Ingredients
| FOR THE BROTH | |
| 4 large tomatoes, cores removed | |
| 4 garlic cloves, smashed | |
| 6 makrut (kaffir) lime leaves | |
| 1 onion, cut into halves | |
| 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger | |
| 2 tablespoons fish sauce | |
| 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar | |
| FOR THE CORIANDER OIL | |
| 2-3 cups coriander leaves and stalks, roughly chopped | |
| 1 cup sunflower oil or other neutral oil | |
| FOR THE NOODLES | |
| 100g baking soda (you will only need 10g for the noodle dough but it’s good to have extra for future noodle making, to save repeating the alkaline process below – it will keep for months) | |
| 300g flour | |
| 6g salt | |
| 135ml water |
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE CORIANDER OIL |
| 2. | Place a large cast-iron pan over a high heat – you’ll know it’s hot enough when a splash of water into the pan sizzles away immediately. |
| 3. | Add the tomatoes and char, repositioning occasionally so each side gets a touch of black, for 7-10 minutes. |
| 4. | Remove from heat and leave tomatoes to cool before peeling. |
| 5. | Bring 2 litres of water to the boil in a large pot. |
| 6. | Add the tomatoes, garlic cloves, lime leaves, onion and ginger and simmer for 1-2 hours. |
| 7. | Strain the broth into another pot and stir in the fish sauce and rice wine vinegar. |
| 8. | Cover and leave to cool until ready to serve. |
| 9. | Put the coriander and oil into a blender and whizz for 5 minutes. |
| 10. | Pour into a muslin-lined sieve and let the green oil strain through for 15 minutes or until all the oil is out and you are left with mainly whizzed-up herbs. |
| 11. | Throw these in your omelette tomorrow morning. |
| 12. | FOR THE NOODLES |
| 13. | Preheat the oven to 130°C. |
| 14. | Spread the baking soda onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. |
| 15. | Bake for 1 hour. |
| 16. | This process changes the chemical makeup of the baking soda, turning it into an alkaline salt, making for a springy noodle which won’t soften in the hot broth. |
| 17. | In a mixing bowl, combine 10g of the baked baking soda with the flour and salt. |
| 18. | Slowly pour in the water while stirring to create a dry, flaky mixture. |
| 19. | Tip out onto a bench and knead until it is a smooth and cohesive ball. |
| 20. | This may take a while but stick with it! |
| 21. | Cover with a slightly damp tea towel and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. |
| 22. | Once rested, use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to 1cm thickness before passing it through a pasta roller until it is approximately 3mm thick. |
| 23. | Sprinkle the dough lightly with flour before using a sharp knife to cut into thin noodles. |
| 24. | Store in an airtight container until ready to use. |
| 25. | Cook the noodles in boiling water for 40 seconds then drain and divide between four bowls. |
| 26. | Pour the cooled tomato broth over the noodles and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the coriander oil. |
Recipes, food styling & photography Jane Lyons & Will Bowman
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