Tried to make ramen from scratch and ended up with jelly noodles

I was in my tiny kitchen last Tuesday, thought I'd be fancy and make ramen noodles from scratch. Followed a recipe I found online, but I accidentally swapped the measurements for water and baking soda. The dough turned into this weird gelatinous blob that wouldn't roll out. I panicked and tried to cook it anyway, ended up with a pot of clear jelly strips that tasted like soap. My roommate walked in and asked if I was making science projects again. Had to order pizza at 9 PM. Has anyone else had a kitchen experiment go completely sideways?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan3699d ago

Honestly, the "jelly noodles" part really got me because I did something similar with salt instead of sugar in a bread recipe once. What worked for me after that disaster was just sticking to the basics, like using pre-made noodles from the Asian market until I got the hang of it. Maybe try a simpler dough next time, like just flour and water for basic alkaline noodles, and test a tiny batch before committing to a full pot. Also, I found that following a video tutorial instead of a written recipe helped me not mess up the ingredient ratios. The soapy taste probably meant the baking soda was way too concentrated, so maybe mix it with water first next time. It happens to all of us, so don't let it kill your cooking vibe.

terryk289d ago

Whoa, that jelly noodle story is wild but honestly I bet the texture issue is more about the water content than just the baking soda. I mean, when you add too much alkaline stuff it can mess with how the starches gelatinize and you end up with that weird gummy or slimy feeling. Have you tried checking the pH level of your dough? You can get test strips at a brewing store or online and it takes the guesswork out of how much baking soda or kansui to use. Maybe it's just me but I feel like most people skip that step and then get surprised when their noodles turn into a science experiment.