Make Your Own ChewyBouncySlurpy Noodles

Meet your no-excuses noodle, from deputy food editor Hana Asbrink. We bet you have the ingredients: just flour, water, salt, oil. You don’t need any fancy tools, just your hands. And you don’t need much time, just under an hour. Like shredding up a letter from your ex (do exes write letters anymore?), this Korean recipe has you tear a hunk of dough into pieces, then drop them into simmering soup. Each noodle will look a little different—and that’s the point.

Hear “noodle maker” and you probably picture a shiny machine with a hefty price tag. But in this recipe from editorial director Serena Dai, the only special equipment you’ll need is kitchen shears. And honestly, those scissors on your desk work too—just wash them first, okay? Ideal for anyone who claims they can’t make noodles (you can), this smart Chinese technique is as doable as throwing together a dough, then snip-snip-snipping it over boiling water. The result is a plump delight.

Looking for a soothing project that keeps your hands busy? Glass noodles are all about their squishy texture, like in this recipe from cookbook author Hetty Lui McKinnon. This earthy variation is made from a simple dough of potato starch and water. Also known as mouse or rat tails—or silver pins or needles—the noodles are individually rolled. So get comfy and turn on a podcast, or grab a friend for company. What else are you doing on a Saturday night?

The not-so-secret secret to Vietnamese rice rolls at home? A nonstick skillet. Cookbook author Andrea Nguyen calls this shortcut “an interesting hack from the 1970s,” riffing on the more traditional steaming. Pour in a slick of rice flour batter, cap with a lid, then—with feeling!—flip the wobbly noodle onto a work surface. Stuff with savory fillings (hi, mushrooms; hello, shrimp), roll into a snug bundle, and feel pure joy.

For bouncy udon with an unbeatable chew, the key is flattening the dough with your feet. It’s the best way to ensure the stiff blob is sufficiently worked—without exhausting your arms or stand mixer. For the rare occasion where over-kneading isn’t a concern, consider this recipe from Just One Cookbook creator Namiko Hirasawa Chen your stress relief of the week. Think of that annoying meeting, that spilled coffee, that person who cut in front of you in line, and get squashing.

Meticulously uniform noodles have their place, but there’s something special about the stretchy, stripe-y imperfections of hand-thwacked noodles like biang biang. Thick enough to sink your teeth into and slick enough to slurp, biang biang is the showy technique with enough finesse and drama to become your next party trick. And this version from Jason Wang, cookbook author and owner of Xi’an Famous Foods, is forgiving enough even for first-timers.

Many noodles are boiled in water, but these egg-enriched, hand-cut noodles—from chef and author Sheldon Simeon, inspired by his late mother—cook directly in a garlicky chicken broth. It is a beautiful symbiosis: The noodles soak up the warm flavors of the soup, while the soup thickens thanks to the starchy noodles. A Filipino comfort food, this steaming bowl is hard to beat whenever someone you love is feeling not-100-percent.

For ultimate homemade noodle bragging rights, consider ramen the boss level to beat. The key to its signature bounciness in industrial preparation is a kansui, a strongly alkaline solution. But for cookbook author Sonoko Sakai and the at-home whiz (that’s you), sodium carbonate does just as well and is an easy ingredient to make in your own kitchen thanks to some baking soda and oven alchemy.