Ohhhhhh baby, do I have some fun for you!!! We are making hand-pulled noodles! At home! From scratch! And THEY ARE FUN AND SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS! These gorgeous noodles feature just three ingredients (flour + salt + water), and I promise you that they will be one of THE funnest things you have ever created in your kitchen. The noodle-stretching process is actually very easy, the clever things pretty much stretch themselves, with a just little help from you.

These are the chewy, stretchy Chinese-style noodles that you slurp at a noodle house. You know the ones, they're ferried to your table swimming in a fragrant broth, or bathed in some sort of sticky sauce laced with dark and delicious magic. You'll sometimes see the noodle chefs pulling them with flair behind the counter, but do not fear my loves - you do not need to be a noodle chef to create these beauties, they are eminently and easily achievable from your own kitchen. I've made a handy video which shows you all the steps (there's really just three), and demonstrating the pulling 'technique' (I use the term technique very loosely here as you will discover when watching how I do it). You can watch the video here.

These noodles require two relatively short periods of resting, and if you start them mid-afternoon, they will be all ready for your dinner - allow about 2.5 hours from start to finish (the actual effort you will expend in this time is about 25 minutes). You can serve these stretchy wonders with pretty much anything you like, two of my faves are a spicy eggplant sauce, or a faux-pho broth spiked with seasonal basil and lemon. You'll find the recipes for both of those below. Happy noodling!

WATCH RECIPE VIDEO HERE

Hand-pulled noodles

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

300g plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

About 170ml water

Recipe

Mix the flour, salt and water together until you have a soft dough that’s very slightly sticky. You may need to add more water - it just depends on the day, your flour, and the magical alchemy of your own kitchen’s ecosystem 💛.
Knead the dough for 7-8 minutes, then wrap in clingfilm or greased foil and rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Roll the dough out to 1cm thick, slice off strips 1cm wide, roll into fat worms, and place on a greased tray (use oil to grease). Cover and rest for 1 hour (or longer, up to 24 hrs).
Pick up a fat worm from each end, swing it about & the noodles will stretch themselves (see this video for a noodle-swinging demonstration), then \drop directly into boiling water & cook until done to your likeness (3-10 mins depending on how chewy or soft you want them) 🍜 🍜🍜
Serve with your favourite sauce. Two of mine are:
- Roast a large eggplant or 2-3 small ones whole at 220C until they’re soft when you squeeze them. Just put them straight in the oven whole on a tray. Remove the soft flesh, and mix with a dressing made of equal parts soy sauce and black vinegar (available at Asian grocers), with sesame oil and chilli flakes added to taste. Heat briefly then add to noodles for spicy eggplant deliciousness :).
- Heat beef broth (see this video on making broth) with a couple of star anise, a cinnamon quill and a few cloves. Simmer for 30 minutes or until fragrant, add noodles, fresh basil, lemon juice and chilli to taste, and enjoy your faux-pho :).