Zhengzhou stewed noodles

Zhengzhou stewed noodles

　　Zhengzhou stewed noodles are a specialty snack from Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. Stewed noodles are a distinctive local dish of Zhengzhou with a long history. It is a traditional flavor snack that combines meat, vegetables, broth, side dishes, and staple food in one, renowned across the Central Plains and throughout China.

　　Depending on the ingredients, it can be divided into: lamb stewed noodles, beef stewed noodles, three-fresh stewed noodles, five-fresh stewed noodles, and so on. Based on whether it includes broth, it can be classified into two types: soup noodles and drained noodles. Zhengzhou stewed noodles, Luoyang water banquet, and Kaifeng steamed buns are the three most famous snacks in Henan. Zhengzhou stewed noodles are made from high-quality high-gluten flour, supplemented with rich broth and various vegetables, and are a type of wide noodle-like dish. The broth is flavorful and the noodles are chewy, offering high nutrition. Zhengzhou has many strengths in noodle dishes, and stewed noodles are one of its representatives.

　　Zhengzhou stewed noodles flourished in the 1980s, benefiting from the reform and opening-up policy, a significant increase in migrant population, and a surge in demand for the catering industry. Initially, the time-honored brand “Heji’s” lamb stewed noodles led the way, followed by the rapid rise of Xiaoji’s three-fresh stewed noodles, which quickly developed and became a city dining icon of Zhengzhou within twenty years. With a bowl in hand, the hearty and satisfying stewed noodles offer a uniquely delightful experience.

　　Time-honored brands of Zhengzhou stewed noodles:

　　76 People’s Old Stewed Noodles

　　In recent years, 76 People’s Old Stewed Noodles has upheld the philosophy of “traditional dragon, traditional noodles,” believing that the best secret recipe for making stewed noodles is having no secret at all. Original flavors, old pots, and aged broth are its specialties. It has gained strong recognition among diners and has seen remarkable growth.

　　The year 1976 was a turning point in an era, as the turbulent years were about to pass and the era of reform and opening-up was about to begin.

　　The 76 People’s brand tells the story of the people of Zhengzhou. Eating a bowl of freshly served old-style stewed noodles with chili, speaking authentic old Zhengzhou dialect: “Zhong, zhen zhong,” and chatting about the wonderful memories of the 70s—playing with mud, blowing soap bubbles, tossing sandbags, paper airplanes, spinning hoops, playing horseback battle games, drawing old men (a ding lao tou...), flying kites, doing vaulting horse stunts, playing with flower cards, games with valve tubes, playing jacks, throwing flying knives, using slingshots... Life is like a play, and in the blink of an eye, decades have passed. Have you nearly forgotten these things? The year 1976 was also a transitional period, as those born in that year had the responsibility to reflect on and summarize the past, as well as the duty to create a brand-new era. Moreover, 1976 was the year of comprehensive innovation for traditional Zhengzhou-style stewed noodles, as the old-style version always reminded people of the taste of old Zhengzhou.

　　Heji Lamb Stewed Noodles

　　Heji lamb stewed noodles are a traditional flavor snack that combines meat, vegetables, broth, side dishes, and staple food in one, renowned across the Central Plains for their delicious taste and affordability. In May 1994, it was awarded the title of “National Halal Famous Flavor Food.” In December 1997, it won the title of “China Famous Snack.” Heji lamb stewed noodles use premium fresh lamb, which is soaked repeatedly before being boiled. The blood foam is skimmed off, whole spices are added, and the meat is cooked until tender. Separately, refined white flour is mixed with an appropriate amount of salt and alkaline 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 put into the pot along with the lamb, accompanied by seaweed shreds, tofu shreds, cellophane noodles, coriander, and quail eggs. When served, it comes with small side dishes such as coriander, chili oil, and sweet pickled garlic, enhancing the flavor even more. Heji stewed noodles strictly follow operational procedures and have insisted on using one pot per bowl for decades without any negligence, earning great favor among diners and becoming a highly praised dish in Zhengzhou. People from other places often come specially to try it.

　　The predecessor of Heji was the Lao Xiangqin Restaurant. In 1953, it was taken over by four people including Li Shaoqing. As it was a partnership, it was renamed Heji Restaurant. Starting in 1967, it specialized in lamb stewed noodles and was renamed “Heji Stewed Noodles Restaurant,” commonly known as Heji.

　　Wanjia Nourishing Stewed Noodles

　　In the development and design approach of Zhengzhou Wanjia’s premium nourishing stewed noodles series, the main thread closely followed was the inheritance and promotion of the cultural essence of Zhengzhou’s regional characteristics. Through a long period of in-depth exploration and extensive research on the cultural background, customs, regional features, ingredient sourcing, extraction techniques, production environment, nutritional benefits, flavor characteristics, preservation methods, and consumer preferences of traditional famous snacks, repeated investigations, experiments, and comprehensive integration were carried out. After overcoming numerous technical challenges, the successful integration of traditional workshop craftsmanship with modern industrial production techniques was finally achieved. A modern industrial management model was adopted, fully realizing the standardized application of traditional flavor quality and continuous industrial production. Not only did it innovate while retaining the original traditional flavor, but it also met the standards of traditional Zhengzhou stewed noodles in terms of noodle and broth texture and nutrition, marking an era-defining significance.