Alkaline noodles

Alkaline noodlesoralkali noodlesare a variation ofnoodleswith a much higher quantity ofalkalithan usual. The addition of alkali changes both the flavor and texture of the noodles, and makes them feel slippery in the mouth and on the fingers; they also develop a yellow color and are more elastic than ordinary noodles. They are traditional toChinese cuisine. Various flours such as ordinary all-purpose white flour, bread flour, and semolina flour can be used, with somewhat varying results.The yellow color is due toflavonesthat occur naturally in flour, which are normally colorless but turn yellow at alkaline pH.
High alkalinity is typically achieved by the introduction ofsodium carbonate(Na2CO3or sodium salt of carbonic acid) into the primary ingredients.  In parts of China in which alkaline wheat noodles are common, they are traditionally made with alkaline water from wells.  More commonly a mixture of 20%sodium carbonate, which is also an anti-caking agent, and 80%potassium carbonatein water is added directly.This mixture is what the Chinese calljian(碱) orjian shui(碱水) and what the Japanese callkansui(かん水).Sometimes kansui can also be a solution ofsodium hydroxideor a powdered mix of sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and sometimessodium phosphatesin various proportions (solid kansui).
Chinese noodlesfromGansu Provincein China include the chewy "hand-pulled" type,lamian, which are formed with no rolling or extrusion. Proper texture requires the addition of the alkalinepeng hui(蓬灰), which is traditionally derived from the ash of theHalogetonarachnoideusplant.Traditionalpeng huipotashcontains potassium carbonate, which makes the noodle dough softer and more tender by inhibiting the development of gluten.  In 1989 the first artificial replacement was developed by the Lanzhou University (now the Gansu Lisi Food Science & Technology Co.)which is a mixture ofsalt, sodium carbonate,sodium tripolyphosphate, andsodium metabisulfite. "Lanzhou pulled noodles", even though the noodle makers may not be fromLanzhou, the capital of Gansu, are becoming, according to theNew York Times, "a catchphrase that signifies deliciousness everywhere, [like] 'Chicago pizza' or 'New York bagels'."
In addition topeng hui,jian, andkansui,Harold McGee, a well-known American food scientist and author, has drawn on the experience of such noted chefs asDavid Chang, owner of theMomofukuline of restaurants,andFuchsia Dunlopof London, to outline a simple method by which home chefs can make alkaline noodles by baking ordinarybaking sodaat 300 °F (150 °C) for an hour.  By baking the sodium bicarbonate, water vapor andcarbon dioxidegas are released, and what is left is the alkaline sodium carbonate. Only a very small amount of the resultant sodium carbonate is used in the preparation of McGee's pasta dish, just 1 teaspoon of it to 1-1/2 cups of semolina flour.  When preparing the pasta, the sodium carbonate is first dissolved in a small quantity of water, which is then slowly added to the semolina.  Afterwards, the kneaded dough is allowed to rest for an hour and is then rolled out very thin through a pasta machine and processed into the desired form of noodles.
This article incorporates material from theCitizendiumarticle "Alkaline pasta", which is licensed under theCreative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Licensebut not under theGFDL.