VEGETABLE THUKPA
For the noodles
500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
3 large free-range eggs
About 100ml warm water
2.5 litres water for cooking
1 tsp salt
For the thukpa
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
400g pak choi, washed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp light soy sauce, plus extra to serve
1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar, plus extra to serve
1 tsp salt
½ tsp crushed Sichuan peppercorns
3 spring onions, washed and thinly sliced
● To make the noodles, put the flour in a bowl, crack in the eggs and mix through the flour while slowly pouring in about 100ml of warm water. Depending on your flour, you may need slightly more water. Work the dough into a ball, cover the bowl and set aside for about 15 minutes.
● Take the dough from the bowl, knead until smooth, then divide into four roughly equal pieces. Return three pieces to the bowl and cover again.
● Roll out the remaining piece of dough on a floured work surface. Press down hard, turning it around and around and over and over until you have a large, roughly circular sheet about 2-3mm thick.
● Finally, sprinkle a little more flour on to the dough and, starting from one side, roll the sheet of dough up and over the rolling pin, wrapping it around several times until you reach the other edge.
● Slide out the rolling pin to leave a cylinder of dough. With a sharp knife, and on the diagonal, cut the cylinder into slices.The width of the slices will determine the thickness of your noodles – it’s good to aim for a chopstick’s width.
● Sprinkle a little flour over the noodles. Lift them with your hands and dance them about in the flour until they are all coated and you can prise them apart. Place in a bowl and repeat with the remaining dough.
● Bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan. Add a teaspoon of salt and half the noodles. Stir gently, ideally with chopsticks. Add the rest of the noodles and give them a gentle stir, too.
● Leave to boil for about 5 minutes before tasting to see if they are cooked. When ready, turn off the heat. Don’t drain.
● Meanwhile, heat a wok on a high flame and add the oil. When it’s hot, turn the heat to low-medium and add the garlic. It should take less than a minute to turn golden brown, at which point add the pak choi and stir-fry briskly for about a minute.
● Add the sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt and peppercorns and stir for a further 1-2 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and reduced, releasing their juices in the pan.
● Carefully tip the wok contents into the pan of noodles. Rinse out the last of the vegetables in the wok with a little noodle water. Gently stir it all together and serve in bowls, garnished with spring onions. Add a dash of soy sauce or vinegar to taste.