How to make ramen from scratch

Meat soups Japanese cuisine

Ramen noodles are springy because they're made with kansui, an alkaline lye solution. However, as Harold McGee discovered, baking soda makes a good substitute when heated in the oven to increase its potency. This recipe combines McGee/Dan Felder's method in Lucky Peach, along with the traditional method of using a combination of high gluten and low gluten flour. I swapped out some of the low gluten flour for an alternative flour (rye, kamut, whole wheat, buckwheat are just some possibilities) to add flavor, nutrients, and color. Feel free to experiment with your own substitutions -- that's the best part about making noodles from scratch!