Gluten and Non-glutinous Noodles

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Ingredients:

• 250g (8.8 oz) bread flour
  
• 150 ml water
  
• Some salt
  
• Some oil
  

Directions:

(1) Dissolve salt into water, add to the bread flour and knead into dough. (Pic 1, 2, 3)

Pic. 1

Pic. 2

Pic. 3

(2) Wrap the dough with plastic and set aside for at least 30 minutes. (Pic 4)

Pic. 4

(3) Put the dough into a strainer. Set the strainer in a container filled with water. Wash the dough in the water. When the water turns white, replenish with fresh water and continue to wash. Repeat for 3 to 4 times until water stays clean. What is left in the strainer is gluten. (Pic 5, 6)

Pic. 5

Pic. 6

(Note: The first time when you wash the dough, wash it for a longer time. Do not dump the water from the first wash. Save in a separate container to make non-glutinous noodles or pancakes.) (4) Keep the washed gluten in a plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. When the small holes in the gluten disappear, it means the gluten is ready. (Pic 7: Uncooked gluten.)

Pic. 7 Uncooked gluten

(5) Pinch or cut the gluten into small pieces. Deep fry till golden brown. You may also make the gluten into various shapes and boil them. Keep the water at the boiling point by adding some cold water before the water bubbles too much. When the gluten pieces rise to the surface, take them out.

(6) The fried or boiled gluten can be used for making soup or frying with vegetables. It can also marinate in soy sauce or other kinds of sauces to your liking, for barbecue or stew.

Processing the water from washing gluten:

Pic. 8

(1) Filter the water with a fine strainer. Keep the water in a container and store in the refrigerator for over 4 hours or overnight, to let the deposit settle. (2) Remove from the refrigerator. Slowly pour out the clearer water on the top and allow the deposit to stay at the bottom. Do not pour all the water out, save 120 ml of it in the container. Stir the deposit evenly with a spoon. This is the mixture to make non-glutinous noodles. (Pic 8: the deposit for making non-glutinous noodles.)

Directions for making Non-glutinous Noodles

(1) Brush a little oil on the surface of a oblong metal pan. Pour noodle mixture into the pan to form a thin layer. (Pic 9)

Pic. 9

(2) Place the pan in a pot filled with water and steam over high heat for about 15 minutes until noodle mixture puffs up a little and becomes a transparent sheet. (Pic 10)

Pic. 10

(3) Remove the pan from hot water and place it in a container filled with cold water and allow pan float until cool. After it cools down, use a spatula to remove the sheet from the pan and brush oil on both sides. Cut into strips. Mix with your favorite sauce, some cucumber shreds or other ingredients, and the delicious noodle is ready to serve. *The mixture can also be used to make frying pancakes (Pic 11) or mix with other kinds of starch to make various foods. *The dehydrated deposit from washing gluten is called non-glutinous flour available on the market. It is often used for making semi-transparent wrappers for Chinese food, such as crystal dumplings.