Nanzhao Hand-Pulled Noodles 南召扯面

How it is made

扯 (chě) means to pull or stretch, and the name describes the work: a rested strip of wheat dough is pulled and worked until it thins into ribbons, which go straight into boiling water. The county's own visitor guide lists 南召扯面 alongside 白土岗辣子鸡, 排骨凉茶, 卤猪蹄 and 揽锅菜 as the foods it points travellers towards.

Because the noodles are pulled by hand rather than cut, the thickness varies slightly along each ribbon, and the surface stays a little rough — which is exactly what helps a sauce or broth cling to it.

Flavour and texture

Freshly pulled noodles have a springy, slightly uneven chew that machine-cut wheat noodles rarely match, and it is the topping — a sauce or a broth — that carries the seasoning.

The bowl is a wheat-and-sauce dish rather than a rice dish, which places it clearly on the northern side of Nanzhao's cooking.

Local roots and traditions

Nanzhao sits on the climatic boundary between north and south, and the county's guide describes a larder that runs from mountain produce such as 猴头, 拳菜, 羊肚菌 and 山蘑 to 鸭河鱼, 南召黑猪, 本地山羊, 南召柴鸡 and 南召柞蚕. The county presents that mix as its culinary identity.

Wheat noodles belong to the northern side of that table while river fish and rice belong to the southern side, so the扯面 bowl is one half of a county that cooks in two directions.

Ingredients and dietary needs

Wheat flour, water and salt for the dough are the base; what comes with it ranges from a simple seasoned sauce to a bowl with vegetables or braised meat. There is no single national recipe, so the toppings change shop by shop.

Because the noodles are wheat and the toppings often include soy sauce, chilli or meat broth, ask about the sauce if you are avoiding wheat, soy or meat; a plain noodle bowl with vegetables is usually the safe request.

How to order Nanzhao Hand-Pulled Noodles

Ask for 南召扯面 by name. In a noodle shop you will usually be asked the size — 小碗 or 大碗 — and whether you want it dry-tossed or in broth, so 干拌 and 带汤 are the two words to have ready.

If the shop offers 加面 (extra noodles) or 加肉 (extra meat), the price changes; ask 多少钱 before it is cooked if the menu is only on the wall.

How to eat it and plan a meal

Noodles are eaten with chopsticks and the broth, if there is any, is drunk from the bowl or with a spoon. Nanzhao's long-table meals, which the county guide illustrates, run to several dishes, but a noodle bowl on its own is a full and cheap meal.

If you are sharing, order one bowl each and add a cold vegetable dish or a plate of braised meat rather than splitting a single bowl between two people.

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