Fenxi Cakedough Noodles

Fenxi Cakedough Noodles

　　Fenxi Cakedough Noodles

　　"Wiped Noodles," also called "Cakedough Wiped Noodles," is a distinctive local noodle dish from Fenxi County and surrounding areas. The preparation method is simple and convenient, making it especially suitable for serving large groups. Hotels and guesthouses in Fenxi County often serve this dish to visiting guests and senior leaders from other regions. To make this noodle dish, you need to: 1. Have the right tool for making wiped noodles — the "wiping bed." It has slightly wider holes than a vegetable grater, is shaped like a crescent and resembles fish scales, and must be made of copper to resist rusting, make cleaning easier, and ensure durability. The larger wiping beds have frames over three feet long, while smaller ones are about one and a half feet in length. 2. The dough does not need to be kneaded or rolled after being prepared; it can be directly pressed into boiling water in small clumps. 3. The ingredients can include wheat flour on its own, or a mixture of wheat flour with cornmeal, sorghum flour, bean flour, starch, or elm bark flour. 4. When making the noodles, work swiftly; after finishing a clump of dough, dip your tool in a bit of water before starting the next one — otherwise, the hot surface of the wiping bed will cause sticking. 5. The temperature of the water used to mix the dough should be moderate, and the dough should be soft but manageable. Dough that’s too soft won’t hold shape when pressed, while dough that’s too hard won’t form proper noodles. So when mixing, aim for most of the dough to be moist but still slightly lumpy with dry flour.