How to measure servings of spaghetti?
You can simply measure spaghetti/pasta servings with your hand:
With your thumb and index finger, hold a large handful of spaghetti. You are holding one serving of spaghetti if your index finger touches the thumb’s basal joint; two servings of spaghetti if your index finger touches the thumb’s middle joint; and three servings of spaghetti if your index finger touches the thumb’s tip.
However, because different people would naturally have different hand sizes, this method could only measure the servings approximately. I do have relevantly small hands. You might want to start with my measuring method and reduce the amount of spaghetti if you have large hands.
Of course, a kitchen scale can also be used to measure the spaghetti. One serving of dry or undercooked spaghetti should weigh approximately 113g, two servings 225g, three servings 338g, and four servings 450g when served as the main course.
2 servings of spaghetti
How exactly does kansui work?
Kansui prevents the formation of gluten because it raises the pH levels in the noodle dough. The small network of proteins called gluten is present in bread flours and helps the dough retain air and rise. Without gluten, bread wouldn’t be soft, airy, and light; instead, it would resemble flat, dense loaves. Noodles are much more flexible and have a different texture when the gluten in them does not develop.
If you’ve ever watched videos of Chinese chefs pulling noodles by hand, you’ve probably seen them stretch out hundreds of strands with a few arm flicks. Instead of being slack and effectively stretching under its own weight, the dough would pull and fight back on the noodles if they still had a strong gluten network.
So let’s recap a bit. Spaghetti and noodles are essentially made of the same ingredients. The alkaline kansui used to make noodles is what gives them their distinct flavor and texture.
And THAT’S where the baking soda comes in! Baking soda functions a lot like kansui because it’s an alkaline. As the alkaline water is incorporated directly into the dough of the chow meal in the noodles, adding a small amount of baking soda to boiling spaghetti can yield an almost exact replica of the dish. You will make approximately 80% of the way there, which is absolutely fine with me!
But some claim that using baked baking soda is actually more effective—no, that’s not a typo. When baking soda is added to water, its alkaline qualities are enhanced, giving it a texture and flavor that is even more similar to authentic chow mein noodles.
Sauce for stir fry spaghetti
The ingredients for my stir-fried spaghetti sauce are very basic and traditional chow mein seasonings:
– Sugar: for a subtle sweet taste. If you want to achieve a real Chinese stir-fried noodle flavor, don’t skimp.
– Light soy sauce: for a savory flavor. Light soy sauce is golden brown in color and rich in taste to add flavor during marinating and seasoning stage.
– Dark soy sauce: for a brown and shiny look. Dark soy sauce is used to add deep colors to meat stews and casseroles and often paired with light soy sauce to achieve the perfect taste and color.
– Oyster sauce: for a rich and complex caramelized savory flavor. Oyster sauce is so often used in Chinese stir fry dishes. Vegetarian version of oyster sauce is made from mushrooms. Other than that, it’s hard to find another substitution of oyster sauce. You may try using hoisin sauce instead if you can’t find oyster sauce anywhere.
Check out my homemade oyster sauce recipe.
Chinkiang vinegar: to intensify the aroma of spaghetti stir-fried in oil One tablespoon of vinegar won’t make your noodles taste sour because most of it will evaporate while you stir-fry them, giving Chinese restaurants their distinctive, wonderful aroma. If Chinkiang vinegar is unavailable, you can substitute it with any other black rice vinegar or even cooking wine. Since the cooking wine will also evaporate and give your stir-fried spaghetti a more traditional Chinese cuisine aroma
– Sesame oil: to avoid sticking and to give off a nutty scent When preparing stir-fried noodles, the last thing you want to see is the noodles sticking together. Not only will this dish smell better when the noodles are coated with sesame oil, but it will also keep the noodles from sticking together.
