Hand-pulled noodles (La Mian), a foolproof recipe

Prepare the dough

1. IF KNEADING BY HAND: Mix flour and salt. Add water gradually. Mix with chopsticks/spatula until no more loose flour can be seen. Combine and knead briefly into a dough. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes (covered). Knead again for about 2 minutes until very smooth.
2. IF KNEADING WITH A STAND MIXER: Add flour, salt and water into the mixing bowl. Knead on low speed until a very smooth dough forms.

Coat & rest the dough

1. Divide the dough into two equal parts. With a rolling pin, flatten each piece into a rectangle shape (about ½ cm thick).
2. Thoroughly coat each piece with oil then place them on a tray. Cover with cling film then leave to rest for 1.5 hours.

Cut the dough

1. Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. While waiting, cut the dough.
2. Place one piece of dough on a chopping board. Widthways, cut it into strips: about 1 cm wide if making round, thin noodles; about 3 cm wide if making flat, wide noodles.

Pull the noodles (see note 3 for alternative method)

1. Pick up one strip of dough by holding each end gently. Pull towards opposite directions. The movement should be smooth and consistent.
2. As your arms move apart, bounce the noodle against the worktop to help it stretch further.
3. Fold the noodle and repeat the movement (Please refer to the video below).

Cook the noodles

1. Drop the pulled noodle into boiling water. Repeat the procedure to pull other strips cut from the first piece of dough.
2. Cook 1 minute for the thin noodles or 2 minutes for the wide noodles (While waiting, cut the second piece of dough into strips.). Transfer the noodles to a serving bowl using a pair of chopsticks.
3. Repeat to pull and cook the second bowl of noodles.

Serve the noodles

1. To avoid the noodles sticking to each other, serve immediately.
2. You may add a broth or mix the noodles with toppings/dressings. Please see note 4 for recipe links.

Store & Reheat

1. If not serving straight away, you need to briefly rinse the noodles with cold water then add a few drops of sesame oil and stir well. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
2. To reheat: Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Add the noodles and cook for no more than 30 seconds.