Let the rumpus begin. Got started today on Momofuku, the cookbook, with alkaline noodles (aka ramen). Luckily, John had an old, unopened jar of sodium carbonate up in the darkroom so I didn't have to find a source for it before trying my hand at Chang's handmade ramen. Wikipedia says, "Most noodles [the ramen kind] are made from five basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui which is essentially a type of alkaline mineral water, containing sodium carbonate and usually potassium carbonate, as well as sometimes a small amount of phosphoric acid. Originally, kansui was named after the water from Inner Mongolia's Lake Kan which contained large amounts of these minerals and was said to be perfect for making these noodles. Making noodles with kansui lends them a yellowish hue as well as a firm texture."
I didn't have potassium carbonate (Art says he has some in his darkroom so I'll try adding some of that next time) but since it only required 1/8 tsp for the portion I was making I didn't think it would matter too much.These barely need cooking. Just throw them in boiling water and remove them right away. I made Ginger Scallion Sauce (page 57) - lots of scallions in the garden right now - and tossed them with the noodles for dinner. Now I'm dreaming of making a trip to Inner Mongolia and making alkaline noodles on the banks of Lake Kan.
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