Spelt udon-style noodles are thick, chewy noodles made from spelt flour, water and salt, tossed here in a tahini and soy sesame sauce. The dough needs 10 minutes of kneading and a 40-minute rest. The noodles boil in 10 minutes.
The dough feels dry and crumbly at first. That’s normal. Keep kneading and it comes together into a firm, smooth ball. The spelt gives the noodles a soft bite and a mild nutty flavor.
The sauce is a quick whisk of tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar and a little maple syrup. It stays creamy and clean, not heavy. Cucumber and spring onion add crunch.
You can cut the noodles up to 2 days ahead and keep them in the refrigerator. Boil them when you’re ready to eat, and the steps stay the same.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Noodles come from three pantry staples: flour, water and salt.
- The cut noodles keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Spelt gives a soft chew and a mild nutty flavor.
- The sauce takes 5 minutes and needs one small bowl.
Ingredient Notes
- white spelt flour: Use white (light) spelt flour for a smooth dough. Wholemeal spelt works but needs about 10 to 15 ml more water and gives denser noodles.
- tahini: Stir the jar well before measuring, since the oil separates. Smooth peanut butter works as a swap and gives a stronger flavor.
- soy sauce: Regular soy sauce is fine here. Low-sodium soy sauce lowers the salt noticeably, and the dough already carries its own seasoning.
- rice vinegar: Apple cider vinegar works in the same amount. Add it gradually and taste, since it is a little sharper.
- potato starch: Cornstarch works equally well for dusting. Either one keeps the cut strands from sticking to each other.
Spelt Udon-Style Noodles with Sesame Sauce and Cucumber
Description
A stiff spelt dough rests for 40 minutes, gets rolled and cut by hand, then boils into chewy noodles that hold a creamy tahini and soy sauce.
Ingredients
Noodles
Sesame sauce
To serve
Instructions
Make the dough
- Dissolve the 12 g salt in 190 ml warm water. Put 400 g spelt flour in a 25 cm / 10-inch mixing bowl, pour in the salt water and mix with your hand until shaggy clumps form.
- Turn the clumps onto a clean counter and knead for 10 minutes. The dough looks dry and crumbly for the first few minutes, so keep pressing it together. If loose flour remains after 5 minutes, sprinkle on 1 tsp water and continue until the dough is firm and smooth.
- Shape the dough into a ball, seal it in a zip-top bag and rest it at room temperature for 40 minutes.
Prepare the sauce and toppings
- While the dough rests, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, maple syrup, garlic and ginger in a 15 cm / 6-inch bowl. Whisk in the warm water 1 tbsp at a time until the sauce falls from the spoon in a thick ribbon. Cut the cucumber into thin matchsticks and slice the spring onions.
Roll, cut and cook
- Put 2.5 L / 2.6 quarts of water in a 24 cm / 9.5-inch, 4-quart (3.8 L) pot, cover it and set it over high heat. Divide the rested dough in two. Dust the counter with spelt flour and roll each piece with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 40 x 25 cm and 3 mm thick.
- Dust each sheet with potato starch and fold it loosely into thirds. Cut across the fold with a sharp knife into strips about 4 mm wide, then shake the strips loose and dust them lightly with more starch.
- Add the noodles to the boiling water and stir once in the first minute. Boil for 10 minutes, until the noodles are chewy and no white core remains when you cut one in half.
- Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water for 30 seconds, rubbing gently, then drain well. Toss with the sauce, divide among 4 bowls and top with cucumber, spring onion and sesame seeds. Serve right away.
Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 513kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 13g20%
- Saturated Fat 2g10%
- Sodium 1150mg48%
- Potassium 330mg10%
- Total Carbohydrate 86g29%
- Dietary Fiber 7g29%
- Sugars 5g
- Protein 18g36%
- Vitamin A 20 IU
- Vitamin C 3 mg
- Calcium 60 mg
- Iron 4 mg
- Vitamin E 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K 5 mcg
- Thiamin 0.2 mg
- Riboflavin 0.1 mg
- Niacin 5 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.2 mg
- Folate 40 mcg
- Phosphorus 280 mg
- Magnesium 95 mg
- Zinc 2.5 mg
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Note
Additional Notes
- Weigh the flour and water. Spelt dough is stiff, and a few grams change the texture.
- Cut the strands about 4 mm wide, since they swell as they boil.
- Leave the cooking water unsalted. The dough already carries 3 percent salt by flour weight.
- Toss the noodles with the sauce while they are still damp from rinsing so it clings.
