On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 1092

absorbmoistureandprovideglutentoholdit
together into a formable dough. Eggs are
sometimes added to provide additional
binding and yolky richness, though they also
addaspringyquality.Oldpotatoes,andmealy
rather than waxy varieties, are preferred for
their lower water and higher starch contents,
whichmeansthatlessflourisneededtomake
the dough, so less gluten forms and the
dumpling is more tender. The potatoes are
cooked, peeled, and riced immediately to
allow as much moisture as possible to
evaporate; then cooled or even chilled, and
kneadedintoadoughwithjustasmuchflour
as necessary, usually less than 1 cup/120 gm
perlb/500gmpotatoes.Thedoughisformed
intoathinropeandcutintosmallpieces,the
pieces shaped, and then boiled in water until
they rise to the top of the pot. Gnocchi can
also be made by replacing the potato with
other starchy vegetables or with ricotta
cheese.


AsianWheatNoodles
andDumplings

Twoverydifferentfamiliesofnoodlesare
madeinAsia.Starchnoodlesaredescribed
below.Asianwheatnoodles—Chinesemian
—bearsomeresemblancetoEuropeanpastas

madefrombreadwheat.They’retypically
madefromlow-ormoderate-proteinflours,
andareformednotbyextrusionbutby
sheetingandcuttingorbystretching.The
mostspectacularformofnoodleproductionis
thatofShanghai’shand-pullednoodles,la
mian,forwhichthemakerstartswithathick
ropeofdough,swings,twists,andstretchesit
toarms’length,bringstheendstogetherto
maketheonestrandintotwo—andrepeats
thestretchingandfoldingasmanyaseleven
timestomakeupto4,096thinnoodles!Asian
noodlesarebothelasticandsoft,theirtexture
createdbyboththeirweakglutenandby
amylopectin-richstarchgranules.Salt,usually