Preparation / Directions:
In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the flours and salt to mix them well. Beat the eggs with 5 tablespoons (6 tablespoons for the larger recipe) water. Turn on the machine and gradually add the mixture, processing just until the dough begins to form a ball. You may need to drizzle in the remaining water, but stop processing just before the dough becomes a ball.
Process another 10 seconds if you are going to use a pasta machine to roll out the dough. Process the dough another 35 seconds if you are going to roll it out by hand. Turn the dough, which should be barely sticky, onto a very lightly floured board, and knead it about 1 minute. It should be satiny and not stick to the palm of your hand when you hold it 15 seconds. Cover the dough with plastic or put it in a plastic bag and let it rest half an hour to an hour.
To mix by hand, blend the flours and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and crack the egg into it. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the water and blend it first into the egg and then incorporate the flour. Add enough water to make a lose but not gooey dough. Pick up about 1/3 cup of the dough and rub it vigorously between your hands for about half a minute to develop the gluten and shorten the kneading time.
Repeat with the remaining dough. Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead at least 10 minutes until the dough is satiny and does not stick to the palm of your hand when held for 15 seconds. Oil the dough, cover it with plastic or put it in a plastic bag, and let it rest half an hour to an hour.
The dough may also be made in a heavy-duty mixer and kneaded with a dough hook.
To roll out the dough with a pasta machine, roll the dough into a sausage shape 11/2 inches in diameter and cut it into thirds for the small recipe or quarters for the large. Cover the resting dough with plastic while you roll out the first piece. Flatten the dough piece to a rectangle about 1/4-inch thick and lightly coat both sides with cornstarch. Pass the dough through the thickest setting. Then fold the dough into thirds, flatten it slightly, dust it with cornstarch, and run it through the rollers again, feeding in the unfolded end first.
Repeat this procedure three times. Turn the machine to the next thinnest setting, dust the dough, and roll it through unfolded. Repeat this procedure with each setting up to the fifth setting, or until the dough is 1/8-inch thick for hearty noodles or 1/16-inch thick for delicate noodles and wonton or egg-roll wrappers. Spread the rolled dough on a tea towel to dry slightly and become firm. After you roll out the remaining dough pieces, the first piece should be ready to cut.
Run the cornstarch-dusted dough through the 1/8-inch or 1/16-inch cutting blades of the pasta machine, cut the noodles in half, and dust them with cornstarch. Allow them to dry about 10 minutes before cooking them, or refrigerating or freezing them for future use.
To cut wontons or egg-roll skins, lay one piece of rolled dough on a wooden board, and with a sharp knife and ruler mark off 3-inch squares for wonton or 7-inch squares for egg rolls. If you wish to make round wonton wrappers, cut the dough with a 3-inch-round cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, or opened tin can (e.g., a tuna can). Allow the cut pieces to dry about 10 minutes, then dust them with cornstarch and stack them.
To roll out the dough by hand, it is best to use a long thin rolling pin about 16 inches long. If you are using a standard rolling pin, cut the dough into smaller pieces. Flatten one of the dough pieces into a circle on a cornstarch-dusted board. Place the rolling pin in the center of the circle and roll the dough away from you, then roll the pin toward you in a sweeping motion. Turn the dough a quarter turn and roll again. Continue rolling and turning until the dough is almost 1/16 inch thick.
Put terry toweling along the edge of a table. Dust the dough sheet lightly with cornstarch. Hang the dough from the towel by putting about a third of it on the towel and allowing the remainder to hang over the table. Stretch the dough as thin as possible, holding the end on the towel down while pulling the other end. Allow the dough to dry while you roll out and stretch the remaining dough. Fold the first noodle sheet accordion-style into 3-to 4-inch folds.
With a very sharp knife or Chinese cleaver, cut the noodles by pressing straight down into the folded dough. Fluff the noodles onto a cornstarch-dusted surface and allow them to dry about 15 minutes before storing as described above. The noodles should be dry and silky but not brittle.
A small recipe makes 3/4 pound of noodles.
A large recipe makes about 1 1/4 pounds.
*2 cups (3 cups for larger recipe) bread flour may be substituted for all the flour.
Most Chinese cooks do not make their own noodles, wonton wrappers, or egg-roll skins because the products are available at nearby markets. But not everyone is near a Chinese market, and with a food processor and perhaps a pasta machine within arm's reach, the potentially time-consuming tasks of mixing, kneading, rolling, stretching, and cutting the dough take only minutes.
I have included alternative directions for those who do not own these machines. The same dough may be used to make square or round wonton and egg-roll wrappers.
Source: Linda Burum; Asian Pasta, A cook's guide to the noodles, wrappers and pasta creations of the Eas
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