Course Pasta & Noodles
Cuisine Asian, Chinese
Keyword authentic, chewiest noodles, chinese noodles, eggs, noodles
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes minutes
Total Time 1 hour hour 33 minutes minutes
Lye Water - Also called kansui, or jian shui, this is a solution of (usually) potassium carbonate in water. It's quite alkaline (basic pH), a property that contributes to both the colour and texture of the finished noodles. It's fairly easy to find at well-stocked Chinese and Asian grocery stores. You can omit it and just use eggs, though the texture may be slightly softer. A DIY substitute can also be made easily by heating a tablespoon or two of baking soda in a low (200°F/95°C) oven for an hour. This yields sodium carbonate, which you can use instead of lye water. Substitute about 1/8 tsp of sodium carbonate for the lye water in this recipe.