Heji Braised Noodles

Heji Braised Noodles

　　Heji Braised Noodles is a traditional snack that combines meat, vegetables, broth, side dishes, and staple food. It is renowned across the Central Plains for its delicious taste and affordability. In May 1994, it was honored as a "National Famous Halal Flavor Food," and in December 1997, it won the title of "China's Famous Snack."

　　Heji Lamb Braised Noodles are made with premium fresh lamb, which is soaked repeatedly before being boiled. The scum is skimmed off, whole spices are added, and the meat is simmered until tender. Meanwhile, refined flour is mixed with an appropriate amount of salt and alkali to form a soft dough, which is repeatedly kneaded to make it elastic and chewy. When cooking the noodles, the original meat broth is used in the pot, and the dough is stretched into thin strips and added to the broth along with the lamb, garnished with daylily buds, wood ear mushrooms, and cellophane noodles. On the table, it is served with small side dishes such as coriander, chili oil, and sweet pickled garlic, enhancing its flavor and making it a highly praised dish in Zhengzhou. People from other regions often come specifically to try it. Influenced by Heji Braised Noodles, state-owned, collective, and private restaurants serving lamb braised noodles have sprung up all over the city’s streets and alleys, earning Zhengzhou the nickname "City of Braised Noodles."

　　Few people in Zhengzhou have never tried lamb braised noodles, and those who love them have surely tasted the original Heji Braised Noodles. Recently, the main branch of Heji Braised Noodles on Renmin Road has undergone a small change: the waitstaff now serve the noodles to customers at their tables, just like most other restaurants, so customers no longer have to queue up and fetch their meals themselves. Among the well-known restaurants in Zhengzhou’s food industry, only the main branch of Heji Braised Noodles has long insisted on customers queuing up and serving themselves.

　　Speaking of this change, Zhang Weifang from the main branch of Heji Braised Noodles said it was to improve service quality, but the actual effect hasn’t been significant—before, customers waited in line for food, and now they wait for seats. Manager Hu Xiahei, who has worked here for decades, put it more bluntly: when you queued up, you at least knew how many people were ahead of you and could mentally prepare; now, sitting and waiting, you have no idea when your food will arrive. It’s said that some customers have even complained about this change—one out-of-town diner remarked, "I came all the way here with friends to experience the thrill of queuing, and now you’ve taken that away!"

　　Whether this story is true or not is hard to verify, but the fact that Heji is incredibly popular is "common knowledge to everyone on Earth." In the local Zhengzhou dialect, they say the business is doing so well it’s "carrying style," a phrase tinged with both envy and admiration. During mealtimes, the scene at the Heji Braised Noodles branch on Renmin Road often looks like this: groups of regulars—three or five friends—divide tasks among themselves, with some queuing, some buying tickets, and others hunting for seats... This coordinated effort greatly improves efficiency. But for solo diners, it’s more troublesome: after finally reaching the serving window and carefully carrying their steaming bowl of braised noodles, they often struggle to find a seat. The bowl grows hotter and hotter in their hands, burning their fingers until they can’t take it anymore and have to rest it precariously on the corner of someone else’s table, anxiously waiting for them to finish...

　　Besides Heji, similar scenes frequently occur at other well-known braised noodle restaurants in Zhengzhou.

　　I remember skits from the past where people waiting for seats would excitedly call to their companions, "Those people are almost done eating—let’s go there!" Anyone born before the 1980s probably has memories of queuing for meals or waiting for tables, but in today’s developed food market, such sights are truly rare.

　　Since the 1980s, lamb braised noodle restaurants in Zhengzhou have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, spreading across streets and alleys. Over the past 20-plus years, some have thrived, some have reached their peak, and some have faded like shooting stars. But Zhengzhou’s love for braised noodles has been firmly cultivated. Calling Zhengzhou a "City of Braised Noodles" is no exaggeration—in fact, there are over 4,600 restaurants in Zhengzhou with "Braised Noodles" in their name alone.

　　The Origins of Braised Noodles

　　Ask any Zhengzhou local, and they’ll eagerly recommend several great lamb braised noodle spots—Fengji, Shanji, Liuji, Zhouji, Liji, Dingji, Bayiba, Laosichang... Many locals returning from out of town don’t head straight home after getting off the train but instead make a beeline for their favorite braised noodle restaurant. When hosting out-of-town guests, Zhengzhou residents’ top choice for introducing local specialties is lamb braised noodles, which have become a unique regional culture in Zhengzhou.

　　In the bustling braised noodle restaurants, whether it’s a burly young man or a slender, graceful girl, everyone has a large bowl in front of them. First-time visitors from out of town might find the bowl itself a bit intimidating, and the noodles inside—thick as belts—only add to the shock. The steaming meat broth floats a layer of bright red chili oil, dotted with vibrant green coriander, making your mouth water even if you’re not hungry. Take a sip of the broth—rich and thick—and then a bite of the noodles—savory and chewy. In the local Zhengzhou dialect, it’s described as "deliciously fragrant broth with springy, flavorful noodles."

　　There are various theories about why braised noodles emerged and flourished in Zhengzhou, but the northern preference for wheat-based foods is undoubtedly a key factor. A popular local rhyme—"cold noodles in summer, hot soup noodles in winter, and braised noodles when it’s neither too hot nor too cold"—is solid proof.

　　Lian Chunrong, a veteran journalist covering Zhengzhou’s food industry, and Li Baosheng from the Publicity and Education Department of the Zhengzhou Catering Company, both credit Chef Zhao Rongguang with creating Heji Braised Noodles. The dish was originally an "improvisation" by Chef Zhao, and its precursor was actually the staff meal for the restaurant’s chefs and waiters.

　　According to them, Chef Zhao Rongguang was born in 1901 in Changyuan County (now part of Henan Province), Zhili Province (now Hebei Province). At age 14, he apprenticed under the renowned chef Zhou Wenhao at Tongtianju Restaurant in Kaifeng, Henan. Though Han Chinese, Chef Zhao spent most of his life preparing Halal dishes. He had a personal fondness for wheat-based foods, especially noodles. During the Anti-Japanese War, the restaurant often closed due to air raids, and sometimes chefs had to flee before finishing their meals. After the raids, the food would be cold. Chef Zhao would reheat the leftovers by adding broth and stir-frying them. Over time, he found the reheated noodles delicious and began adding ingredients like salt and alkali to make the noodles chewier, creating a unique flavor that became a staple for the restaurant staff. Later, some regular customers noticed the enticing aroma of the staff’s noodles and started asking to buy them.