• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

China Sichuan Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Index
  • Sichuan
  • Subscribe
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Index
    • Sichuan
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Pantry

    Hand Pulled Noodles (Easier Version)

    Last Modified: May 10, 2020 by Elaine| 25 Comments

    5.1K shares
    • Share on Facebook
    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Learn how to make homemade hand-pulled noodles without any pre-trained skilled needed.

    Our Chinese are crazy about noodles. As one of the most important staple food in Northern China, noodles can be made with lots of ways and methods.

    Traditionally Lanzhou hand-pulled noodle is a secret passed by generations and we are almost impossible to handle it at home (however it is my plan to learn in the next year). But there are always shortcuts and easy for house wife version. We call it the house chef’s intelligence when facing yummy foods: we will finally figure out simple ways and approach the result.

    Hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    To make a smooth and elastic hand-pulled noodles at home, we only need three quite common ingredients and enough resting time and patience. Even through we need to make the noodles elastic, I still suggest using all purpose flour and the right amount of salt.

    Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles usually employ plant ash mainly contains Potassium carbonate or lye solution. But with this homemade version, all we need is the right amount of salt. Salt can help to tighten the gluten network. Generally, the elasticity of the noodle is depending on the amount of flour, water and salt. On one hand, the dough should be tough enough so the noodles are elastic and smooth on surface. On the other hand, it should be soft enough so we can easily pull into a long enough strip. But the gluten relaxes along with the time, so tougher dough requires longer resting time whole softer dough need a shorter relaxing time.I will introduce two ways of making the noodles- hand-pulled flat noodles and hand-pulled la main noodles (拉条子). They share a same dough but different treating processes and slightly different in final texture and taste.

    hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Cook’s Note:

    I have tested several batches in order to figure out the best flour and water ratio. The good news here is for 300g all purpose flour, you can either use 130ml water at least or 170ml at most, which means even you slightly add more water by accident, the dough can work fine too. Really, it is a good news. Then what’s the difference and how should I determine my water level ? The basic conclusion including the followings

    • Dough with smaller water amount is harder to knead and require longer resting time. But the noodles will be easier to handle and they will be more uniform in thickness. The final noodles are much chewer and better for dry mixing and stir fries.
    • Dough with large water amount is easier to knead, require shorting resting time and easier to pull. However, you need to be very careful and slow down your speed to get uniformly thick noodles. The final noodles are much softer and better for noodle soups.

    Shapes VS texture and taste
    Thin round noodles are slightly chewer than flat noodles based on the same dough.

    Dusting flour VS Spreading oil
    You can dust the flour if you want to save the noodles and cook next time. If the noodles are going to be cooked directly after pulled, spreading oil can fasten the speed and create a “clear” noodle stock.

    To make the la main dough

    • 300g all-purpose flour (you can use high gluten flour too, require more water and more resting time)
    • 2g salt
    • 155ml water (130ml to 170ml water)
    • oil for coating or more flour to dusting

    Mix all the ingredients together and knead to form a very smooth dough.  If you feel this process is hard to finish one time, resting the dough for 15 minutes and then re-knead for 2-3 minutes until the dough becomes very smooth on surface.  Hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Cover with wet cloth (to avoid it drying out), cover and rest for 15 minutes.

    To pull the noodles

    Method 1: thin la mian method

    Take one portions out, roughly kneaded and then roll out to a large wrapper (rectangle if possible). Dust flour and shape the long strips to around thick noodles. We will stretch the noodles before cooking.

    Hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Then spiral them in a large plate. Cover the rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until you can easily pull the noodles.

    Hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    When the noodles are well rested, stretch the noodles slightly and we get long thin la main noodles. They are elastic and quite smooth on surface.

    Hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Method 2: Flat noodles

    Prepare a plate and brush some vegetable oil on surface. Cut the noodle dough into 6-8 portions (as equal as possible) Shape each one into a tongue or a rectangle and brush oil around. Cover with plastic wrapper and let the noodle rest for 1 hour.

    hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Take one portion out, press the center with a chopstick so we can separate the noodles later. Hold the two ends of the noodle strip and smash it against the operating board. You can slightly stretch it during the smashing process. But do not hurry; slow down so that you will not break it. At last separate the noodles along with the chop sticker trace.

    hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

    Hand Pulled Noodles (Easier Version)

    Elaine
    Two methods of making Chinese style easier hand pulled noodles
    5 from 7 votes
    Watch Video Print Recipe
    Prep Time 1 min
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 21 mins
    Course staple
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 4
    Calories 273 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 300 g all-purpose flour ,you can use high gluten flour too, require more water and more resting time
    • 2 g salt
    • 155 ml water ,you can use 130ml to 170ml water, more information, see Note1
    • oil for coating or flour for dusting

    Instructions
     

    • Mix salt with flour.
    • Add water and knead for 5-6 minutes until the dough becomes quite smooth on surface If you feel this process is hard to finish one time, resting the dough for 15 minutes and then re-knead for 2-3 minutes.
    • Cover with wet cloth (to avoid it drying out), cover and rest for 15 minutes.

    To pull the noodles

      Method 1: thin la mian method

      • Roll out the dough to a large wrapper (rectangle if possible). Cut the wrapper to 1cm wide stripes. Dust flour and shape the long strips to around thick noodles. We will stretch the noodles before cooking. Cover the rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour until you can easily pull the noodles
      • When the noodles are well rested, stretch the noodles slightly and we get long thin la main noodles.

      Method 2: flat noodles

      • Prepare a plate and brush some vegetable oil on surface. Cut the noodle dough into 6-8 portions (as equal as possible) Shape each one into a tongue or a rectangle and brush oil around. Cover with plastic wrapper and let the noodle rest for 1 hour.
      • Take one portion out, press the center with a chopstick so we can separate the noodles later. Hold the two ends of the noodle strip and smash it against the operating board. You can slightly stretch it during the smashing process. But do not hurry; slow down so that you will not break it. At last separate the noodles along with the chop sticker trace.

      how to cook the noodles

      • Bring a large pot of water to a boiling and then add a small pinch of salt. Cook the noodles for 4-5 minutes over medium fire. You can make a hot oil noodle or vegetable soup noodle.

      Video

      Notes

      1.Dough with smaller water amount is harder to knead and require longer resting time. But the noodles will be easier to handle and they will be more uniform in thickness. The final noodles are much chewer and better for dry mixing and stir fries.
      2.Dough with large water amount is easier to knead, require shorting resting time and easier to pull. However, you need to be very careful and slow down your speed to get uniformly thick noodles. The final noodles are much softer and better for noodle soups.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 7gSodium: 197mgPotassium: 80mgFiber: 2gCalcium: 11mgIron: 3.5mg
      Keyword Hand Pulled, noodles
      Tried this recipe?Mention @ChinaSichuanFood

      How to cook and serve the noodles| you can make a hot oil noodle (also name as Biang Biang Noodles).

      hand pulled noodles|chinasichuanfood.com

      La Tiao Zi| Hand Pulled Noodles

      More recipes you may enjoy

      • Chinese Almond Cookie
      • Chinese New Year Recipes
      • Spice Infused Lamb
      • How to Make Chinese Dumplings (Jiaozi)

      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Paola boni

        March 04, 2018 at 5:40 pm

        I love you recipes, thank you very much for taking the time to explain them so precisely and easily

        Reply
      2. Paola boni

        March 04, 2018 at 5:41 pm

        5 stars
        I love your recipes, thank you for taking the time to explain them so clearly

        Reply
        • Elaine

          March 06, 2018 at 9:48 am

          Paola,
          You are the most welcome. I hope that those information can be helpful.

          Reply
      3. Ana Dos Santos

        March 04, 2018 at 8:24 pm

        Uaaaaaahhhhh amazing! Thanks!

        Reply
      4. Danelle

        May 27, 2018 at 8:16 am

        Hi,
        I do have some lye water in my pantry. How much should I use in this recipe?

        Reply
        • Elaine

          May 27, 2018 at 7:10 pm

          Hi Danelle,
          This is not Lanzhou style hand pulled noodles, lye water is not necessary.

          Reply
      5. Quinn Barber

        June 29, 2018 at 9:55 pm

        5 stars
        Hi! These noodles look BEAUTIFUL and I can't wait to try them.

        If i wanted to freeze the flat noodles, should I skip the oil and dust them with flour/cornstarch instead before freezing? Do you think freezing is a good idea?

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
        • Elaine

          June 30, 2018 at 8:19 am

          Yes, freezing is a good idea. Quinn. Dust the noodles instead of using oil and freeze them in air-tighter bag.

          Reply
      6. lenny jung

        July 11, 2018 at 1:03 am

        I recently came back from xinjiang and tried kazakh noodles for the first time. Now i have been thinking about making hand pulled ones at home. I noticed some recipes use 1 to 2 eggs in making noodles. What does this do to the noodles?

        Reply
        • Elaine

          July 11, 2018 at 11:22 am

          Hi Lenny,
          Adding eggs in noodle dough can increase the elasticity and make the noodles more chewier.

          Reply
      7. Inken

        September 21, 2018 at 11:08 pm

        5 stars
        These look really good!
        Do you think I could extend the last resting time, for example prepare the dough in the evening to let it rest
        overnight, and then pull and cook it the next day?
        Or will this change the consistency too much?

        Reply
        • Elaine

          September 22, 2018 at 8:34 am

          Inken,
          Overnight resting might make the noodles becomes super soft. But you can place it in fridge and keep in air-tight container (avoid from drying out) to slow down the process.
          So if you want a very chewy version, overnight resting might not working. But for a softer version, it can work fine.

          Reply
      8. Renee

        April 13, 2019 at 10:35 am

        5 stars
        Hi Elaine, I made your noodles last night and they turned out amazing! It had such a lovely chewy texture and so easy to make. We enjoyed ours as a beef noodle soup! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

        Reply
        • Elaine

          April 13, 2019 at 6:57 pm

          This should be so good with braised beefs. Thanks Renee for your wonderful feedback.

          Reply
      9. David

        November 12, 2019 at 12:15 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you for sharing, the recipe worked very well for me. Would you mind sharing the recipe using the food grade lye as I use it for making pretzels. Would love to see the difference.

        Reply
      10. Mr. Ron

        November 15, 2019 at 6:04 am

        Will Pizza dough work

        Reply
        • Elaine

          November 15, 2019 at 8:20 am

          I never tried with pizza dough for this one. Pizza dough might be a little bit hard to pull.

          Reply
      Newer Comments »

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

      Primary Sidebar

      Hi Welcome

      Hi welcome to my little corner where I sharing authentic and easy to follow Chinese recipes. Don't be limited by the site name. Know me more from About Page.

      • Facebook
      • Instagram
      • Pinterest
      • Twitter
      • YouTube

      Popular

      • Chinese Scallion Pancakes (Congyoubing)
      • Mapo Tofu Recipe
      • How to Make Boba Pearls at Home -Tapioca Pearls
      • Twice Cooked Pork--Szechuan Pork Stir Fry
      • Red Braised Pork Belly —(HongShaoRou)
      • Pork and Mushroom Stir Fry

      Find Recipes

      Email List

      Subscribe Our Email list to get updates and recipes

      Footer

      ↑ back to top

      • Privacy Policy. Disclaimer. About. Hot Pot cookbook

      As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

      Copyright © 2023 ChinaSichuanFood.com | All Rights Reserved