For all you noodle lovers out there, have you ever wanted an unlimited supply of noodles? Well Thermomix® is just the right appliance for you. Why? The answer is simple, it’s because with Thermomix®, you can easily make your own unlimited supply of noodles at the comfort of your own home! What’s more, while making noodles may be time consuming for some but with Thermomix®, you can be rest assured that your noodles will be done in a jiffy! It’s not only that, homemade noodles/pasta is actually so easy to make that you won’t even need a pasta machine.
Primarily pasta and noodles are both made of different ingredients where pasta is made with durum semolina and noodles are made from your typical common wheat flour. Durum semolina is a type of ingredient that is a lot coarser than wheat flour and it contains a certain component which gives the vibrant yellow colour to pasta. Other than that, pasta is very commonly eaten al dente whereas with noodles, most people often relate terms such as elastic, firm and soft to describe noodles. Through this comparison, you can sort of see what people look for when eating either pasta or noodles and because of this comparison, you can see that there are definitely differences, be it in the way of cooking the noodles/pasta as well as the way of preparing it, in between noodles and pasta. As such the internet has come up with a strong statement in which it states that all types of noodles are essentially a part of pasta but pasta are not always noodles. Just reading the statement made us dizzy but well, we will leave this up to your judgement because either way, both of these variants are delicious and filling. Not to mention, it is also fun to slurp especially when it is mixed in broths or sauces!
As history would tell, noodles are one of the most important staple foods in many Asian countries such as Malaysia, China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand and so on, some would even claim that they are a staple food because of how easily it is found in any dining shop you come across. Because of that, there are so many different ways of cooking noodles/pasta all around the world and some of the examples are stir fry noodles, dry stirred noodles, soup noodles, cold noodles with dipping sauce, and so much more. The list is neverending! Whereas in western countries, pasta comes in various different sizes and shapes. How fun!
Did you know that the first ever recorded history of noodles was found in China when a 4,000 year old noodle bowl was unearthed in Lajia, a bronze age archaeological site? Prior to the discovery of the noodle bowl in China, various theories have been made regarding the origins of noodles and where it was first invented. Some researchers speculated that the noodles were first invented in China whereas some debated on Italy as well as Arab. However, although the noodle bowl is unearthed in China, additional evidence is needed to further prove that noodles were first invented in China. Thus, to date, there is still an ongoing debate regarding this topic amongst many.
So let’s find out why noodles/pasta are favored in so many countries and people. To start off, noodles/pasta is one of those basic food groups that you can safely include in your healthy diet because it is mainly made from grains. Even better if it is made with whole grains, not only does it help regulate your bowel movements and lower your cholesterol levels, it can also supply you with a good source of energy.
Other than that, it is also filling since it’s made from grains, it can easily curb your cravings in desiring more food for a long period of time. Thus, in return not only does it make you less emotional from the feeling of hunger, it can also help in promoting weight loss. Throughout the years, pasta has always had a bad rep among fitness enthusiasts and people who are aiming to lose weight because of its carbohydrates. However, in recent years, research has shown that carbs actually do not keep you from losing weight! Well, that is as long as you eat it moderately. In fact there was one study which has proven that people who ate pasta/noodles as part of their mediterranean diet had a lower overall body mass index (BMI) compared to those who didn’t. Moreover, the research also showed that they had less belly fats too!
You can also gain all sorts of health benefits from whole-grain noodles/pasta too. There are several components in the pasta/noodles which are able to help protect you from certain diseases or illnesses such as stomach or colon cancer. And with pasta/noodles having a low glycemic index (GI), a measure of how fast sugar gets into your bloodstream, it can help in preventing diabetes or obesity too. But of course all that is nothing if you don’t maintain a proper diet and pasta/noodles are just a great alternative to replace white rice which has a high GI.
In addition to that, making your own noodles/pasta is a rather affordable alternative compared to store bought ones. The basic ingredients needed such as flour, water, salt and eggs are all ingredients that you can easily find in your pantry and since it is filling, you can easily feed the whole family without needing to break the bank. Furthermore, because of its versatility, you can serve it as a breakfast, lunch, dinner, starter or even as a side dish because it compliments just about everything.
You can also easily cook them up for quick meals. Once the water boils, you’re pretty much done since it only takes a minute or three to fully cook through the pasta/noodles. Dress it with some seasoning of your preferred choice such as sesame oil, dark caramel sauce, soy sauce and more, and it’s basically ready to eat.
Moreover since making noodles/pasta is so easy, you can invite your friends or family over to make it together for some special bonding time. Furthermore, researches have shown that when children are involved in the cooking process, they gain healthy eating habits for life! Have fun with your family and make some wholesome noodles/pasta at home together, using your Thermomix!
Besides, instead of buying ready-to-eat noodles, it is actually very easy to make your own fresh and preservative-free noodles or pasta. Making your own noodles is healthier not only because you can control the ingredients used but you can also avoid hidden ingredients, additives, colouring, preservatives and industrial processes, which are ingredients often used in the production of commercial store-bought noodles. Let’s get started with it through this step by step recipe then.
Homemade Noodles/Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
- 270g water
- 20g oil
- 450g high protein flour
- 50g low protein flour
- 5g salt
- 1600g water
Instructions:
Firstly, add all of the ingredients into the mixing bowl and set it to knead for 3 minutes.
After it is done kneading remove the dough from your Thermomix mixing bowl and set aside to rest for 20 minutes.
It is important to let your dough rest for at least 20 minutes after kneading as this gives it time to let the flour fully absorb the wet ingredients and for the gluten to relax which in return helps make your noodles/pasta to be stretched to a certain extent without breaking easily.
While the dough is resting, fill the now empty mixing bowl with 1,600g of water and insert the simmering basket on top of the mixing bowl. Boil the water at 100ºC for 10 minutes at speed 3.5.
After the dough is done resting, roll the dough into a flat sheet with about 1⁄4 inch thickness. Once done, you can either lightly flour the surface of the dough and fold up the dough to cut it into thin stripes or you can just cut it as it is.
You can cut the dough into however thin stripes you want your noodles to be
Once done, drop the noodles into the simmering basket of boiling water earlier through the lid hole and cook for 1 minute.
Remove the noodles from the boiling water once 1 minute is up and rinse the noodles over cold water to prevent them from sticking together.
Set aside the noodles to cook as noodles in soup or add in fresh ingredients and condiments to serve as dry stirred noodles according to your preference.
If you wish to save the noodles for later you can either put them in the refrigerator for one or two days, or store the noodles in the freezer for at least 2 to 3 months. Other than that, you can also keep them in an airtight container or have them vacuum packed.
Tips:
?: If you own a pasta/noodle maker, you may substitute flattening the dough with it.