Whisk together the buckwheat flour, salt and xanthan gum in a medium bowl. Pour over the water, then use a fork to combine as much as you can. The mixture will likely look dry and crumbly (this is the right texture!)

Tip the mixture out onto a dry, clean work surface. Begin to knead it into a dough. It doesn’t look like it, but this will turn into a stiff but smooth ball of dough. It takes a couple of minutes of kneading, so don’t be tempted to add more water yet. Wetter dough is harder to roll out later, so we want the dough to be as smooth and hydrated yet dry as possible.

If the dough truly won’t come together, add a teaspoon of extra water at a time until it does.

Divide the dough into 3-4 pieces, then use the tapioca flour to roll the first ball out into a long, really thin rectangle of dough. I find the noodles are less likely to snap if they’re shorter, so I recommend slicing the rectangle in half if it’s getting too long. I also like to trim the edges of my dough rectangles to remove the scraggly uneven sides. You can moisten them lightly and add them to the next ball of dough.

Feed the thin rectangle through the spaghetti cutter of your pasta machine, then swirl each bundle softly into a group of noodles.

Repeat with the remaining dough. You can cook the noodles on the spot, place them in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them and cook them from frozen.

To cook the noodles, bring a large pot of well salted water to a simmer. A rolling boil will break up the noodles, so keep it to a simmer.

Cook the noodles for 2 or so minutes or until they are puffed and cooked through.

Very gently strain the noodles.

For best results, drizzle the drained noodles with a scant amount of oil (I use toasted sesame) and very gently toss. Add dressings of your choice and serve.

Leftovers keep well in an airtight container in the fridge.