Lanzhou beef noodles: thousands of shops, noodles are different

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Lanzhou, 4 April (ZXS) -- Lanzhou beef noodles: Thousands of shops and thousands of noodles, noodles are different

China News Agency reporter Ding Si

Lanzhou beef noodles, known as "China's first face", have recently become a hot topic on the Internet because they will be legislated. Perhaps it is the preference of diners, every move of this bowl of noodles can always "disturb the rivers and lakes".

"Master, more spicy seedlings and more garlic seedlings!" "Master, the face is bigger!" "Master, the next fine drop!" ...... Beef noodles, the alarm clock of Lanzhou people, starts the steaming day.

In Lanzhou in early April, the sky was slightly bright, and more than 4,<> beef noodle restaurants in the urban area opened their doors. Many diners who rushed to eat the "head pot" stored up their spirits for the whole day. At seven or eight o'clock in the morning, there are more and more people in the noodle restaurant, and they can't wait for seats, and the anxious Lanzhou people simply stand with bowls or squat on the side of the road to "eat a bowl of beef", and must not wait for the noodles to soak soft before putting down chopsticks. Eat noodles, blow open the red chili oil on the noodle soup, drink a sip of soup, comfortable!

Lanzhou beef noodles are the most representative traditional cuisine in Lanzhou City, which has a history of more than 100 years. (Infographic)

Founded in 1915, Lanzhou beef noodles are famous all over the world for their unique style of "soup clear mirror, meat rotten and fragrant, thin noodles and long noodles". Locals generally call Lanzhou beef ramen "beef noodles", or "beef da" and "beef big bowl", which means "big bowl of beef noodles".

From entering the industry at the age of 18 to becoming the fourth generation of Lanzhou beef noodles, this bowl of noodles has become an inseparable part of Ma Wenbin's life. "The predecessor of beef noodles was called hot pot noodles." Ma Wenbin, 66, who still works as a ramen chef at the Jinding beef noodle shop in Lanzhou, told reporters that Ma Baozi, the founder of beef noodles, processed the liver of beef and sheep into a clear soup, carried the prepared cold noodles, and picked up a burden in a basket and a pot to sell along the street.

Soup is the soul of Lanzhou beef noodles. When Mr. Tang Lusun, the "first Chinese to talk about eating", went to the northwest for his inspection, he "heard that there is a world-famous beef noodle restaurant in Lanzhou, called 'Ma Baozi'", and after visiting the shop, he wrote an article praising "Tang Shen Ruojin, clear to the end".

The picture shows a chef at a beef noodle shop in Lanzhou scooping soup. (Infographic)

The long-established Jinding beef noodle shop adheres to the original "beef taste". Ma Wenbin said that the soup is made using high-quality beef from the Gannan grassland, the beef leg bones are broken, the beef is cut into chunks, soaked in clean water, the soaked blood water cannot be discarded, the meat and bones are boiled for 4 hours and then fished out, and then the blood water is poured into the beef broth, gently pushed and stirred with a hand spoon, skimming the foam on the soup noodles, so that the soup color is more clear, this practice is called "hanging soup".

"The hanging soup is brighter than a mirror and clearer than tap water, this is the traditional clear soup beef noodles." Ma Wenbin said that nowadays, in order to increase the aroma of the soup, more than ten kinds of spices such as ginger peel, cumin, anise, grass and fruit will be added, and each noodle restaurant has its own "unique secrets", forming different styles of thousands of stores and thousands of noodles in Lanzhou, and each store has "loyal fans".

A bowl of authentic Lanzhou beef noodles, not to mention the art of "pulling", is also the only one among many snacks in China, which allows diners to choose the shape of the noodles and how much food. Don't know how to choose more than 10 face shapes? You can't go wrong with a bowl "thin".

In April 2018, Lanzhou beef ramen and other local specialties boarded the "Train Tour around the West", where passengers can enjoy beef ramen performances during the trip. (Infographic)

After the processes of noodles, noodles, and kneading, slipping, presumption, and ramen, the noodles flew like magic in Ma Wenbin's hands... Wide, down to the waistband of your trousers, as thin as a strand of hair. "Foreigners say it's live noodles." Ma Wenbin, who often performs ramen art overseas, said.

Put the boiled noodles into a bowl, scoop the soup, top with sliced turnips, diced beef, sprinkle with coriander, garlic seedlings, and drizzle with chili oil. One clear (soup clear), two white (radish white), three red (chili oil red), four green (garlic seedlings coriander green), five yellow (ramen slightly yellow), this is complete. If it is paired with a plate of beef, a plate of side dishes, and an egg, it forms a luxurious configuration of "meat, eggs, and dishes", which is "quite a blessing".

"Chinese fast food is clean and hygienic, inexpensive, and has high nutritional content of vegetables and meat, which is the taste of home and represents traditional Chinese culture and art." Ma Limin, president of the Lanzhou Beef Ramen Industry Association, said that today, merchants in Qinghai, Xinjiang, Ningxia and other places have joined the development of the beef noodle industry and sold this bowl of noodles all over the world.

In April 2018, participants from Kazakhstan, Australia and other countries learned beef noodle making techniques in Lanzhou, Gansu Province. (Infographic)

From simple and rugged small workshops, to increasingly spacious and fashionable stores, to more than 50 countries and regions around the world, attracting "foreign disciples" to come to learn from teachers, Lanzhou beef noodles have become more and more standardized, standardized and branded. (End)