Green Tea Soup Noodles

Soup noodles are Asian comfort food.  The are the quintessential cold-weather meal as they are delicious and so easy to prepare.  All you need is a rich stock (boxed is fine!), cooked meat (even lunch meat will do!), and some veggies (pre-washed works!) and dinner is ready.

It’s so easy to buy pre-made wheat noodles at an Asian market or even the Asian food aisle of your local grocery store, but once in a while why not make things more interesting?  Here’s where Matcha Soup Noodles come into the picture.

Matcha green tea is so easy to bake with because it comes in powdered form and is packed with vitamins, nutrients, and of course, flavor!  Adding it to a pasta dough is an easy transition as it gives the noodles a slight vegetal taste and beautiful green color.  These green tea flavored noodles pair well with Asian stocks and sauces and will easily work in any recipe calling for wheat-based noodles.

Like Asian-Style breads, more often than not Asian noodles have a tender, white starch base (like white flour or white rice flour) and very rarely contain whole wheat, so if you are a traditionalist only use all-purpose flour to make these noodles.  Although it does make the noodles’ texture more gritty, I like adding whole wheat into my noodle dough for the added nutritional benefit.  This is a really untraditional thing to do, but I went ahead included this healthier recipe option below.  Using whole wheat flour calls for a splash of extra water, so please watch how much to add according to the directions.

If you notice that the noodles are sticking to each other after cutting them, sprinkle them with bench flour and use a mesh strainer to knock off any excess flour.  You may also want to dust your knife or pizza cutter liberally with flour.

Since these are fresh noodles, it’s very important not to overcook them.  Just about 2-2 1/2 minutes will do to keep them pleasantly al dente.  And if your stock isn’t ready by the time the noodles are done boiling, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking process.  The noodles will become broken or mushy if boiled for too long.

These matcha noodles are best served with a deep, flavorful soup base.  Personally I like to eat these with a Japanese dashi stock and some thinly sliced char-siu pork.  Chicken or beef stock will make equally delicious soup bases to pair with these delicately flavored noodles, especially if you add a nub or two of fresh ginger to give the broth some extra Asian inspiration.

Green Tea Soup Noodles

Makes 6 servings.

Wheat Noodle Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp matcha tea

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp fine salt

2/3 cup boiling water

1/4 cup cold water

bench flour

{VARIATION} Whole Wheat Noodle Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour + 1 cup whole wheat flour

3 Tbsp matcha tea

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 tsp fine salt

2/3 cup boiling water

1/3 cup cold water

bench flour

Equipment:

sharp knife or pizza cutter

ruler

rolling pin

stand mixer with dough hook (optional)

chopsticks (optional)

mesh strainer

Directions:

1.)  Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix with hands (or chopsticks).  If using stand mixer, combine all ingredients in mixing bowl, then mix on low and proceed to step 4.

2.)  Boil 1 cup of water and measure out 2/3 cup.  Pour the boiling water directly on the flour mixture, and mix around the ingredients to create a shaggy dough.  Pour sesame oil and remaining cold water on dough mixture and start to use your hands to create one large shaggy clump of dough.

3.)  On a large work surface, dump out dough mass and start to knead by hand, using a downward pushing motion.  Continue to knead for 10-15 minutes until the mass becomes a smooth, elastic dough ball (i.e. dough doesn’t break off into pieces easily).

4.)  When the dough has become smooth and elastic, shape it into a ball and cover with the large bowl for 1 hour to allow the dough to rest for easier rolling.

5.)  After 1 hour, roll the dough to 10 x 15 rectangle with a rolling pin, or until it is an even 1/4″ thickness.  Let the dough rest again for about 10 minutes, then cut the dough in half for easier handling.  Now roll each piece to an even 1/8″ thickness, trying to keep a rectangular formation with the rolled dough.

6.)  After you get each dough piece to a 1/8″ thickness, set one piece aside and cover with plastic wrap.  With the other piece of dough, use knife or pizza cutter to cut 1/8″ cuts on the surface of the rolled dough, creating noodles with each cut.  After you cut, peel off the pieces of pasta from the work surface to prevent the pieces from sticking to one another, then sprinkle with bench flour as needed.  After you finish with the first piece, repeat this process with the second piece.  Let cut, floured noodles sit out at room temperature uncovered for about an hour to allow any excess moisture to evaporate.

7.)  When ready to eat, bring a large pot of water to a full boil and add in noodles.  Boil noodles for about 2-2 1/2 minutes.  They are cooked when they float on the water’s surface.  After they have come to the surface, remove the noodle strands, place in strainer, and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.  Place noodles in large soup bowls and pair with your favorite stock, cooked meat, and veggies.  Uncooked pasta can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in the fridge in slightly opened storage container or plastic ziplock bag.

Step By Step:

All dry ingredients go in a large bowl

Mix dry ingredients then add boiling water

To the shaggy mess, add the sesame oil and remaining cold water

Start to gather flour clumps into one large ball

Dump dough mound on work surface

Knead for 10-15 minutes until you get a smooth, elastic ball (or if you have a stand mixer throw everything in there, mix on low, and end up here about 8-10 minutes later)

Cover with bowl for 1 hour to allow gluten to relax for rolling

After 1 hour, roll dough to a 1/4″ even thickness

Cut rolled dough in half for easier handling

With 1 piece of dough, now roll to 1/8″ thickness and start cutting out noodles!

Peel off noodles soon after cutting to prevent sticking

Also sprinkle with bench flour to prevent sticking, then use a mesh strainer to knock off excess flour…Green Tea Soup Noodles!

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