Hand-Laminated Pasta With Blue Pea Flowers – Whip it UP!

Fresh pastra stands.
Hand-laminated Pasta With Blue Pea Flowers. Photos: Irene See

 

By Irene See

Blue pea flower is full of potent antioxidants. It’s healthy for cooking and baking. Here’s a colourful way to make pasta…laminated with freshly harvested blue pea flowers. They add a distinctive colour to the dish.

Total Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: 3/5
Cost: S$3.00
Servings: 2-3

 

A: Pasta Dough

255g (2 cups) plain flour*
1 tablespoon glutinous flour
¼ teaspoon salt
50ml water, room temperature
2 tablespoons cooking oil/olive oil
2 large eggs

 

 

B: To Laminate Pasta 

Approximately 20-30 pieces blue pea flowers
Red chilli, cut and seeded, optional

 

DIRECTIONS:  

1.   In a medium mixing bowl, combine A ingredients except for water.  

 

Pasta dough
Making pasta dough from scratch using pantry ingredients.

 

2. Mix well using a pair of chopsticks. Add water little by little to form a firm dough; it should be moist and not too wet nor too dry.

 

Mixing dough ingredients
Bind dry and wet ingredients together until a rough dough forms.

 

3. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for approximately 5 minutes. Once it comes smooth, cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Allow it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Divide dough into two portions.

pasta dough
Dough is ready when it turns smooth from kneading.

 

4. Meanwhile, pluck out and discard inner petals as well as green stems at the base of flowers. Retain larger outer petals as they exude a more vibrant colour. Set them aside and cover with a moistened tea towel.

 

blue pea outer petals
Only the larger outer petal of the blue pea flowers are used.

 

5. Using a rolling pin, roll out each portion of dough evenly into a sheet. Repeat with the other portion. Set them aside.

6. Spread one pasta sheet on a flat surface. Arrange flowers on pasta sheet, taking care not to break the fragile petals. Using your fingers, gently flatten and press flowers into the dough.

 

Laminating pasta with blue pea flowers,
Laying flower petals onto pasta sheet – this process is called lamination.

 

7.  If chilli is preferred, sprinkle them among the flowers.

Laminating with chilli
Spice it up with chilli.

 

8.  Cover laminated sheet with plain pasta sheet.

 

Blue pea hand laminated pasta
Cover laminated pasta with plain pasta sheet.

 

Dip a pastry brush into water and brush edges of pasta to seal them. Alternatively, dab water onto the pasta sheet using the index finger.  Lightly dust laminated pasta sheets with some flour.

9.  Roll out evenly till approximately 3cm thin.  The thinner the pasta sheets, the more vibrant the blue of the flowers.

 

Laminated with blue pea flowers
Lamination involves imprinting fresh flowers onto dough.

 

10. Fold pasta sheets. Dust with more flour to prevent noodle strands from sticking together. Using a sharp knife, cut into thin strips of desired width.

 

Cutting pasta into strands.
Using a cleaver or sharp knife, cut pasta sheets into strands.

 

11.  Loosen noodles with more flour if required. Cook pasta as desired – Western or Asian. It is best served on the same day as pasta is made.

 

 

Fresh pastra stands.
Loosen noodle strands with flour to prevent them from sticking together.

12. Apart from cooking it the Italian way, enjoy noodles cooked Chinese style, stir-fried with vegetables and meat, tossed in some abalone sauce and topped with store-bought sambal.

 

TIP: Use fresh flowers and chilli to laminate pasta. As they’re moist, it makes it easier to embed both ingredients into the freshly made dough.
TECHNIQUE: Glutinous flour gives the pasta a chewy texture and makes it more resilient. For added fibre, mix equal portions of atta flour and plain flour.

 

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