Huozhou Hele Noodles

Huozhou Hele Noodles

　　 Made from high-quality wheat flour and pressed using a specialized tool called a "hele bed," these noodles are chewy, hearty, and never get old. They come in two types: dry hele noodles and topped hele noodles. (Huozhou)

　　Huozhou Hele Noodles are a specialty snack from Huozhou City, Linfen, Shanxi Province. The noodles are made by mixing flour with alkaline, pressing them with a special hele bed, boiling them, then stirring with cooked oil. After airing for 5–8 hours, they are rinsed and served with a topping (such as fried tofu strips, chopped scallions, and other ingredients), making them incredibly delicious.

　　The hele noodles unique to Huozhou are thicker and chewier than regular noodles, made using a tool called a hele bed. Also known as "helou," Huozhou hele noodles can be divided into two types: topped hele noodles and dry hele noodles, with slight differences in preparation.

　　Topped hele noodles are mainly served at large gatherings such as weddings and funerals in both urban and rural areas of Huozhou, where many people are present and large quantities are needed. When eating hele noodles, a thick, soupy vegetable dish is poured on top. To make it, first fry the sauce: heat a pan and brown the soybean paste, then stir in vegetable oil, scallion strips, garlic slices, ginger, and seasonings, mixing repeatedly with the browned paste. Next, add boiling water to create a purple-yellow seasoned broth. Then add fried tofu strips, golden needle mushrooms, kelp, and small crispy pork. Beat an appropriate amount of eggs and slowly pour them into the pot, thicken with starch slurry, and finally add some chopped spinach.

　　Dry hele noodles from Huozhou are truly exceptional. The difference in preparation from topped hele noodles lies in using refined flour mixed with alkaline water to knead the dough — not too soft, not too hard. After boiling, the noodles are rinsed three times in cold water, drained until the moisture evaporates, and then rubbed with clear oil. This results in noodles that are yellowish and glossy, not sticky or broken, and deliciously crispy and fragrant.