Baijiayizi Hand-Pulled Noodles

Baijiayizi Hand-Pulled Noodles

　　Baijiayizi Hand-Pulled Noodles

　　These hand-pulled noodles are a true specialty of Longhua.

　　To understand them, you must first know about white buckwheat flour. While many people are no strangers to buckwheat, they often associate it with its dark color — so how does white buckwheat flour come about? Eventually, it becomes clear that the buckwheat variety is the same, but the processing differs. Before being ground, the black outer skin of the buckwheat kernel is first removed — not just the skin, but also the darker layer immediately beneath it. What remains is the core part of the seed, which is then milled into flour. The result is a flour as white as wheat flour. Buckwheat is inherently a low-yield crop, with yields rarely exceeding 100 jin per mu. After going through this process of selecting the least dark portion, the usable buckwheat flour becomes even scarcer — naturally making it quite precious.

　　Now, let’s talk about the hand-pulled noodles themselves — noodles made from white buckwheat flour. Why are they called “hand-pulled”? This refers to the way they’re made. The white buckwheat flour is divided into four equal parts. One part is scalded with boiling water, while the other three are dampened with cold water and slowly kneaded into the scalded portion. Finally, all parts are combined into a dough. After resting for 10 minutes to achieve the right texture, the dough is rolled out on a board into a flatbread roughly less than a foot wide and about 3 fen thick. Then comes the actual hand-pulling: the chef grips both handles of a special blade and swiftly and evenly slices the dough into thin strands. As the blade moves, the dough piece gradually shrinks while neat rows of noodles pile up behind it. Finally, the noodles are dropped into a bubbling pot of boiling water. After a short time, they’re fished out, placed in bowls, and topped with vegetables or sauce before serving. The resulting noodles are as fine as dried wheat noodles, with distinct edges. Their color is described as “white as jade, whiter than snow and frost” (as remarked by Emperor Qianlong). When eaten, they have a crisp bite, a clean flavor, and a lingering fragrance.