Making Udon Noodles
Make sure you have the following
stuff first....
| Ingredients and equipment |
Amount |
Note |
| Flour Medium-strength flour |
700g |
Serves approximately 7 |
| Salt |
40g |
Little more during summer time and little less during winter
time |
| Water |
280cc |
Tap water is fine |
| Worktable |
Dining table or Kotatsu table (a low Japanese style table with
the small heater that accompanies the table) at least 70cm X 70cm in
size. If you do not own such a table, a board of linden plywood 90cm
square can be used. Such boards are available at a general store.
|
Place one side of the plywood against the wall or pillar when
working and it will stay in place. |
| Large bowl |
Ceramics or wooden bowls are the best, however, stainless or
aluminum bowls will be fine. |
Please have the largest bowl you have ready. |
| Rolling pin |
Wooden rolling pin of 2 to 3cm in diameter and approximately 1
meter long. If you do not own a wooden rolling pin, a piece of
polyvinyl chloride pipe is fine. |
Wooden rolling pin made from wood with strong scent such as
Douglas fir is not suitable. The scent will transfer to the Udon
noodles. |
| Cutting board |
Larger the better. |
Please have it completely dried. |
| Knife |
Use a knife with cutting edge not turned up (such as a kitchen
knife for cutting vegetables) |
Kitchen knives with turned up cutting edge will be hard to
handle and will result in poor cutting surface. |
| Small saucepan and chopsticks |
Make salt water in the saucepan beforehand. Any container larger
than 500cc is fine. |
There is no need to heat. |
| Large plastic bag |
Thick plastic bags such as 10kg rice bags. |
Please wipe the inside clean before using. |
| Medium sized plastic bag |
No.8 (approx. A4 paper size) |
Used for temporary keeping. |
|
Kone (mixing the flour
with salt water)
1. Put all the flour in a large bowl
and add about 90% of the salt water that you have prepared
beforehand.
2. Quickly mix with your
bare hand without making lump.
3.
Open your hands wide and make circular motion with your arm as if rubbing
against the inside of the bowl. When doing so, if a little amount of flour
slips away from between your fingers, you are doing great.
4. Still mixing, add the rest of the salt
water little by little.
5.When the
salt water is evenly soaked into the flour, and the whole thing is like
rough powder in the size of the uncooked rice, the mixing is
done.
6. Gather all the mixture to
the center of the bowl making something like a hill with sand. Add
pressure with the palm of your hand and make it into a disk shape. In
doing so, be careful not make cracks on the surface or the surrounding
edges.
Ashibumi [1] (Stepping on the
dough with your feet)
1. Cut open the 10kg rice bag and
wipe the inside surface clean.
2.
Gently place the disk shaped dough onto this sheet and fold it over the
dough to cover.
3.Here the ashibumi
(stepping) begins. Beginning stepping from the outer edge will prevent the
dough from cracking.
4. Place your
feet T shape and slowly circulate around the dough from outer edge towards
the center.
5.After the dough
spreads out to 30cm to 40cm in diameter, roll the dough from the edge as
in making norimaki sushi (vinegared rice rolled with a sheet of dried
laver). Make a tight roll and do not let air inside.
6. Place the rolled dough inside the sheet
once more and step on it to make rectangular shape. After you are done,
roll it from the edge again as if making norimaki sushi.
7. Place the dough inside the bag once more
and lightly step on it. If you can feel the dough push back, you are doing
very well.
Nekashi (Leaving
the dough as it is)
Leave it for about 1 hour during summer time. During winter time, leave
it for about 2 hours or leave it inside the kotatsu for 1 hour. Inside the
Hama (dough), the hardened retiform structure of the gluten will regain
the elasticity while leaving the dough due to "Maruke" (circular shape).
This process will speed up in higher temperature with lots of moisture.
Kari Maruke (the first
shaping the dough into a circle)
This is a process in which the dough is shaped into a
circle, which is also called "Heso-dashi" (heso means a navel in
Japanese). This is the most difficult process in making Udon noodles, so
the beginner should be careful not to make cracks on the surface, and when
the dough is shaped in circle, you could pass this stage. You would have
to go through this process hundreds of times before making good circular
shape like professional Udon noodle makers.
1. Lightly punch the approximately 15cm edges of the Hama
(dough) with your fist.
2. Fold the
dough in two by bringing the upper left corner to the lower right
corner.
3. With your left hand, press
the left half on the dough with pushing forward motion.
4. Turn the dough 30 degrees reverse
clockwise, and fold in half by bringing the upper left corner to the lower
center.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for 3
to 4 times and the dough will gradually shape in circle. This process will
also bring more elasticity to the dough and will keep its shape.
6. Place the dough in the medium sized plastic
bag. Let all the air out of the bag and tie the opening.
Nekashi (Leaving the dough as
it is)
Honmaruke (The main shaping of the dough into
circle)...this is very difficult to do.
1.
Lightly press on the edge of the dough with your palm so that the dough
will be the disc shape approximately 20 cm in diameter.
2. Fold the dough in two by bringing the upper
left area to lower right area.
3.Press on the left half of the dough with your left hand in
pushing forward motion.
4.Turn the
dough 15 degrees reverse clockwise and roll it by pulling the upper
portion towards you.
5. Repeat steps
3 and 4 for another 3 to 4 times. The dough will gradually be shaped into
a spiral shell shape.
6. Take hold of
the right edge of the spiral portion with your right hand. Use your pinky
finger and your palm.
7. Like turning
on the accelerator of motorcycle, twist the dough and pushing your right
thumb into the center. (This step is hard to grasp without actually seeing
it with your own eyes.)
8. Make the
dough into shape by using your left hand as if you are drinking tea in a
tea ceremony and by rubbing the dough.
9. Change the
angle little by little and repeat steps 7 and 8.
10.When the dough looks like the picture on the right, you
are doing great.
11.Place the dough
in the medium sized plastic bag, let out all the air and tie the
opening.
Nekashi (Leaving the dough as
it is)
Ashibumi [2]
(Stepping on the dough with your feet)
In the same way as Ashibumi [1], step on the dough until it spreads out
to about 30cm to 40cm in diameter. When stepping on more than one Hama
(dough), spread a little flour on the surfaces of the Hamas and stack them
so that they do not stick to each other and you can do the stepping at
once. The top Hama would take more time to spread out, so it is suggested
that you occasionally change the top-bottom position of the Hamas to
obtain even size. After the stepping process is done, wrap it in the
plastic rice bag to keep from drying and leave it for 1 to 2 hours. During
winter time, up to this process can be done in one day, leave it
overnight, and the finishing can be done on the following day.
Nekashi (Leaving the dough as
it is)
Nobashi (Rolling out the
dough)
Now let's begin "Nobashi (Rolling out the
dough)" and "Houchoukiri (Cutting with knife)" which are the real pleasure
in making hand-made Udon noodles.
The first step: Kakudashi (shaping
the dough to square)
1. Wipe the work board
clean and have it dry completely.
2.
Sprinkle some flour on both top and bottom surface of the Hama (dough). If
you sprinkled too much, pat off the extra flour.
3. The side with Heso is the back side. Place the dough with
back side up on the table.
4. Place
the rolling pin at the center of the Hama and putting pressure on the pin,
roll the pin away from you. Turn the Hama 90 degree and repeat the process
until the Hama becomes square in shape.
The second step: Rolling out the square
edges
1. Place the
rolling pin on one of the square corner and roll up the Hama (dough) onto
the rolling pin.
2. After rolling up
the Hama on the rolling pin, bring the Hama and rolling pin towards
yourself.
3. Move both hands towards
the center and push the rolled up Hama to the other side while putting
your weight on it. Repeat it for 2 or 3 times.
4. Turn the Hama and rolling pin 180 degrees and bring it
towards you.
5. Beginning from the
place closest to you, spread out the Hama.
6. Move both hands towards the center of the rolling pin,
put pressure on the rolling pin with your weight and roll it to the other
side. Repeat 2 or 3 times.
7. Turn
the rolled up Hama and rolling pin 90 degrees counterclockwise, and move
it to the left side of the table.
8.
Spread out the Hama from left to right.
9. Repeat steps 1 to 8.
The third step: Rolling out the
sides
1.Place one side
of the Hama (dough) in front of you and place the rolling pin near the
edge.
2. Place both hands in the
center slowly separating your hand to the left and right side while
rolling up and rolling out the Hama. When your hands reach the far left
and far right, the Hama should be rolled up onto the pin.
3. Turn the Hama 180 degrees and bring it
towards you.
4.Spread out the Hama
from place closest to you to the other side.
5. Repeat step 2.
6.
Turn the rolled up Hama and rolling pin 90 degrees counterclockwise and
place it at the left side of the work board.
7.Spread the Hama from left to right.
8. Repeat steps 1 to 7.
9.When the dough is evenly thinned out to about 3mm in
thickness, rolling out process is completed. If there are thick areas,
spread out that area to even thickness.
Houchoukiri (Cutting with
knife)
Be careful not to cut your fingers.
1. After the Hama (dough) is rolled out to the
thickness of a thin cloth, spread it on the table and sprinkle with lots
of flour. Extra flour can be patted off later.
2. Fold it like a folding screen.
3. If you do not own Komaita (thick wooden board to hold
down the dough when cutting), cut from the right edge of the Hama in the
thickness of 3mm.
4.If you do own
Komaita, tightly hold the knife, and place the edge of the knife
perpendicularly to the Komaita and push down on the knife vertically with
force.
5. When the knife hit the
cutting board making "thumping" sound, slightly tilt the knife to the left
and pull it up as rubbing against the side of the Komaita.
6. Repeat 4 and 5 until you finish cutting all
the dough.