Chinese Hand Pulled Noodles: Part 1: Culinary Secrets with Chef Tomm:

[banluesak1]

Tom you enplane this technic very well thank you

[swadlol]

wtf. tell us how much water / flour to use! We're not all pro chefs who can just eyeball it.

[nekodecade]

can i use all purpose flour ?

[cheftomm]

@nekodecade You can just make sure you add the baking soda.

[999hellokittylover]

yeah i actually added some cake flour and the baking soda. i probably need to kneed it more cause i dont have a kitchen aid.

[cheftomm]

@999hellokittylover Did you use the recipe on my website? Kneading it by hand takes longer but eventually it works.

[999hellokittylover]

I used all-purpose flour and it didnt work at all. I kneedes it for about 2 hours now and when I stretch it, it is grainy and extremely hard to pull. Why is that?

[cheftomm]

@999hellokittylover you need the cake flour too. Did you add the baking soda? That should also work.

[999hellokittylover]

@cheftomm yeah i actually added some cake flour and the baking soda. i probably didnt knead it well enough cause i dont have a kitchen aid.

[XiaoLangXing]

Hey there! This is an awesome video! I don't have a kitchen aid so I'll be doing the tiring process of doing it by hand! I was wondering if it's possible to substitute the cake flour for anything else. I'd appreciate it if you would reply soon! Thank You!

[cheftomm]

@XiaoLangXing You can just do it with all purpose flour if need be. It may take a little longer to work but it will. Let me know how it goes.

[MrBEIJINGJACK]

To be fair I've been burned here already trying the "I've got two balls" dudes stretching video....I basically just looked at all your comments for your video and not seeing one that could do it....as with the other person...I could only assume the worst. If it is legit I apologize....I'll try it....if it works my Chinese culinary career will thank you...

[cheftomm]

@MrBEIJINGJACK Let me know how it comes out. As you know it is a tricky task. If you have problems lets talk and I will help you figure it out. I would love it if helps your Chinese culinary career! I will also tell you that their are lots of recipes for noodles. The one I have posted is the easiest to learn, once you get that one I will send you another recipe to work on. Basically the only difference is the difficulty of pulling them.

[MrBEIJINGJACK]

thanks for responding...I WILL try it against all my biases about these videos although the secret may indeed just be using the kitchen aid as it whips the living hell out of it whereas one can't do that with hands alone unless you have 1000 years. I do curiously note that you do not use flour though in the stretching process as every Chinese noodle stretcher on the planet does.....just sayin...

[MrBEIJINGJACK]

Chef Tomm....I am a self-taught Chinese chef and NEED to know this for my repetoire of already great dishes---when NO ONE can achieve this...reading ALL your comments as well as all others on YouTube attempting to fool others...it does not work.....can't put it a nicer way dude...

[cheftomm]

@MrBEIJINGJACK Hello self taught chef, I'm not really sure what you don't think I can do. Have you watched the video? Do you think the video is fake? try the recipe for your self and let me know what you think. I assure you it will work as it has for hundreds of people already.

[MrBEIJINGJACK]

I will TRY to be civil and respectful. Every one of these...and I have read ALL of your comments as well as every comment for every person who claims to be able to do this....and guess what?  NONE can do it. This is not rocket science---it is chemistry---equal amounts+kneeding equals a dough that can work. I worked and lived in China and even attended a school in Beijing to LEARN this. They use a chemical called "peng hui" which is basically a type of potash....Chef Tomm come clean dude...

[cheftomm]

@MrBEIJINGJACK We use a chemical here called sodium bicarbonate or baking soda. Most noodle pullers in the US use this. It works great.... dude

[TheFilyre]

Interesting, I think ppl usually use about half all-purpose flour with half bread flour instead of cake flour + all-purpose flour. The texture of the noodles you produce is a little different and it would probably make the stretching process easier.

[xstohl]

Are there any alternatives to using bleached cake flour?

[cheftomm]

@xstohl There are other flours you can use but that one works very well

[plhlolelnlilx06]

@xstohl - The reason for using wheat flour is it contains certain proteins that allow it to stretch properly. The faster you're able pull the noodles, the more consistent they will be in size when pulled.

[xstohl]

@plhlolelnlilx06 I've been using King Arthur's flour (unbleached Hard Wheat Flour), but I've giving up on pulled noodles; too complicated and you need a special ingredient. I found a simple Ramen noodle recipe using egg, flour, salt and water on Instructables . com that works well and isn't time consuming, but thanks for the info.

[cheftomm]

@xstohl Thanks for writing to me.  Have you tried using my recipe for the hand pulled noodles? You need very little ap flour in them. It is a very difficult technique to learn. If you feel like sharing your ramen noodle recipe please do.

[MohoBiechiz]

6:20 "put my thumb all the way down here, and squeeze it out"

[Chivalryaintdead]

You need to use lye water not just plain water.

[cheftomm]

@Chivalryaintdead I use baking soda with the water. I have used lye water in the past but I found it was a little difficult for people to find so I just use baking soda as it is easy to find. Thanks for writing.

[MohoBiechiz]

@Chivalryaintdead

whats that

[briangarcia061386]

Why use a paddle and not the dough hook for this application of mixing!?!?!?!?

[cheftomm]

@briangarcia061386 I use the paddle for this because I really want to beat the dough up. When I use the dough hook it doesn't do the job as well with this small batch.

[desertdude517]

Can you dry these noodles? If the answer is yes, how should I dry them?

[cheftomm]

@desertdude517 I'm sure you could but they are supposed to be eaten fresh. If you want to dry them just hang them on something until dry. It's a fairly easy process. Thanks for writing.

[eastern2western]

I think the biggest difference between the pros and amateurs is just practice. the pros probably get to practice in one day than what the amateurs do in most of their lifetime. thus, making the pros much better than the amateurs.

[StarWoors]

Thanks, Chef Tom! You ROCK!

[cheftomm]

@StarWoors Thank you!

[cheftomm]

I must be part Mongolian! Thanks for writing to me!

[YoungKoolness17]

Thanks by the way Tomm means big in mongolian!

[bwr53]

this is not an secret. everybody in china can make noodles like this and its very easy to learn. only use flower, salt and water. don't use machine for the dought. its way better by hand for the pulling!

[cheftomm]

@bwr53 Thanks for writing to me. Secrets are always interesting. As you have pointed out in some cultures these " Secrets " are common knowledge and in others they are almost unknown. When I set out to learn this technique I found little information on this and decided to figure it out and share it with whoever wanted to learn it. As far as taste difference from making it by hand or machine there is none. Please post some pictures of you making the noodles and the dishes you have made.

[messionice]

@bwr53 Yes. Cake flour does not seem very traditional.

[littlechowders]

Dear Chef Tomm, I just recently tried this recipe and it turned out yellow kinda like pasta? I didn't know if measurements were accurate because the recipe was in grams :( by any chance would you have the recipe in cups or tbsp/tsp measurements?? Also I used a whisk by hand... How long should I whisk it for? Because I kneaded part of the time with my hand and it never stretched like your dough did! Could you tell me what i did wrong? Thank you! - Miranda

[cheftomm]

@littlechowders Hello Miranda, Thanks for writing to me. The measurements for this dough are very important.

Here is the recipe in Cups and spoons. I have not tested this, I used a converter so it should be close. 1 1/3 Cup Cake flour 1/4 Cup All purpose flour 3/4 Cup +1Tablespoon water 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda Let me know how it turns out... Kneading by hand takes a long time, about 20-25 minutes. I will be releasing another video on this soon.

[yaume69]

@cheftomm

hy i'm a french man trying to pulle noodle since 5 month but never turn out good..

can't pulled it and didn't know why, my dough is never pullable like yours..

please help me.

[cheftomm]

@yaume69 Hello, the pulled noodles are kind of difficult to Master. You can find the recipe on my website cheftomm com I also sell a kit with everything you need to make two batches of noodles, an instructional DVD and recipes. That may help just so you see what is supposed to happen. Thanks for writing.

[cheftomm]

@littlechowders Here is the recipe in Cups and spoons. I have not tested this, I used a converter so it should be close. 1 1/3 Cup Cake flour 1/4 Cup All purpose flour 3/4 Cup +1Tablespoon water 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda Let me know how it turns out... Kneading by hand takes a long time, about 20-25 minutes. I have a new video on the noodles that you can find here on youtube

I am also selling kits so you can make them at home.

[cheftomm]

@littlechowders Here is the recipe in Cups and spoons. I have not tested this, I used a converter so it should be close. 1 1/3 Cup Cake flour 1/4 Cup All purpose flour 3/4 Cup +1Tablespoon water 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda Let me know how it turns out... Kneading by hand takes a long time, about 20-25 minutes. I have a new video on the noodles that you can find here on youtube

I am also selling kits so you can make them at home.

[chapahalomaster]

@cheftomm i have used these messurments in my noodle mix and its not turing out very well. i am kneading by hand due to lack of kitchen aid. would i have have to let it sit a while so the dough can spread like it says in other noodle vids or should i keep kneading until it becomes pull able

[BboySpikey]

i can has cheeseburger?

[aznric3boi91]

its supposed to be even the whole time

[cheftomm]

@aznric3boi91 Eventually it will get and stay even earlier on.  As long as you end up with a good product at the end everything else is forgiven! ;)

[xbrucelyx]

I live in germany and i tried many times to make these kind of noodles but i always failed. Is cake flour the same as our type 405 flour and all purpose flour type 550 flour?

I also tried to use a kneading machine but the dough wasn't nearly as well-knead as the dough on your video.

Can you give me some tips to help me doing these kind of noodles?

[cheftomm]

@xbrucelyx Hello, What part of Germany do you live in? I spent 4 years in Schweinfurt. I'm not sure about the types of flour but I know you can find these flours there. I have some friends there still and will ask them about the different types of flour. If you don't hear back in a few days please send me another message. Thanks for writing to me.

[cheftomm]

@xbrucelyx Ok, so I asked a German Chef this question today. He said 405 was cake and the 550 was good for the All purpose flour. Let me know how it comes out.

[Shamazzai]

@cheftomm

Thx, my question was the same.

I tried mixing them 2:1 and just added water. It almost worked fine, i guess i have to knead it more and longer. (I did it for around 20min)

Without a machine it is really exhausting, but i think it is worth the work.

I heard of some cooks who beat the dough with a big stick... does this method have the same effect like kneading?

[cheftomm]

@Shamazzai Hello, The ratio for the noodles isn't 2-1. Here is the recipe Chinese Hand Pulled Noodles, let me know how it comes out. . Ingredients : 300g Cake flour 50g All Purpose flour 200g Water 15g Sesame oil 6g Salt 3g  Baking soda I couldn't fit the directions here but they are on my website

[Shamazzai]

@cheftomm

I didnt know your recipe/video before, my attempt was only guided by an advise of a chinese friend of mine. He just said that they're probably made of different kinds of flour, so i just tried with that ratio and the amount of flour i found in the kitchen. ;)

But i'll try your recipe the next days, i'm really curious about the result. :)

[cheftomm]

@xbrucelyx How did it turn out?  It has been about a month.

[xbrucelyx]

@cheftomm

I'm sorry for not replying. I'm studying in a university in germany and i don't have the right utensils in my new appartement. But I'm going to visit my parents this weekend so i can try it there. I will reply next week to let you know how it turned out

[pawmaggie]

my chinese girlfriend introduces me to noddles but its very different from yours she only use flour and water since she comes from a very poor family and i can´t hand pull them.

Can i use normal flour we don´t have cake-flour here (i am from denmark) please respond love your videoes

[cheftomm]

@pawmaggie Hello, Thanks for writing to me. I have seen people use plain flour to make the noodles. It takes alot longer without the baking soda. I haven't made it without the cake flour so I can't tell you how long it takes. I'm sure there is cake flour in Denmark though. Have you looked at your local grocery or baking supply shop?

[deahera]

In real kitchen you do not put baking soda in addition to being a chemical, also brings a bad taste !

[cheftomm]

@deahera Hello, thanks for writing to me. I can't speak for every kitchen but the Chefs I have talked with use baking soda in their noodles. Very little is put into it so you do not get the soapy taste. This is very common in Asian cuisine not only for the noodles but for their meats too.

[deahera]

@cheftomm Hi, thanks for the answer. Ok, everyone eats what he likes, but in any case I think 200 years ago in Asia, the food was good and they did not use baking soda for sure, that is part of modern culture, who do things in a hurry to use every means in if they are not good. About chemistry ... you have heard of molecular gastronomy? They have now invented, only to sell chemicals. I do not like this way of cooking, I prefer the natural and traditional that is very good! Regards.

[cheftomm]

@deahera Hello, you bring up a great point, I wonder what they used or if they just did it all by hand? I will check it out.

[cheftomm]

@deahera Ok, so I did a quick search and found lye water to be used in older noodle recipes. I'm not quite sure when this started to be used but I thought it was interesting. I have also sent an e mail to a good friend of mine who is a Chinese Noodle Master. He may be able to shed some light on this. Great question! I'm looking forward to seeing what he says about this. I will get back with you soon.

[deahera]

@cheftomm - HI, it 's true, it appears to me that use water obtained from washing of the ash that will certainly have the characteristics of baking soda, but I'd do without if possible, i don't like it ha ha . I see that you're a careful and correct chef , congratulations! :-)

[cheftomm]

@deahera It's all about learning my friend. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

[deahera]

@cheftomm - Thank you for your video channel is very interesting and helps to make culture, not just culinary.

[SouthernOregonOrgani]

good stuff Chef

[cheftomm]

@SouthernOregonOrgani Thank You!

[lillubelle]

lillubelle

19 minutes ago I made hand-pulled noodles yesterday, the old fashion way. My arms were really sore today. I was about to give up and luckily I found your video! Now, I'm going to use kitchen aid instead. Thanks for sharing! BTW, my son's allergic to baking soda, any alternatives? Thanks!

[cheftomm]

@lillubelle Hello, Thanks for writing to me. Somehow your posting was reported as spam. Not sure why. Baking soda is a key ingredient in these noodles. Sorry I couldn't be anymore of a help.

Tomm

PS. I'm sure your arms will thank you for using the kitchen aid.

[anasBGH]

Will it differ if I use only all-purpose flour?? Please answer anyone & thx in advance!

[cheftomm]

@anasBGH I haven't really messed with that. My recipe works really well. You should be able to get cake flour at any grocery store.

[Arkenarge]

BOOMER!!!!

[cheftomm]

@Arkenarge Thanks... I think?!?! lol

[gio59con]

Tomm, I was joking of course talking about glue! I'm near Ascoli Piceno, Central Italy. I use robots for the kitchen and the dough warms up (maybe I need more time to rest). I'll try again. (I cut by hand as Italian pasta and I saw it began to row ).Thanks, you're very kind.

[cheftomm]

@gio59con The dough warming up is ok. How long did you knead it for? It should feel like warm chewing gum when you take it out. You don't have to let it rest, it should be ready to go at that point. Keep practicing, you will get it!

[gio59con]

Thanks for the video, you're so nice.



[gio59con]

Sorry Chef, I'm Italian, I do not understand what "all purpose flour". The translator and the dictionary translate all the same. I used "SOFT" wheat n.00 (the finest). Here we know the flour with the number: No. 00 is good for cakes, then we have no 0, 1, 2 (we're talking about "soft" wheat) and there's even "hard" wheat (good for spaghetti we buy at the market). I'm not a cook, but I love cooking and make egg noodles with a rolling pin.Wanna make hand pulled...

[cheftomm]

@gio59con Bon Giorno, All purpose flour is a mix of cake flour and bread flour. I will see if I can find a good ratio for you. Where in Italy are you? I worked in Florence, Asti and a few other spots.

[gio59con]

What you forget to tell us? You put into dough a little glue? My dough breaks.

[cheftomm]

@gio59con Your dough may be breaking because you didn't mix it long enough. How are you mixing it? Are you using a machine? If so what kind of machine are you using.

[gigi997]

thank you for the video as well as using the mixer!

[cheftomm]

@gigi997 You're Welcome.

[TheVideoRandom]

why are you using a paddle and not an arm?

[cheftomm]

@TheVideoRandom I use the paddle because I found the dough hook didn't do such a good job with a small batch of dough. The paddle beats it up better for me. When I make large batches I do use the dough hook but it also takes about 30 minutes for the same result.

[hdcat]

You need (or is knead? ;) ) the bowl clips for your Kitchen Aid bowl lift mixer- they lock the bowl in place when you are kneading pasta dough like this. They use to come with the Pasta Extrusion Accessory, but I'm not sure if they still do or not...my mixer & set are almost 20 years old.

[cheftomm]

@hdcat That is true but these noodles are actually stretched by hand, I use the mixer only to knead the dough.

[hdcat]

@cheftomm

I never liked the KA pasta extruder set....but the little clips that come with the set actually hold bowl in place for kneading the dough come in handy any time you have stiffer dough so you don't have to hand hold the bowl in place ;) I think you can call KA and order the just the clips, IIRC...they are not listed on their web site and are a little known item.

[cheftomm]

@hdcat Thanks for letting me know about that. I will have to order a set.

[johnxy888]

I've seen a demo on Chinese TV, and the chef said one of the keys to stretching it so it stays even in thickness is to start with your hands in the middle and move them apart at the same rate.

[cheftomm]

@johnxy888 That is a great tip, thanks for sharing!

[cheftomm]

@johnxy888 That is a good tip

[ungga1429]

hi chef tomm.. i've been looking forward on trying this one out. I'm a culinary and baking instructor. i'm good with pastas but not with handpulled noodles. hopefully your recipe will work out coz it looks promising. :)

[cheftomm]

Hello, I'm also a Chef Instructor. It took me a long time to get this technique. The recipe works like a charm. If you have any problemds with it let me know.

[ScrollPro]

hi chefttomn i have been follow your recipes but my dough just wouldn't pull.

Anyreason why?

[cheftomm]

I have to know more than that. Are you using a machine? Are you using all of the ingredients like I said or are you substituting anything?

[celicamaro]

Quick question chef, my dough just wouldn't pull, keeps breaking. I left it to sit for an hour after forming, then 20-30 of hand kneeding, still no good. I'm sure my mixture is all wrong. I bought some high gluten rice flour from the asian grocery store and just add water and nothing else. I'm sure that's my mistake to rely on the "GLUTEN" word on the package cause people said gluten is what makes the dough stretch and not break. ANy help is greatly appreciated.

[cheftomm]

You can find my recipe at the website. My recipe uses cake flour and AP flour. There are lots of different recipes for the hand pulled noodles and they do use different flours. I do not let my dough rest at all.

[Jayfoxpox]

hand pulled noodles use cake/pastry flour mainly because of if the lower gluten level. If there is too much gluten then it will be to tight , if there is too little then there is simply nothing to hold it together. imo, pure cake&pastry works the best for me. however I'm using a no name brand (poor quality). you want your flour to be around 8 % gluten level. which is why people mix 2 flours. happy pulling :)

[cheftomm]

Thanks for the comments, let me know how it comes out.

[rachparov]

Dude... did you repeat the process so many times to make sure we get how to do it or because you were afraid it wasn't the good method??...

Gonna try anyway...

[cheftomm]

I repeated the process several times to demonstrate the technique. I'm sure when you start trying to do it you will understand.  Thanks for writing.

[ThePandasrock]

if you use wheat flour instead of all purpose flour would it changed anything?

[cheftomm]

Yes, it would change alot. There are lots of recipes out there and some use bread flour etc. Each one will give you a different outcome.

[sparkseletricfied]

thank u tom

[cheftomm]

You are welcome, let me know how it turns out.

[sparkseletricfied]

can u post the ingredients on youtube in cups spoons teaspoons and what not please and thanks u and very good recipe

[cheftomm]

Here is the recipe in Cups and spoons. I have not tested this, I used a converter so it should be close. 1 1/3 Cup Cake flour 1/4 Cup All purpose flour 3/4 Cup +1Tablespoon water 1 Tablespoon sesame oil 1 1/2teaspoon salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda Let me know how it turns out... Tomm

[classicalfan85]

I LOVE THIS VID!!!!!!!

thanks for showing the ingredients, unlike the other guy >.> who just had a dough and kneaded it.

[cheftomm]

Thanks for watching my show. Have you had a chance to try it yet? Let me know how it turns out.

Tomm

[wifigaming]

Thanks Cheftomm, Very informative i followed your video and the noodles turned out excellent

[cheftomm]

Thanks for watching my show. I'm glad that erything worked out for you. More show are coming soon. There are some new ones on my site too. Thanks again for watching,

Tomm

[wifigaming]

If your in the UK i used Homepride extra fine flour, hard to get cake flour in UK.

[cheftomm]

How did that work out for you?

[wifigaming]

I was able to get it to stretch without snapping after 45 mins kneading, but tasted more like pasta which is nice,but i wanted noodle taste so i went to chinese supermarket and got plain flour.

[cheftomm]

I'm glad you got it to work. It is kind of tricky but as you know lots of practice and trial and error.

[whistlerboots123]

his dough looks a little wet

[you2306]

good, but use a mixer is not fun and not handmade. also arent u suppose 2 use flour on surface and noodles

[cheftomm]

You don't have to, If the dough is wet than you can use flour.

[kaitzi]

@you2306 really? You don't use your hands to operate the mixer? Gosh, you're talented!

[taylor044]

Thank you so much Chef Tomm! I lived in China for a year and loved cooking with fresh noodles. Now that I'm back even the packaged noodles are horrible, I look forward to practicing with these, I'm sure it helps seeing it done a lot too:) Thanks so much!

[AndrewTsurkan]

sorry, I have bad english...

What kind of the ingredients you used? Can you write here on english all ingredients ?

I understood just - soda and salt... another two ingredients I missed. Thank you!

[arthurandroid]

Check out his website. The recipes (with measurements) are available on there.

[shakuhachi]

Thank you from a chef across the bay! Been looking for an english language guide and recipe!

much appreciation to you for sharing this rather difficult to find information

[Yashu008]

Does anyone know this recipe in cups? Please anwser quick! :)

[Yashu008]

Hey Chef, I tried to make noodles today with gluten all-purpose flour and water, just how a simple noodle is made. But I ended up not being able to stretch it much. I couldn't even fold it twice :( I BTW I did not let it sit, is that why !? Thanks in advance chef!

[arthurandroid]

We don't have all-purpose flour in my country. So I just mixed bread flour and cake flour. Works just as well.

[didgeHague]

Hi tom, thanks for the video! I bought some plain flour from a chinses super market. Do i still need the cake flour?

Thanks!

[cheftomm]

Hello, Sorry I missed your comment. In my experience you still have to use the cake flour due the gluten content. Some of the flours are ok without anything. How did it work out?

[didgeHague]

not too good! Is it possible to knead the dough for too long?

Thanks.

[cheftomm]

It is possible to over knead the dough. Did you use my recipe? I reccomend 12 minutes at speed 4 on your kitchen aid. You should stop kneading the dough when it is very stretchy. You can see this in the video. I hope this helps as I know the process is difficult. Tomm

[didgeHague]

Unfortunately I am kneading the dough with my hands! Don't suppose you know how to do it manually?

Thanks!

[cheftomm]

I have done it by hand but it takes about 20 -30 minutes of vigerous kneading. This is a real workout. Let me know how it works out.

[arthurandroid]

My mixer has a kneading hook, is there a reason that you don't use a hook? I have also made italian style pasta in my bread machine, but I have not tried this recipe in it. When I do I will post the results.

[shaolin564]

hey chef i have one more question, can you use pastry flour instead of cake flour.

[cheftomm]

You can use pastry flour instead of cake flour. The dough will be a little softer so you may want to add in a little more all purpose to the mix. Play around with it and have have some fun.

[shaolin564]

ok thanks so much chef! ill try it out

[shaolin564]

oh ok thanks! why do you use cake flour,does it make the dough strech better?

[cheftomm]

It has to do with the proper amount of gluten. The cake flour pretty much has none and the ap has some which will give it the body needed to stretch. Have fun cooking!

[cheftomm]

You have to use cake flour. Try it out and you will see why

[shaolin564]

do you have to use cake flour or can you just use all purpose flour?

[nalim42]

Congratulations Chef Tomm. It was waiting with anxiety for this video.

[cheftomm]

Did you see part two yet?