by Jenise » Sat Feb 09, 2008 1:49 pm
Greg, never have made soba noodles myself. Funny that, in that I try to try making everything at least once, yet I've never suggested to myself I try that--always been pretty happy with store-bought, I guess, and it's not an ingredient I use often though I quite like that buckwheat taste. Anyway, you got my curious so I looked around on the internet as well as checking two books on Japanese cooking that I have, and if I were going to make soba today here's the recipe I would probably start with. It has some intriguing techniques (kneading with your feet!) and the method is so nicely detailed one can easily picture each step they describe.
HOMEMADE SOBA NOODLES
(adapted from A First Book of Japanese Cooking)
Serves 4-5
4 cups buckwheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tsp. salt (or no salt) dissolved in 1/2 cup water
2 large heavy-gauge plastic bags
To Make Noodles
1. Dissolve salt in 1/2 cup hot water, add to buckwheat flour, knead w/
plastic spatula, add 1/2 cup cold water little by little while kneading,
and add remaining flour. Dough will not be completely smooth. Wrap
dough in plastic bags, place on the floor, and knead with bare feet by
stepping back and forth on dough. When dough has been flattened to about
1 foot in diameter, remove from plastic, fold into quarters
(wedge-shaped), rewrap in plastic, and resume kneading by foot. Repeat 5
or 6 times until dough is smooth and well mixed.
2. Fold dough into rectangle approximately 6x 10 inches. Lightly
sprinkle work surface with flour to prevent sticking. Roll out dough in
all directions, turning over occasionally, and sprinkle with a small
amount of flour when necessary to prevent sticking. In order to spread
out dough it may be necessary to occasionally fold dough in thirds and
press down crosswise with rolling pin to "stretch" dough, starting from
the center and working your way towards one end, then returning to
center and working your way towards other end.
When dough is thinner than 1/8 inch and about 1.5 x 2.5 feet,
sprinkle with flour, and fold into thirds. The result should be 6 inches
x 2.5 feet. Cut across the folds into strips thinner 1/8 inch thick.
Gently lift and shake noodle to separate. Sprinkle with flour. Noodles
should be elastic, not sticky.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
