If you've been following along for any length of time, you probably know I've been working on concocting the perfect bowl of ramen for quite some time. With the soup improving with each batch I made, I was starting to feel like the store-bought noodles were the weak link holding the entire bowl of ramen back. It was time to tackle the noodles, but given the decade of trial-and-error it took to get the soup right, I figured I was in for another dozen years of experimentation before I'd turn out a decent batch of homemade ramen noodles.
Part of the problem is that there isn't much information out there in English on making ramen noodes. Even in Japan, noodle making is a closely guarded secret and you don't see ramen shops parading around their recipes on the web. From the information I was able to glean, I knew that the noodles are made with wheat flour, and get their yellow color and distinctly firm texture from the addition of kansui. I also knew that they're traditionally hand pulled, which means the dough has a higher water content than noodles you'd roll and cut.
Since noodles get their texture from the proteins in the wheat forming elastic chains of gluten, I decided to use bread flour, which typically contains 12-14% protein (higher than all-purpose flour). I also knew that learning how to hand pull noodles as fine as ramen was a skill that would take far longer to master than I, or many of my readers, would have patience for, so I decided to make a drier dough that could be rolled and cut using a pasta maker. This would put homemade ramen noodles within the reach of most home cooks.
Here's an account of my learnings batch by batch:
Batch #1: I made this with 2 cups bread flour, ⅔ C water and ½ teaspoon of liquid kansui. Everything went into a stand mixer with a dough hook until the dough came together. Then I formed it into two squares, wrapped and refrigerated one, and rolled out the other. I rolled it out to setting #5 of on the pasta maker and cut it using the spaghetti attachment, then boiled the noodles for 1 ½ minutes. This batch had a couple of problems. The dough was a bit tacky, so even after being dusted with flour, the noodles stuck together in pairs of two and had to be hand separated. I'd also rolled it out too thin and by the time the noodles were in the ramen, they were soggy. The dough also lacked the lustrous yellow color I was looking for. Fresh noodles, but not quite what I was looking for.
Batch #2: After resting in the fridge overnight, I took the other half of the first batch and rolled it out, this time only to setting #3. The strands were still sticking together, but the noodles had a nice firm texture when cooked.
Batch #3: For this batch, I used 2 cups of bread flour, reduced the water to ½ cup and increased the kansui to 1 teaspoon. As soon as I added the water/kansui mixture I knew this batch was going to be better, as the flour immediately turned a bright golden yellow. I let the mixer run for 10 minutes this time and the mixer bowl was full of golden yellow nuggets. I was worried I hadn't added enough water, but with a little hand kneading it came together into a ball, and I let this rest overnight in the fridge. The next day, I cut the dough in half, rolled it out to setting #3 and ran it through the spaghetti cutter as before. This time the noodles didn't stick together, and I reduced the boiling time to just over a minute. The noodles were extremely firm (almost too firm), but by the time I had the soup and all the toppings on the ramen, they were the perfect texture and stayed that way until the last drop of soup was gone. Success! Homemade ramen noodles that came very close to store-bought.
If you're wondering what kansui is, it's the ingredient that makes all the magic happen. The story goes that the unique noodles produced around lake Kan in Inner-Mongolia were attributed to the water from the lake. Modern science has since revealed that the lake is highly alkaline, which is what gives the noodles their unique texture, flavor, and color. You can now buy factory produced "kansui" (lake Kan water) either in powdered or liquid form. I used a brand called Koon Chun which labels their product as Potassium Carbonate Sodium Bi-Carbonate. It's similar to lye water used in European baking, but check the label to be certain it has the same composition.
If you're looking for a more scientific explanation behind how kansui works, here's what Dr. Kantha Shelke, Scientist at Corvus Blue LLC, a Chicago-based food and nutrition research firm has to say:
Science Behind the Noodle
"Kansui is a mixture of sodium carbonate and potassium carbonate which form an alkaline solution (pH ~9) when mixed with water. Wheat flour contains a number of compounds called flavones and trans-ferulic acid which are bound to starch and therefore colorless or white. The addition of an alkaline solution to wheat flour changes the pH of the mixture, which in turn detaches these flavones (specifically apigenin glycosides) and trans-ferulic acid from starch and allows their natural yellow color to manifest.
"Another reason for the addition of kansui is to toughen the protein in wheat flour so that the resulting noodles are firmer, more elastic and springy texture, and less sticky when cooked. The addition of Kansui allows the use of lower protein (and therefore less expensive) wheat flour to make noodles with the quality one would expect of noodles made with superior quality flour with higher protein levels."
I know this isn't a typical post since you don't end up with a finished dish, but I really wanted to write a comprehensive post on making ramen noodles from scratch. Here are some recipes for ramen and ramyeon that you can use these alkaline noodles for:
- Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork Ramen)
- Hokkaido Miso Ramen
- Tsukemen Ramen (Dipping Ramen)
- Chicken Ramen
- Kimchi Ramyeon (Korean style ramen)
- Tonkotsu Miso Ramen
- Spicy Tantanmen Ramen
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 300 grams bread flour (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup water warm
- 1 teaspoon kansui (Potassium Carbonate & Sodium Bi-Carbonate)
Instructions
- Put the 300 grams bread flour in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix the ½ cup water and 1 teaspoon kansui together, then add the mixture to the flour. The flour should immediately start turning yellow. If it doesn't, it's possible your kansui is less concentrated than the one I used, in which case, you will need to experiment to figure out the right amount to add.
- Give the mixture a quick stir with a fork or chopsticks to combine everything then attach the bowl to your stand mixer, attach the dough hook, and run on medium high speed for 10 minutes. It's a dry dough so it will look like a bunch of gravel at this point. Use your hands to divide it in two and press together into two balls. Wrap with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 1 hour.
- Flatten each ball out on a flat surface, and run it through the largest setting of your pasta roller a few times, folding it in half each time. The dough will be ragged the first few runs though but will smooth out. When it starts rolling out smoother, fold it up into a square and wrap with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight.
- When you're ready to cook it, prepare a large pot of water by salting it and bringing it to a boil. Each ball will make enough for 2 bowls of ramen, so figure out how much you need. Flour the dough generously and roll it out to the 3 setting on your pasta roller. Cut the dough in half so you have two sheets of dough a little over 1 foot long and flour generously again.
- Use the spagetti attachment to cut the pasta into long thin noodles, dusting them with flour as they are cut to keep them from sticking together.
- Boil the noodles until they are slightly firmer than the final consistency you want, since they will continue cooking after you remove them from the water. I usually let them boil for about one minute.
Sook says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I can't wait to try this! I love ramen noodles.. and this recipe is much healthier than the store bought ones!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi David, nope not yet. I moved and don't currently have a pasta maker. The dough is going to be extremely brittle, but if you pass it through a pasta maker several times, it should start to come together. Did you use the weight measures for the flour? If not, try using the weight measures as volume measures can be very inaccurate (i.e. the amount of flour that fits in a cup depends on how you scoop the flour).
David Phan says
Hey Marc, did you ever get a chance to make a video for this? I'm having issues with the dough being too brittle and it keeps falling apart... is it suppose to be like this?
Irene says
This is by far the best recipe for handmade noodles. I've tried different recipes but I've never managed to make the noodles so chewy and tasty. Thanks a million!
I made mine by hand, from kneading the dough, rolling it, and cutting it with a knife. A lot of work, but the end result was oh-so-satisfying. I didn't roll the dough thin enough, so I ended up with udon-sized noodles that I had to boil a little longer, but they came out perfectly springy and slippery. I fried the noodles with eggs, soy sauce, fried garlic, and kecap manis. It was like a party in my mouth.
I have some frozen homemade tonkotsu soup, I'll be making soupy ramen next!
Marc Matsumoto says
Glad to hear you like them! The jagged edges will happen, but if you keep folding the dough over and running it through at the largest setting, it should start to smooth out. If not, it's possible that the flour could have something to do with it. You can try adding more kansui as it's what gives the noodles the yellow color, though I wouldn't go too overboard with it as it's a very strong alkali.
Stephen says
also another note, I noticed that the noodles did not look quite as yellow as I was hoping for. I spoke to my local flour Miller and he said that because the flour I buy has been milled within a week of purchase, that it is alot more hearty and full of protein and other nutrients. I wonder if the freshness of the flour has something to do with color, texture and how it rolls out.
next time I am going to roll it out to #4 on the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment because I thought the noodles were a little fat. I'll let you know how it goes.
Stephen says
Just wanted to thank you for the recipe. I am a noodle fanatic and hard core locavore. I make homemade italian pasta all the time and use a local grown and milled organic bread flour with local free-range organic eggs. After my own trip to Ippudo (and yes I even bought the cheesy I Love Ramen shirt) I needed to make home made Ramen. I tried the Lucky Peach Recipe, which uses the baked baking soda as the alkalizing agent and they came out gooey and basically tasted like baking soda.
I made this recipe yesterday for some hard working Urban Farmers and they even cooked the tiny bits. I do have a question about rolling the noodles out using a Kitchen Aid pasta attachment. Because the dough is so dry and tough, flattening the dough seems to always leave me with some zig zag edges and so I lose alot of noodles when I finally cut them. Any suggestions about working that dough to get straighter edges would be great.
Stephen says
Just wanted to thank you for the recipe. I am a noodle fanatic and hard core locavore. I make homemade italian pasta all the time and use a local grown and milled organic bread flour with local free-range organic eggs. After my own trip to Ippudo (and yes I even bought the cheesy I Love Ramen shirt) I needed to make home made Ramen. I tried the Lucky Peach Recipe, which uses the baked baking soda as the alkalizing agent and they came out gooey and basically tasted like baking soda.
I made this recipe yesterday for some hard working Urban Farmers and they even cooked the tiny bits. I do have a question about rolling the noodles out using a Kitchen Aid pasta attachment. Because the dough is so dry and tough, flattening the dough seems to always leave me with some zig zag edges and so I lose alot of noodles when I finally cut them. Any suggestions about working that dough to get straighter edges would be great.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kelly, I really haven't done much experimenting with gluten free flours, you would probably need to change the recipe significantly to use a gluten free flour. The kansui in these noodles reacts with the gluten in wheat flour to produce the texture and color of the noodles. One thing you may want to try is to find konyaku powder. It's the stuff that's used to make those vegan tofu noodles. It's made from a starchy root (voodoo
lily plant), and produces a water insoluble jelly that has a very firm texture. When mixed in smal quantities into a flour (doesn't have to be wheat) based noodle, it produces a noodle with a firmer texture that's doesn't go soggy as easily.
Thomas Abraham says
This recipe sounds really good and I do enjoy ramen very much the only downside is I am wheat intolerant. Is there a way to replace the wheat flour with some type of glutinous rice flour to make it gluten free? I am pretty good at making gluten free foods so if there is a substitute for the wheat flour could you let me know?
Marilia says
This recipe sounds really good and I do enjoy ramen very much the only downside is I am wheat intolerant. Is there a way to replace the wheat flour with some type of glutinous rice flour to make it gluten free? I am pretty good at making gluten free foods so if there is a substitute for the wheat flour could you let me know?
Marc Matsumoto says
To be honest I've never tried freezing these noodles. That said, I know you can freeze the store bought kind, so as long as they're floured well enough, I don't see why you couldn't.
kimchi_mom says
This is awesome. Making homemade ramen (and udon) is a goal of mine this year.
Can you store batches in the freezer?
David C says
If your noodles smell like eggs, you might have added too much kansui. When you cook with basic ingredients (high pH) you can get an eggy smell.
Marc Matsumoto says
Ramen noodles really need to be cooked on the spot or they will stretch out and not taste very good. That said, if you have no other choice, you can cook them about 1 minute less then what the package says, then when you drain them, wash them with cold water to stop the cooking immediately. Then toss them in oil to prevent them from sticking.
Gabriella Cavallucci says
Hi Matsumoto! I'm gonna participate in an anime convention in wich I'll prepare lots of ramen, my question is, how can store the noodles pre-cooked for the next day without ruin them?? because in the convention I'm not gonna be able to cook anything.
Gabriella Cavallucci says
Hi Matsumoto! I'm gonna participate in an anime convention in wich I'll prepare lots of ramen, my question is, how can store the noodles pre-cooked for the next day without ruin them?? because in the convention I'm not gonna be able to cook anything.
red rock noodle bar says
My favorite is Ramen noodles, i have some recipe but i was searching something for something new. This seems pretty interesting!
MANMAN BAKER says
EHHHH THIS IS NASTY
MANMAN BAKER says
EHHHH THIS IS NASTY
Mugen says
Thanks Marc. I will try again reducing the solution. Hope it turn out good.
Thanks again...
Marc Matsumoto says
Were you using food-grade lye? It's possible the solution you were using is much more concentrated than the kansui I had. You could try and reduce the quantity you use. Either that or you can make sodium carbonate from sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) by baking it in an oven. This is pretty well documented on the internet if you do a search and might yield better results for you.
Mugen says
Thanks for replying me soon.
It smell like a bit stink. the only different with the ingredient is that i can't find koon chun kansui in my place, so i use lye water.
the texture of the dough is dry and not sticky, so that i don't use any flour to sprinkle on it when i rolled the dough. 1st roll is very dry, and smoother when i roll it again and again until smooth.
the noodle texture looks fine (i can't explain it).
when i try to touch the pot after cook the noodle, my fingers is very sticky.
the pot i used is about 25cm diameter and height about 20cm, and i fill the water about 3/4 pot.
Marc Matsumoto says
The dough may change color a little in the fridge, but it should not smell bad. What does it smell like? What about the texture of the noodles? The water turning white might be a result of using too much flour when dusting the noodles. Also, you should only use the water to boil one batch of noodles (unless you're using a very large pot with a lot of water).
Mugen says
Hi Marc,
I have a problem with my noodle. My dough is in a good shape. After i keep in the fridge for overnight, it smell bad. When I cooked my noodle, my pot of water turned out like very sticky on the wall of pot, and the colour of the water is not clear (very white).
And after I put my noodle into my ramen soup, and I stir it, it changed a bit my ramen flavor (taste worsen).
And after 3rd attempt using the same water to cook my noodle, the water is very cloudy.
Any idea what I did wrong? I make the dough exactly as you mention in your recipe.
Thank you
Marc Matsumoto says
You might be able to use a food processor. Doing it by hand is doable in theory, but unless you are pretty burly, you might have a tough time with the very firm dough.
Milkteddy says
Thanks for the recipe but i don't own a mixer . Is there another way to mix the dough together ? perhaps kneading it instead?
Milkteddy says
Thanks for the recipe but i don't own a mixer . Is there another way to mix the dough together ? perhaps kneading it instead?
Marc Matsumoto says
The trick to hand pulling noodles is to make a looser dough (i.e. more water), kneading it well, then letting it relax overnight. If the noodles break it's because the gluten chains are too wound up still. There are videos on YouTube that demonstrate the process.
couzinhub says
Thanks for this, I love discovering new ways to make noodle and this was definitely a great success. My wife got a bit scared when she saw me using a bottle with "CAUTION" written all over it, but the result was really perfect. My only comment is that the setting 3 makes my noodle way too thick, different machine I guess, but I had the perfect thickness at 6.
I'm also very interested into hand-pulling noodles, do you know any ressources about this? I cannot find anything convincing…
Thank !
Minnsota_fats1 says
i am so full of noodles ty
Team Bushido says
when i tried boil my ramen they smell like rotten eggs =/
Team Bushido says
when i tried boil my ramen they smell like rotten eggs =/
vacafrita says
Made these last night and they were amazing! I was cursing your name when trying to run that brittle, dry dough through the pasta machine, but in the end, I had a nice, springy, chewy noodle that was better than anything I've ever bought from the Chinese grocery. Thanks!! You have a new fan! 🙂
Kgodes says
I use the 'Baked' soda in place of kansui and the results are great. Preparing the soda is simple and i have been using the same batch of baked soda for months.
Great in soups or par cooked and fried.
Thanks for the great article.
Tony says
Great research! An old professor of mine pointed me to your blog as we both love Ramen and making our own noodles. I really enjoy your breakdown of the kansui and history of it. I have spent my time concentrating on getting a good noodle dough and pulling good noodles, but after reading your post I am going to concentrate a little more on the soup part! Feel free to email if you ever want to talk about pulling noodles! Thanks for posting!
Tony
jk2001 says
Baking *soda* not baking powder.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Michael, I'm not sure where you got the idea this is gluten free, but this is a recipe that needs flour with a high gluten content (bread flour), so it's definitely not gluten-free.
K. Michael Moser says
where's the gluten free part?
K. Michael Moser says
where's the gluten free part?
Marc Matsumoto says
Harold McGee has a recipe using baked baking soda instead. I've never tried it, but in theory it should work: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/dining/15curious.html
Nick Grillo says
Hi there,
so i was going to try out your tonkotsu ramen recipe and make these noodles to go with it but im having trouble finding kansui. ive found some websites that break down the chemical elements that you can purchase and mix your own. some that also say that its basically the same thing as lye water, but if your recipe is designed for a powder id imagine adding lye water instead would alter texture. not to mention who knows if the proportions of the chemicals would be similar. for the life of me i cant find a kansui online to purchase. any link you can provide to an online shop that stocks it?
Cjchun250 says
I have used your recipe 3 times now, and we love it! We used a little baking powder in place of the kansui, and a little gluten flour to promote elasticity. Tried making them once with whole wheat flour, but they didn't turn out very good.
douglas says
I'm trying for the first time since i got back from japan to make ramen myself and i will post what the results are but i came across this site and its helped tremendously i'm making my stock tonight and then putting it all together tomorrow.
says
I sure do love your website! I'm on my way to making homemade tonkotsu ramen, and that sounds good to me ^^
Anthony M says
The dough was very tough and non elastic after kneading it. I left it to rest for about an hour and it still was not very elastic. I thought I'd messed up following direction and was about to trash my dough. However, I'd decided to run it through the pasta machine and it turned out great! I'd boiled it and served it to my family and they were amazed. Thanks for the recipe.
ithink92 says
Bake the baking soda in a layer on a foil covered pan at 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour and it's almost as good. This process makes it pure sodium bicarbonate and a much stronger alkali.
edith says
Hey thanks for the authentic ramen recipe! Most recipes I found would put eggs in the recipe which already is a no-no.. especially if you watch Tampopo..
After reading this recipe I found a Japanese ramen recipe the other day, and tried to decipher it with my limited Japanese. It said that for liquid Kansui you would normally use 2% of the weight of the flour. Which means your third batch is actually the right ratio! The other thing to try is to mix half and half high protein flour (bread flour) and plain flour..
I've tried making noodles with the only lye water brand I could find here in Melbourne, but it only contains potassium carbonate, with 'poison' written in big letters on the bottle. I tried it anyway using only 1/4 tsp in fear of poisoning myself. The results was not bad but noodle starts to discolour after putting it in the fridge for a day.. hmmmmm
I read again that baking powder (made out of 2:1 cream of tartar:baking soda) could be the closest substitute for Kansui.. so that would be my next trial (or error)..
Wahlee says
I eventually did start to boil the noodles for 30 seconds, however, the noodles still would lose the chewiness before finishing the whole bowl. I will try the addition of 1/2 tsp kansui to the recipe this weekend. I also may add a tsp of salt also to the dough next time too. I love your website and the fact that you respond so quickly! =)
Wahlee says
Yes... I have had the problem with a dough that is too wet that doesn't cut properly when making pasta before. I don't add the water to get it to hold together when mixing. Just a small tsp or tbs when I am trying to gather the dough together. Once I gather the dough together, it still looks crumbly. At that point, I wrap it in plastic and let it sit for at least 30 mins. or until the crumbs can be worked into the dough without the addition of water.