← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 500 g strong bread flour
• 300 ml water for the dough
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1.5 l cold water for washing
• 1 tsp neutral oil, for the trays
• 3 tbsp chilli oil with sediment
• 3 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced and mixed with 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil
• 1 Cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 100 g Bean sprouts, blanched for 30 seconds
• 1 handful Coriander (cilantro), chopped

Method

1. Mix the flour, salt and 300 ml water into a firm dough, knead for 5 min and rest it covered for 30 min.
2. Put the dough in a big bowl with 500 ml cold water and squeeze and knead it underwater until the water turns milky. Pour the starchy water into a jug and repeat with fresh water about three times, until only a stretchy lump of gluten remains.
3. Steam the gluten lump on an oiled plate for 20 min, cool and cut into cubes; this is the spongy kao fu. Leave the starchy water to settle for 4 hours, then carefully pour off the clear water on top.
4. Stir the thick starch at the bottom smooth. Bring a wok of water to the boil, oil a metal tray, pour in a thin 2–3 mm layer of starch batter and float the tray on the water, covered, for 2–3 min, until the sheet turns clear and puffs.
5. Lift the tray into cold water, peel off the sheet, brush it lightly with oil and stack. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
6. Mix the sauce. Cut the sheets into 1.5 cm wide noodles and toss with the gluten cubes, cucumber, bean sprouts, coriander and sauce. Serve cool.

Tips

• Contains wheat and gluten. Short on time? Use wide fresh rice noodles with the same sauce for a quick version.
• The noodles are best eaten the day they are made; chilled overnight they go firm.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Taste of Asian Food SBS Food