Are you a fan of egg noodles? We are. And we prefer fresh to dried. We like the springiness and chewiness that are lost when they are dried. What gives them such wonderful texture?
To give egg noodles its springy and chewy texture, lye water is added. This leaves a rather strong alkaline odor and flavor. Here’s a simple trick to lessen that odor and flavor considerably.

Place the noodles in a strainer and rinse under the tap.
Drop the rinsed noodles in boiling water.
Boil the noodles over high heat — eight to 10 minutes for thick noodles (miki); four to five minutes for thin noodles (mami).
Drain and rinse. For even better results, dump in a bowl of iced water to prevent the noodles from cooking in any residual heat. You don’t want them to turn soggy after all. What you want is for them to retain as much of the springiness and chewiness but minus the alkalinity. A water bath helps considerably.
Strain the egg noodles when cold. They are now ready to be added to soup or sautéed vegetables.
Recipes with fresh egg noodles
- Stir Fried Egg Noodles With Pork and Vegetables
- Chicken Mami (Chinese-style Noodle Soup)
- Pancit Lomi
- Pancit Miki Bihon
Updated from a post originally published in June 3, 2010