Howdy,

I've Googled till my fingers were bleeding, but...

I can't seem to find useful information about the authentic
process for making traditional Chinese hand pulled wheat
noodles (other than the fact that it supposedly takes years
of training to learn how to make them.)

I may not devote years to it, but would like to learn more
about making the dough, and the technique itself.

Might you know, or have a source to suggest?

Sincere thanks,
--
Kenneth

If you email... Please remove the "SPAMLESS."

Kenneth wrote on Sat, 28 Jan 2006 22:06:58 -0500:

K> I've Googled till my fingers were bleeding, but...

K> I can't seem to find useful information about the authentic
K> process for making traditional Chinese hand pulled wheat
K> noodles (other than the fact that it supposedly takes years
K> of training to learn how to make them.)

K> I may not devote years to it, but would like to learn more
K> about making the dough, and the technique itself.

K> Might you know, or have a source to suggest?


I can't help you learn the process but I saw it done several
times many years ago in a Vietnamese restuarant. The cook used
to come out from the kitchen and stretch the dough back and
forward until he had the noodles thin enough. He always got
immense applause and, as you say, it looks like it would take
years to learn. I suspect you and I would end up covered with
the paste!

James Silverton.

> can't help you learn the process but I saw it done several
>times many years ago in a Vietnamese restuarant. The cook used
>to come out from the kitchen and stretch the dough back and
>forward until he had the noodles thin enough. He always got
>immense applause and, as you say, it looks like it would take
>years to learn. I suspect you and I would end up covered with
>?the paste!

The principle of making hand pulled noodles is to make a dough and
allow it to rest for enough time.to make it extensible. Its basically a
simple formulations with flour, water and little salt.

I had watched a Chinese chef do it in front of me, and even taught me
how to do it , but I I admit you can be deluded in thinking its easy to
do but indeed it really needs considerable practice to be good at it.
The principle is easy to understand but deftness and dexterity takes
time to cultivate. to be successful in making thousand strands of thin
noodles .
Once I get the dough slightly thin it tends to break down, and I
don't have enough sensitivity and patience nor the right timing to
pull it to the required thinness.

Once the dough is ready for making into noodles, it is kneaded briskly
and when a cohesive dough is formed it is dusted with flour ,it is
then pulled into a cylinder then folded to form two ropes of dough .
Generous dusting flour is placed to prevent the two pieces of dough
from sticking to each other. The two pieces of dough is then twisted
and folded then stretched to form four strands of dough The
process of dusting , pulling twisting and folding is repeated until
thin strands of dough is formed.
Mathematically it look like this...

1 x2=2 x2=4 x2 =8 x2=16 x2=32 x2=64 x2=128 x2= 256 x2=512 x2=1024 etc

As the chef works very fast you just see in TV show that is done
quickly but its not...Its a step by step process done in rapid
succession. And the dough should be really extensible to the final thin
strands attainable .