making udon at home.... first attempt.... and reminiscent of MHK

Last weekend, we gave a go at making udon.  The foremost attraction was noodle-girl's (S2) love of the white slightly chewy noodles, and the fun of the step-kneading !  Also, we had been inspired by reading La Fujimama's blog about making udon.  Please visit her site for recipe and procedure.

The ingredients and equipment needed are simple, but as the noodle required some proofing, some   planning leading up to dinner time is essential.  We had great fun step-kneading, by putting on our favourite tunes and took turns dance-stepping on the udon.  Cardio workout! In addition to that, the upper body also joins in during the later hand kneading stage!

The texture of the dough in this attempt was quite hard, so it was difficult to roll it out to a desirable thin-ness.  We wonder if its the ratio of the water to flour to salt, perhaps we will experiment with that in the next round.  As you can see, the noodles are hand-sliced and put into boiling water straight away!

Slightly too thick, but made for a very satisfying fresh udon in light bonito and miso vegetable soup dinner! Happiness is working and making dinner from scratch !

Udon making reminded us of Mee Hoon Kway (面粉糕)， a M'sian/S'porean handmade noodle.  The ingredients are exactly the same, but it needs less time and less kneading.  There isn't a specific shape, like noodles.  In my family, my cousin in Port Dickson- who currently makes the most powerful bowl of yummylicious Mee Hoon Kway- just tears off the big piece of dough, flattens it and throws it into a flavoursome pot of boiling broth (made from fried anchovies).  The result is a delightful bowl of abstract cloud-like bits, fluffy with a bite and a tad hard in the middle. (al dente?) mmm... topped with chilli padi and minced garlic in soya sauce. Heavenly!!