashes of it.
• Vegetable broth is optional but highly recommended especially when you love more sauce in your noodles. That said, use your favorite vegetable broth brand or homemade stock.

Common questions and answers

1. Can I store the unused dough? Yes, of course. Once you divide the dough into 4 portions, wrap the unused dough and refrigerate. Thaw to room temperature before use.

2. Why is the sauce too watery for my noodles? In this recipe, I added vegetable broth along with other ingredients to create a flavorful sauce. To avoid sauce being too thin:

• Drain the noodles well so there is no excess water added to the sauce
• Cook down the vegetable broth before mixing it up with other sauce ingredients.

3. What can I substitute for tofu and mushrooms? Soy mince or seitan crumbles are great to get the ‘meaty’ texture. To replace the umami flavors of mushrooms, you can add sauteéd fresh tomatoes for the sauce.

4. Is there a gluten-free option? Yes, I tested one serving noodle with a gluten-free flour blend and it worked great. I must say, the noodles are not as chewy and more on the softer side. So, cook the gluten-free noodles properly or they will break easily.

5. How do I make the tofu look crumbly as pictured? Firm tofu is the key to create that crumbly look. First, press the tofu or drain out as much liquid out as possible. Then, in a non-stick pan, mash the tofu into crumbles. Cook tofu over low to medium heat by stirring continuously. Once the tofu turns slightly brown and dry, add a drizzle of oil (adjust oil depending on tofu volume) and continue to cook until golden brown and dry.

This saucy homemade noodles bowl is

• Easy to make
• Scrumptious with a spicy kick
• Customizable
• Dairy-free
• Perfect for weeknight dinner

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your feedback and see your beautiful re-creation. Leave me a comment, rate it, and tag @woon.heng and #woonheng to your photos on Instagram or Facebook. Happy cooking, friends!

Saucy homemade noodles bowl – ‘Q弹手工捞面’

woonheng

Homemade noodles with only 2 simple ingredients; flour and water. This easy recipe is delicious and has a flavorful spicy sauce which makes it a perfect combo for your busy weeknight meals.

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Dough resting Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Chinese

Servings 3

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Noodle

• 300g [2½ cups] bread flour *see notes when measuring wth cups
• 80g + 3 tablespoons [1/3 cup + 3 tablespoons] water adjust based on flour's brand (see instruction)
• a dash of salt

Toppings

• ¼ cup [25g] mushrooms diced
• 4 oz [120g] firm tofu pressed and mashed
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• blanched veggies spinach or bok choy
• oil for cooking soy sauce/tamari, water to cook noodles

Sauce

• ½ cup [236ml] vegetable broth or stock
• 2 tablespoons [30g] soy sauce
• 1 ½ tablespoons vegan 'oyster' sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili oil with sediment or toasted sesame oil
• ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
• a few dashes of white pepper

Instructions

 

Noodle

• Mix the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
• Then, add water (start with 80g or ⅓ cup) slowly and mix flour with a spatula or hand until you get a lumpy well-mixed or shaggy dough (if there are dry spots of flour in the bowl, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time).
• Transfer the dough onto a cleaned surface and knead until a slightly smooth top form, about 8-10 minutes.
• The dough is not too soft but not too hard for you to handle either. Cover with a damp towel and rest for at least 30 minutes.
• When ready, divide the dough into 4 pieces for ease of handling.
• Dust the surface with flour and roll out the dough (cover the rest) into a thin layer about 1-2mm thick. Cut into your desired width.
• Rub noodles with flour to prevent it from sticking together and continue until you are done with the rest of the dough.

Toppings

• Pan-fry mashed tofu in a heated non-stick pan until golden brown. Tofu should be quite dry and crumbly.
• Push the tofu aside, add a little more oil (if needed), then place in the mushrooms, shallots, and ginger.
• Continue to cook until shallots turn translucent and mushrooms start to release its aroma.
• Add in the garlic and season to taste (I used vegan 'oyster' sauce and soy sauce)
• Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Sauce

• Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients in a bowl (except vegetable broth) until all incorporated.
• Place vegetable broth in a pan and turn on the heat. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil and cook for 10-20 secs.
• Mix the broth with the sauce and mix it until well combined.

How to cook noodles and serve

• Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, then blanch veggies of choice for about 30 seconds (adjust time depending on veggies used).
• Using the same pot, cook noodles for about 3 minutes. Then rinse the noodles in cold water for about 10 seconds.
• Return the noodles to the pot with hot water and cook for another 15 seconds.
• Add drained noodles in the sauce bowl along with the toppings and blanched veggies.
• Season with more soy sauce or tamari, if needed. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

To measure flour in the cup, I used the spoon & sweep method.  Spoon flour into a standard measuring cup, then level the top with a knife without packing the flour, which I had about ~63g in 1/2 cup.

Sauce: Add sauce by spoons if you prefer a less saucy noodle bowl. Store the leftover sauce in a jar and refrigerate. Sauce stays fresh up to 5-7days.

For a spicy version, add a few spoonfuls of Easy 5-ingredient homemade chili oil into the sauce. 

Keyword comfortfood, fromscratch, homemade, noodles

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