Chinese Noodles,Different from Spaghetti

Noodles are an essential ingredient and staple in Chinese cuisine.There is a great variety of Chinese noodles,which vary according to their region of production, ingredients,shape or width,and manner of preparation.They are an important part of most regional cuisines within China,as well as in Taiwan,Singapore,and other Southeast Asian nations with sizable overseas Chinese populations.

Chinese-style noodles have also entered the native cuisines of neighboring East Asian countries such as Korea and Japan(dangmyeon and ramen,for example,are both of Chinese origin),as well as Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam,the Philippines,Thailand, and Cambodia.

Nomenclature of Chinese noodles can be difficult due to the vast spectrum available in China and the many dialects of Chinese used to name them.In Chinese,mian(m)refers to noodles made from wheat,while fenor”fun”refers to noodles made from rice flour, mung bean starch,or indeed any kind of starch.Each noodle type can be rendered in pinyin for Mandarin,but in Hong Kong and neighboring Guangdong it will be known by its Cantonese pronunciation.Taiwan,Malaysia,Singapore and many other Overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia will use Hokkien(Min Nan)instead.

Cut:The dough is rolled out into a flat sheet,folded,and then cut into noodles of a desired width.

Extrud:The dough is placed into a mechanical press with holes through which the dough is forced to form strands of noodles.

Peel:A firm dough is mixed and formed into a long loaf.Strips of dough are then quickly sliced or peeled off the loaf directly into the boiling water.

Pull:The dough is rolled into a long cylinder,which is then repeatedly stretched and folded to produce thinner and thinner strands.

Knead:A small ball of dough is lightly rolled on a flat surface until it is several centimetres long and spindle shaped. 

hancheng

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