A complete guide to Chinese hand-pulled noodles. Techniques explained in detail and two shapes introduced. Following this recipe, everyone can make them with ease!
Hand-pulled noodles, known as Lā Miàn/拉面, Lā Tiáo Zi/拉条子 or Chě Miàn/扯面, is a recipe that I’ve been meaning to share for a long time. Growing up in Gansu province, China where it’s a common dish in restaurants and households, I learned the technique through observing my parents’ cooking. I enjoy the pleasure of both making and eating them.
What are hand-pulled noodles
As its name suggests, hand-pulled noodles are formed by pulling wheat flour dough by hand into long, elastic strips. Compared to hand-cut and machine-made noodles, they usually have a more silky, springy and chewy texture. They are always served super fresh as the pulling and cooking process happens at the same time.
What are they made of?
Hand-pulled noodles contain three basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt and water. In some cases, an alkaline agent is added to the dough to make the noodles more springy.
Two types of hand-pulled noodles
The professional version
One serving of noodles are pulled from one single piece of dough by folding multiple times. Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup/兰州牛肉面 (aka Lanzhou Lā Miàn, 兰州拉面), the classic dish of my hometown, showcases this amazing culinary art of noodle making. The use of an alkaline agent (Péng Huī/蓬灰 in this case) makes the dough super flexible and stretchy.
If you haven’t seen how they are made, I suggest you take a look at a noodle pulling video I took on one of my Culinary Tours of China. My tour participants were very lucky to have the chance to visit the back kitchen and communicate with the chefs. On my next tours, we will go one step further to put our hands on the dough and learn from professional noodle masters.
The easy home version
My recipe introduces another type of hand-pulled noodles: the dough is firstly cut into strips then pulled one by one into long noodles. The popular Xi’an Biang Biang Noodles are made this way.
Compared to the professional method, this technique is much easier to master. Although simple to make, I’d like to explain in detail every aspect of this dish. I hope my complete guide will help you, including kitchen novices, to have a fail-proof experience learning this cooking skill.
The basic workflow
Before we get down to the detailed explanations, let me first outline the procedures for making hand-pulled noodles.
- Make a smooth, fairly firm dough using flour, salt & water.
- Divide then flatten the dough. Coat with oil then leave to rest.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Cut the dough pieces into strips.
- Pull the strips into long noodles one at a time. Drop into the water.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes then dish out.
How to make the perfect dough
The dough for hand-pulled noodles involves three basic ingredients: wheat flour, water and a little salt. The finished dough should be soft, smooth and elastic thus can be easily pulled into the desired shapes without breaking. Paying attention to the following rules, everyone can make perfect dough with ease.
Use all-purpose flour with medium gluten
Flour with a medium level of gluten works the best for hand-pulled noodles. That is to say that the protein content should be 10-11g per 100g flour. All-purpose flour (aka plain white flour) sold in the US and the UK falls into this range.
However, the gluten level of all-purpose flour varies among countries. Check the nutrition label on the package to learn the protein content.
Flour high in gluten (above 13g protein per 100g flour), such as very strong bread flour, can be used for this recipe but it’s harder to work on. Due to its strong, super elastic gluten, the dough tends to shrink back and breaks more easily when pulled.
NB: Wholemeal flour/gluten-free flour is not suitable for making hand-pulled noodles.
The flour-water ratio is 2:1 by weight
To ensure a fail-proof experience, I recommend you measure flour by weight as it’s much more accurate than measuring with a cup.
The flour-water ratio is 2:1 by weight. In my recipe, I add 125g/ml water to 250g flour to make a dough for 2 servings.
You might need to slightly adjust the water volume as flour of different brands absorbs water differently. The initial dough (before resting) should be smooth but quite firm. You wouldn’t need to dust the work surface with flour when kneading/rolling.
Add a little salt to the dough
Just like my parents always do, I add a little salt to the dough for hand-pulled noodles. This is to make cooked noodles more “Jīn Dào, 筋道” meaning “Al Dente”.
In “On Food and Cooking”, scientist Harold Mcgee explains the purpose of adding salt to noodles: “It tightens the gluten network and stabilizes the starch granules, keeping them intact even as they absorb water and swell.”
Coat the dough with oil thoroughly
After the dough has been formed, you need to do the following before leaving it to rest:
- Cut the dough into sections. If you are making 2 servings, then cut it into two pieces.
- With a rolling pin, flatten each piece to about ½ cm in thickness.
- Coat each piece with cooking oil thoroughly (both sides). Place them one on top of another in a tray. Cover with clingfilm.
Coating with oil is a crucial procedure. It prevents the dough pieces from sticking to each other. It also helps the final noodles to gain a smooth, silky look.
Some people coat the dough with flour instead. This also works but the cooked noodles tend to have a rougher appearance and a stickier texture on the surface.
Allow enough time to rest the dough
When it comes to dough preparation, resting is very important and can not be skipped. As I mentioned above, the initially formed dough is quite firm. Over time, the elasticity of the dough relaxes. It becomes softer and more malleable. This process makes noodle pulling so much easier!
I recommend you rest the flattened dough pieces for at least 1.5 hours. If you prepare the dough in advance and pull it the next day, you can store it in the fridge. But, remember to allow it to come back to room temperature before you start working on it.
How to pull the noodles
Here comes the most exciting part (probably the most intimidating too): Pull the noodles with your hands. Unlike the master chefs in Lanzhou beef noodle restaurants, Chinese home cooks, like my parents, pull their noodles one strip at a time. My foolproof recipe uses the same method.
First of all, you need to cut the flattened dough pieces into strips. Be gentle when you transfer them onto the work surface as they’ve become very soft after resting. Try to retain their shape and do not pinch or pull (yet!).
Round or flat? Choose the noodle size
Do you have a preference for the shape of the noodles? Round, thin ones or flat wide ones? I love both. So my recipe includes two ways of shaping the noodles. Give both a try to see what works and tastes better for you.
- Round, thin noodles: Cut the flatten dough into thin strips, about 1 cm wide.
- Flat, wide noodles: Cut the flatten dough into wide strips, about 3 cm wide.
Noodle pulling technique
- Pick up one strip of dough by holding each end gently.
- Pull towards opposite directions. The movement should be smooth and consistent..
- As your arms move apart, bounce the noodle against the worktop to help it stretch further. Fold the noodle and repeat the movement.
Please check out my tutorial video (above in the post & below in the recipe card)to see exactly how I do it.
An alternative method
If you find the technique above difficult to master, try the alternative method: Over a pot of boiling water, hold one end of a strip of dough and pull the other end towards the water. Drop the pulled part into the water and continue pulling the remaining part (Please refer to the video).
How to cook the noodles
Compared to other types of noodles, the dough for hand-pulled noodles has a very high water content thus it’s very soft, easy to stick and can be cooked through fairly quickly. When cooking them, you need to take this characteristic into account. Here are some general rules to follow:
Cook one serving at a time
Pulling and cooking happen at the same time. Drop one pulled noodle straight into the boiling water then work on the next one. Stop when you finish all the dough strips for one serving.
Do not overcook
It takes quite a short time to cook hand-pulled noodles. If making round, narrow ones, leave to cook for 1 minute. If making flat, wide ones, leave to cook for 2 minutes. Do not overcook. Perfectly cooked noodles should be smooth, silky in appearance and quite chewy in texture.
Serving ideas
Now let’s talk about how to serve your beautifully made noodles. Here are some inspirations:
- Add delicious broth/soup along with cooked meat, blanched vegetables, etc. For example, the classic Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup; Sichuan Style Spicy Beef Noodles Soup; Chicken Meatball Noodles Soup
- Mix with saucy toppings, such as the Beijing signature noodle dish Zha Jiang Mian; Classic street foods: Dan Dan Noodles, Chongqing Noodles
- Spicy them up with a scrumptious dressing. For example, Xi’an’s popular dish Biang Biang Noodles, Classic Shanghai delicacy Scallion Oil Noodles
- Mix with stir-fry dishes of your choice. Try the following: Tomato & Egg Stir-fry; Black Pepper Beef; Sichuan Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce
Other homemade noodle recipes
Hand-pulled noodles (La Mian), a foolproof recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g all-purpose flour - about 2 cups (see note 1)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 125 ml water - ½ cup + 1 teaspoon
- cooking oil - for coating the dough
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- IF KNEADING BY HAND: Mix flour and salt. Add water gradually. Mix with chopsticks/spatula until no more loose flour can be seen. Combine and knead briefly into a dough. Leave to rest for 10-15 minutes (covered). Knead again for about 2 minutes until very smooth.
- IF KNEADING WITH A STAND MIXER: Add flour, salt and water into the mixing bowl. Knead on low speed until a very smooth dough forms.
Coat & rest the dough
- Divide the dough into two equal parts. With a rolling pin, flatten each piece into a rectangle shape (about ½ cm thick).
- Thoroughly coat each piece with oil then place them on a tray. Cover with cling film then leave to rest for 1.5 hours.
Cut the dough
- Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. While waiting, cut the dough.
- Place one piece of dough on a chopping board. Widthways, cut it into strips: about 1 cm wide if making round, thin noodles; about 3 cm wide if making flat, wide noodles.
Pull the noodles (see note 3 for alternative method)
- Pick up one strip of dough by holding each end gently. Pull towards opposite directions. The movement should be smooth and consistent.
- As your arms move apart, bounce the noodle against the worktop to help it stretch further.
- Fold the noodle and repeat the movement (Please refer to the video below).
Cook the noodles
- Drop the pulled noodle into boiling water. Repeat the procedure to pull other strips cut from the first piece of dough.
- Cook 1 minute for the thin noodles or 2 minutes for the wide noodles (While waiting, cut the second piece of dough into strips.). Transfer the noodles to a serving bowl using a pair of chopsticks.
- Repeat to pull and cook the second bowl of noodles.
Serve the noodles
- To avoid the noodles sticking to each other, serve immediately.
- You may add a broth or mix the noodles with toppings/dressings. Please see note 4 for recipe links.
Store & Reheat
- If not serving straight away, you need to briefly rinse the noodles with cold water then add a few drops of sesame oil and stir well. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- To reheat: Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Add the noodles and cook for no more than 30 seconds.
Video
NOTES
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
Ann says
What can I use instead of plastic wrap? Also, is olive oil ok as the cooking oil?
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Ann! You can use olive oil and other ways to cover. The goal is to prevent the dough from drying out.
Ann says
Thanks! I finally tried it today. My pull wasn’t as great as the video, but I have tasty noodles. I’ll keep practicing the dough.
Wei @ Red House Spice says
My pleasure Ann! Keep practising and you’ll be a pro soon!
Luciano Santiago says
Hi, thank you for sharing your recipe. I tried it twice and failed miserably both times. I use Brazilian flour (we have only one kind here, and it has 10.6% protein). As much as I tried, my dough only become smooth after a long rest and it won’t stretch. It tears or shrink back when you release. And I followed every step in recipe. Am I not kneading it properly? I guess I’m not handling the dough correctly. Do you have any tips for me?
Thank you in advance
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Sorry to hear that Luciano! I would need more detail/information to troubleshoot but here is the general rule: No matter how you knead the dough and how long it rests, once it becomes smooth, do not knead again. Simply roll it into flat pieces as instructed, coat thoroughly with oil then leave to rest (at least 90 minutes). From this point onwards, do not handle the dough pieces at all apart from moving them to a surface and cutting them into strips for pulling. If uncertain, try one strip first. If it’s still difficult to pull. Leave the strips to rest a little longer (again, do not handle them). If your kitchen is hot/dry, remember to cover with cling film. Hope this helps.
Dun says
Hello Wei, this recipe is the reason I was able to finally hand pull some noodles for the first time!
The subtle details in your post (a smooth dough and insisting on letting the dough rest) did the trick. I’ll be back for more recipes!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Very happy to hear that Dun! Enjoy your time in the kitchen!
Wendy says
WOW ! I tried my first noodle making today using your instructions and video. Really enjoyed the noodles, Takes some practice to pull the noodles and I would definitely try it again with different sauce and soups. Today I made the noodles with xian Biang Biang chili oil sauce to serve. Love it !
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Thank you for trying out my recipe Wendy! Yes, you can improvise the toppings and sauces. There are so many yummy ways to serve hand-pulled noodles. Enjoy!
Evelyn says
thank you for sharing this recipe! I ended up making a youtube video using your recipe and really enjoyed it (even though I messed up a little haha), and linked your recipe. It was gobbled up by everyone instantly. Can’t wait to try your other recipes!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Thank you Evelyn for trying out my recipe!
Emma says
I made these noodles yesterday after the video popped up on the side while I was looking at your recipe for tomato egg stir fry. I couldn’t resist the temptation to try this pasta-making method, and I’m so glad I did! It was so easy, especially with the instructions in the video. My family loved it. I doubled the recipe, and it fed five people comfortably. Thanks for sharing!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
My pleasure Emma! So happy to know you and your family enjoyed it.
Ahmed says
Hi Wei. I’ve used a flour with 11g protein content and your exact measurements. I’ve followed your recipe to the letter but the resulting dough doesn’t stretch much and it breaks before stretching enough. This was a fail for me unfortunately.
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Very sorry to hear that Ahmed. Your dough might have been harder than it should be thus needing longer resting. The longer it rests, the softer it gets and the stretchier it becomes. As I mentioned in the recipe note, the flour-water ratio may vary a little depending on the brand of your flour. The dough (before resting) should be medium-firm. Hope this helps!
MA Cheng says
These were fantastic. The video is especially helpful. My first noodles yesterday weren’t that pretty, but by the end of pulling the second serving I was getting the hang of it. Will make again today. Hubby was skeptical when I announced I was going to do this, now he’s a believer! Thanks for posting.
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Great to hear that! Well done for the first attempt!
Val says
Just stumbled across your recipe and noodle pulling technique, decided to try it for lunch today. Perfect, absolutely perfect. Noodles were easy to make and had that slightly chewy texture. Let fuss and less mess and way more fun than using a pasta maker.
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Agree! It’s better than using a machine in many ways. Very happy to know you’ve enjoyed my recipe!
Jade says
Very excited to try this recipe! Is it possible to freeze the noodles after they’re pulled or do they not keep as well? Thanks!
Wei @ Red House Spice says
Hi Jade! This type of freshly made noodles have to be cooked immediately due to their high water content. You cannot freeze them.