Howdy,
I have been trying to get an authentic recipe for lai mein (hand pulled) Chinese noodles.
Whatever I find, (and there are many sources out there) is in conflict with everything else.
I have had that experience before (particularly reading about making Poilâne loaves) and it tells me now, as it did then, that the authors of these many noodle recipes are just "guessing." They require high-protein flour, or low; they need salt, or none; they want baking soda, or baking powder, or neither...
Also, it is often suggested that the dough contain a small amount of what is often called Kan Sui, or "lye water" (actually a solution of potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate), but this seems to have the opposite of the intended effect. I have experimented at length and this ingredient "tightens" the gluten so that the dough behaves rather like latex: any attempt to stretch the dough causes it to "snap" back to its original shape. It would appear that it is this addition that provides the "bouncy" texture of many types of "cut" Chinese noodles.
If you are familiar with the "pulling" of lai mein you know that the gluten must be totally relaxed to allow the extraordinary stretch...
And so this request:
Might you know of a lai mein noodle dough recipe that actually works? Have you tried it?
Or, coming at this from another direction, might you have thoughts about additions that would so completely relax the gluten as to allow for the sort of stretch that is needed?
I certainly do not expect to become some sort of "noodle master" but I know that I cannot even get started on learning the technique without having the proper dough.
I would welcome any thoughts on this, and thank you in advance.
All the best,