Doughs and Noodles

One of the pleasures of cooking is making doughs. The transformation of flour, water, and eggs into a kneadable mass and then into plump dim sum, or into noodles, dumplings, and pastries, is a joy. I never tire of working with dough. Perhaps my fondness for it is a childhood remembrance I have. Often when I see packages of freshly made noodles in the Asian markets in which I shop, I think of the “bamboo stick noodles” of my youth in Canton. I recall that my mother first urged me to watch the noodle makers, saying I would learn something useful. But after seeing them for the first time I needed no further prodding, for not only did I learn, I had fun.