With just 3 ingredients, you can prepare dao xiao mian, or knife-shaved/cut noodles, at home. A delicious spicy garlic sesame sauce that goes well with noodles is also something I’m sharing. They can be a delectable side dish or become a full meal. My first exposure dao xiao mian was in Singapore. I ordered it at a food court with a friend, and if I recall correctly, it was at Food Republic. I was constantly astounded by the person who was slicing the noodle dough in front of me. The dao xiao mian was served as a noodle soup, and he was moving so quickly. Then, a few years ago, when my mother visited, she brought a large package of dried knife-cut noodles that she had purchased in Singapore. I became addicted to her incredible spicy garlic sesame sauce that she made to serve with the noodles.
Use lots of flour. A VERY sharp knife. Hang the pasta sheet on a towel over the back of a chair to slightly air dry before rolling into a tube. Rolling won’t be possible if you wait too long. But it will help with fine knife cuts.
You have a variety of noodle-forming options when making homemade pasta. You can cut individual noodles from it, extrude it (like in my play dough experiment), put it through a special pasta machine, or, as this instructable demonstrates, roll the dough and cut noodles quickly and efficiently. Once your dough is the desired thickness, simply roll it into a tube and cut it with a sharp knife to the desired thickness. Simply unroll each spiral into a long noodle once the dough has been cut into spirals, then either dry them out or cook them right away. I hope it makes your life easier because this method of cutting pasta noodles is very straightforward.
The spicy garlic sesame tossing sauce is really good
It is slightly spicy (or you can make it spicier), savory, slightly tangy and it’s so good not only with dao xiao mian, but with any wheat-based noodles. I usually double the recipe as it can be kept in the fridge for a week. It can be kept frozen for up to one month. Simply thaw in the fridge before using.
What is dao xiao mian
Dao xiao mian is Shanxi specialty. Do not confuse this with La Mian or Biang Biang Noodles, which are hand-pulled noodles. Knife-cut/knife-shave noodles aren’t pulled by hands. Instead, a person would use one hand to hold a thick block of dough at an angle while using the other to shave the noodles into a pot of boiling water. Then not too long ago, I quickly purchased two packs of dried dao xiao mian from our neighborhood Asian grocery store. Since they first tried grandma’s dao xiao mian, my kids have loved it.
FAQ
How can I cut noodles at home?
In a pot or large saucepan, bring plenty of water to a gentle boil. Cut and cook the noodles. Hold the scissors in one hand while holding the dough in the other. Noodle strips should be cut from the dough and dropped into the pot of water.
How do you cut up noodles?
Slice off pieces of noodles with a sharp knife, just like you would a vegetable. This makes it easier to control the thickness and length. If the cut noodles start to adhere to one another, bread flour them. Once all of the noodles have been cut, place them in salted boiling water and stir to prevent clumping.
