A complete guide to Chinese hand-pulled noodles. Techniques explained in detail and two shapes introduced. Following this recipe, everyone can make them with ease!.
I’ve been meaning to share this recipe for hand-pulled noodles, also referred to as L Miàn, L Tiáo Zi, or Ch Miàn, for a very long time. I learned the method by watching my parents cook when I was growing up in Gansu province, China, where it is a typical dish in restaurants and homes. I enjoy the pleasure of both making and eating them.
Hand-pulled noodles are made by hand-stretching wheat flour dough into long, elastic strips, as their name implies. Noodles made this way typically have a more silky, springy, and chewy texture when compared to noodles cut by hand or machine. Due to the simultaneous pulling and cooking of them, they are always served extremely fresh.
Wheat flour, salt, and water are the three basic components of hand-pulled noodles. In some cases, an alkaline ingredient is included in the dough to increase the springiness of the noodles.
One piece of dough is folded numerous times to yield one serving of noodles. The iconic dish from my hometown, Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup (also known as Lanzhou L Miàn), features this incredible culinary skill of making noodles. The dough is extremely flexible and stretchy thanks to the use of an alkaline agent (Péng Hu in this instance).
If you want to see how they are made, I recommend watching a video of me pulling noodles that I captured while on one of my culinary tours of China. The opportunity for my tour participants to visit the back kitchen and speak with the chefs was an incredible gift. On my upcoming tours, we’ll take it a step further and actually work with the dough and study under experienced noodle masters.
Another variety of hand-pulled noodles are included in my recipe; the dough is first cut into strips and then pulled one by one into long noodles. The popular Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles are made this way.
When compared to the expert approach, this technique is much simpler to learn. Despite being easy to prepare, I’d like to go into great detail about every aspect of this dish. I’m hoping that my comprehensive guide will make learning to cook this dish easy for everyone, even those who are new to the kitchen.
Let me first describe the steps for making hand-pulled noodles before we get into the specifics.
Can I store the raw hand-pulled noodles?
Unfortunately, NO. Once you’ve pulled the noodles, it’s crucial to cook them right away. In actuality, pulled noodles should be dropped into boiling water right away (this is how it’s done in restaurants). The raw noodles must be coated with starch (or flour) if you want to store them so they won’t stick together. But the dough will change in texture during this process.
Check out my recipe for rolled noodles if you want to store raw noodles.
Do the noodles work in stir fries?
Yes, the thin type of noodles are ideal for lo mein and stir fries.
In this instance, I advise slightly undercooking the noodles to ensure the ideal textures when stir-fried.
What brand and kind of flour did you use?
We experimented with various brands and varieties of flour until we attained a consistent outcome regardless of the brand we were using.
I used King Author all-purpose flour for the photographs (11 7% protein content).
Additionally, we experimented with a combination of 370 g (3 cups) cake flour and 30 g (3 tablespoons) bread flour. This mixture produces a slightly smoother dough (marginally). Even 100% bread flour can be used to achieve a different texture, but I do not advise using 100% cake flour.
Back in China I used a Chinese-brand all-purpose flour. A little more than 1 cup of water was needed.
FAQ
How do you cook flat noodles?
Simply place dry rice noodles in boiling hot water until they become pliable to prepare them. This usually takes more or less than 10-12 minutes. They will become completely white, pliable, and still very chewy. Drain them from the water before stir-frying.
What is flat noodle made of?
A type of unleavened rice flour dough is used to make flat noodles, which are then rolled out flat and cut into thin strips. They are often pan-fried or deep-fried. Flat noodles are frequently served in soups or with a dipping sauce. Flat noodles may be dried or refrigerated before cooking.
How do they make flat rice noodles?
Step 1: In a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the dry ingredients. Step 2: Gradually add water until you achieve the consistency of a thin batter, similar to soymilk. Step 3: Spread a thin layer of batter in a pan that has been greased. Step 4: Steam the batter over high heat for one to two minutes, or until the noodles become translucent.
How do you cook clear flat noodles?
The simplest method for preparing them is to cover them with boiling water in a heatproof bowl, let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes to soften, and then drain. (Check the label for instructions. If you decide to boil them, they only require a brief 3 to 5 minutes of boiling time.
