Pan’an Lamian (Hand-Pulled Noodles)

Pan’an Lamian

　　Pan’an Lamian, also known as stretched noodles, requires precise ingredient measurements when making the noodles. The general standard is: five jin of standard flour, mixed with three to three and two-tenths jin of water (adjusted more in winter and less in summer), one qian and five fen of salt, and about five qian of alkaline flour. When kneading the dough, first form it into dough strands, then knead into a dough ball, add water to soften it, let it rest for half an hour, then add alkaline water and knead evenly, then slowly knead it into a long strip, fold and twist it into a spiral shape, repeating this process multiple times until the thickness is uniform. Then place it on the work surface, roll it evenly with dry flour, trim both ends, hold each end with both hands, shake up and down forcefully to stretch, pull apart, bring together, pull apart again, and bring together again. It is generally ideal to stretch it into sixty-four strands. When putting them into the pot, hold both ends of each strand with one hand and the middle with the other, remove the ends, drop them into boiling water to cook, then remove and serve with seasonings. A skilled chef can stretch three jin of noodle dough per minute, pulling twelve times to create eight strands totaling eight thousand one hundred and ninety-two noodles—each as fine as a silver thread, all neatly arranged. When lined up, they can stretch as long as twelve Chinese miles.