ASIAN NOODLES
Baked soda (sodium carbonate) is a standard ingredient in Chinese kitchens, where it’s called jian. It is the defining ingredient in Chinese alkaline wheat noodles. Jian increases their springiness and gives them a distinctive flavor and slippery mouth-feel. It also tints them yellow.
The version of Chinese alkaline noodles most familiar in the West is the Japanese ramen soup noodle. 

Ingredients
  • 8 oz organic unbleached plain flour
  • 1/2 tsp baked soda (see below)
  • 4 oz lukewarm water

for baked soda
To make baked soda, spread it out evenly on a lined baking tray and bake at about 250-300 degrees F for one hour. It will lose about 1/3 of its weight in water and carbon dioixide. You can do more than you need and keep in a tightly sealed jar for future egg noodles/ramen making. Be careful handling it, it's not as strongly alkaline as lye, but it's still strong enough to irritate!

For Noodles
  1. Dissolve baked soda in the warm water, and then add this alkaline water to the flour slowly, mixing it in just till it comes together to form a shaggy dough. Don’t add it all at a once just in case it needs less or more. Note this dough should be fairly dry and crumbly. You will see the flour turn yellow almost instantly. Magic. 
  2. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, then wrap and set aside for 20 minutes. Work again for another 5 minutes or till you get a nice pliable dough. It should be quite hard to knead but don't give up.
  3. Wrap again and give it a final rest in the fridge for anytime from 1 hour to overnight.
  4. Cut the dough into 2 or 3 portions. Roll out each portion using a pasta machine, going from the thickest setting down to as thin a setting as you like. Keep it well floured to avoid sticking.
  5. To cook, simply drop the noodles into boiling salted water till cooked. The timing will depend on the type of noodle, but as they are fresh noodles they will cook quickly.
    Mee pok and ramen noodles will only need a very quick blanching to keep them al dente, while hokkien noodles should have a slightly softer texture.

You can do hokkien noodle, mee pok, and non-curly ramen noodle (in pasta terms, think spaghetti, fettucine, and spaghettini respectively).
For hokkien noodles: 3rd setting, and then the spaghetti cutter to cut into round noodles.
For mee pok: the thinnest setting, and then slice into 5mm wide flat noodles.
For ramen noodles: use the 2nd setting, and then use the spaghetti cutter (if you have an angel hair cutter, even better).

“Panda” Style Chow Mein 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Chinese style fresh noodles
  • 1/4 c. soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1-2 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
  • ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1/2 c. (one piece) chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
  • 1/2 small onion or several spring onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 c. chopped cabbage 
  • 1/2 cup carrot sliced thinly
  • 1/4 cup red pepper sliced thinly
  • 1/4 cup (small handful) snow peas sliced thinly
Instructions
    1. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, ginger and black pepper (and oyster sauce if using). 
    2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Boil the noodles for 2 minutes, drain and rinse well with cold water. Place the noodles in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
    3. Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add garlic, celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent. Add carrots, cabbage, red pepper, and snow peas and saute an additional minute or so.
    4. Toss noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through. Serve.