Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles
The noodles are smooth and chewy, served with assorted meat or vegetable toppings or a savory sauce.
Ingredients
flour
500 g
water (to form dough)
about 200 g
Instructions
1
Mixing the dough
Put the flour into a container, add about 200 g of water and mix evenly into a dough. Cover with a damp clean cloth and let rest briefly.
2
Cutting the noodles
Bring water in a pot to a boil. Knead the dough into a long cylindrical shape, thinner at the front and thicker at the back. Hold the dough with the left hand; with the right hand, hold a special curved steel blade and slice off strips one after another from top to bottom along the dough's surface. Master the angle of the blade — each subsequent cut should land on the ridge line left by the previous cut. The cut noodles should be triangular in cross-section, with willow-leaf-shaped tips at both ends, and 20–40 cm in length.
3
Cooking the noodles
The cut noodle strips fly directly into the boiling water. Once cooked through, scoop them out. When serving, pair with various meat or vegetable toppings according to personal preference — stir-frying or tossing are both fine.
