Homemade Rice and Lentil Pasta

Black glutinous rice flour makes a great substitute for squid ink pasta found on restaurant menus. Although black glutinous rice flour looks lighter than squid ink when cooked, the flour adds a special touch to everyday pasta. To utilise glutinous rice flour, add baking soda (bicarbonate soda) for a chewy "al dente" texture.

The best way to make rice pasta for cutting in a pasta machine is to use the hot water dough technique as in Chinese dim sum pastries. Addition of white urid flour, also known as urad flour, fortifies the rice with protein. Urid flour is milled from black lentils without the skins. Brown basmati, milled to a gritty consistency, makes an excellent choice for rice. For improved handling, add 1 tablespoon baby food thickener (containing pregelatinised maize starch, and carob bean gum).

General instructions for the above black glutinous rice and lentil gluten free pasta follow.

Basic Recipe
1/2 cup white urid flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate soda), for glutinous rice flour if used
2 teaspoon walnut or olive oil, optional
seasoning, optional

Mix the flour together. Dissolve baking soda in the water and mix in the oil. Pour over the flour. Stir to a soft dough. Oil the dough and roll in a pasta machine. Roll to desire thickness, dusting with rice flour on subsequent rolling. Cut the the sheets to the required shape.



To cook pasta made with glutinous rice flour, add a sprinkle of baking soda to the boiling water before adding the pasta to set the starch. It takes 2-3 minutes to cook the pasta.