How to mix dragon fruit noodles with noodles

Dragon fruit noodles can be made with fresh dragon fruit juice or dragon fruit puree and noodles. When making, attention should be paid to adjusting the amount of juice and the softness and hardness of the dough. The pitaya noodles have a natural pink color, rich in anthocyanins and dietary fiber, and are suitable for making noodles, Mantou and other pasta.

1. Material Selection

When making dragon fruit noodles, red heart dragon fruit is preferred as it has a higher pigment content and moderate sweetness. After cutting the fruit pulp into pieces, it can be directly juiced and filtered, or crushed into a paste to retain some of the pulp and increase the taste. The amount of juice used is about 40% to 50% of the weight of flour, which needs to be adjusted according to the water absorption of flour. If using dragon fruit powder, it is recommended to add 5 to 8 grams per 100 grams of flour and increase the liquid ratio accordingly.

2. Noodle making technique

Pour the dragon juice into the medium gluten flour in portions, stir with chopsticks until fluffy, and then knead into a ball. The dough may initially be sticky, but it can be left to stand for 10 minutes to allow the flour to fully absorb water before kneading until smooth. If you pursue a brighter color, you can add 1 gram of edible alkali to maintain color stability. When making noodles, the water temperature should be controlled below 30 ℃. High temperatures can damage anthocyanins and cause fading.

III. fermentation Control

Yeast can be added when making fermented noodles, but the acidity of dragon fruit may delay fermentation. It is recommended to activate the yeast with warm water first, or increase the amount of yeast by 1 to 2 grams appropriately. The fermentation temperature is maintained between 28-32 ℃ and the humidity is around 75%. Observing the dough volume increase to 1.5 times and the appearance of fine pores indicates that fermentation is complete. Excessive fermentation can lead to a lighter color.

IV. Cooking Attention

When steaming pitaya Mantou or steamed stuffed buns, steam them for 10-12 minutes after boiling water. After turning off the heat, let it simmer for 3 minutes before opening the lid to prevent sudden collapse when exposed to cold. When cooking noodles, the water should be wide and added to the pot. Adding a small amount of salt can reduce pigment loss. Dragon fruit noodles can easily turn blue-green when exposed to alkaline substances. You can add a small amount of lemon juice to restore the pink color.

V. Storage Method

Unprocessed dragon fruit dough should be sealed and refrigerated, and used within 24 hours. Freezing storage should not exceed 1 month. After draining the cooked noodles, mix a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking, and refrigerate for 2 days before consumption. The prepared dragon fruit noodles should be stored away from light, as ultraviolet radiation can accelerate the decomposition of anthocyanins and cause fading.

Dragon fruit noodles are suitable as children's fun meals or holiday specialty foods, and their natural colors are healthier without artificial additives. When making, it can be paired with pumpkin puree, spinach juice, etc. to make colorful dough, increasing nutritional diversity. People with gastrointestinal sensitivity need to control their consumption, as the seeds in dragon fruit may irritate the intestinal wall. The remaining dragon skin can be sliced and mixed cold or boiled in tea, achieving zero waste of ingredients. Regular consumption of pitaya flour food helps to supplement antioxidant substances, but diabetes patients need to pay attention to total carbohydrate intake.