How to make river noodles

People in the south like to eat rice, while people in the north like to eat noodles. There is a kind of noodle dish that has been popular in the north for a long time: He Lao Mian. Due to its exquisite preparation and complicated craftsmanship, few people make it now. However, some people who miss the delicious food from their hometown still want to know the recipe of He Lo Mian so that they can make it for their family and friends to try. Helaomian gets its name from the fact that it needs to be made on a river scoop bed. The production process often requires the cooperation of multiple people. Now the ingredients can be purchased from supermarkets and the production method has also been streamlined, making it very suitable for home production and consumption. Let’s take a look at how to do it.

Introduction to He Lo Mian

Helaomian is an ancient noodle variety with a history of about 1,000 years. It is mostly popular in northern families, especially in Shanxi and northern Shaanxi. The names are different in different places. Some are called Helaomian, some are called Chuangzimian, some are called Xieliemian, and some are called Yahelao or Zhahelao. When making a river scoop, there is a special tool for pressing the river scoop, called a "river scoop bed". The bed body is made of thick and curved wood. Now there are also some made of iron machines. There is a wooden core in the middle that can move up and down like a piston. The old wooden river fishing bed is made by digging a round hole as thick as a cup mouth on a piece of wood. The hole is transparent from top to bottom, and a piece of iron or copper plate with small holes of appropriate size evenly distributed is nailed to the bottom of the hole. There is a cylinder above the Helao bed connected to an axis. Place the Helao bed on the pot, roll the kneaded dough into an oval shape, dip it in water, fill the round hole with the dough, put it into the pit of the Helao bed, put the wooden core at the hole, and then hold the handle of the Helao bed, press down (squeeze) with the wooden bar, and press the dough from the small hole into the boiling water pot. After all the dough is pressed, use a knife to cut the dough threads at the bottom of the Helao bed, and take it out of the pot after it is cooked, and then pour different flavors of臊子 (that is, the sauce poured on the noodles when eating noodles. Shanxi people generally call it臊子) on it, and then you can eat it. A large river bailing bed requires the strength of two or three people to operate. But some families also use small river fishing beds, which are similar in shape to large river fishing beds, but are much smaller in size.

How to make river noodles

Method 1:

1. Cut the pork into small cubes of about 5 square millimeters and pour into the heated pan to stir-fry until lard is fried out. Then add chopped onion, ginger and garlic. After stir-frying for a while, pour in appropriate amount of soy sauce and table salt, and then add appropriate amount of boiling water.

2. Peel the potatoes, cut them into small cubes of about 1 cm square and put them into the pot.

3. Cut the potato vermicelli into thin pieces about 3 cm long, pour them into the pot after 5 minutes, and simmer for about 5 minutes. The sauce for the bean noodle soup is ready.

4. Pour the bean flour into a basin, then beat in an egg. Then add water and knead the flour with your hands. The flour should be softer and more evenly kneaded.

5. Boil the water, place the river noodle basket on the boiling water pot, then put the noodles into the river noodle basket, press down hard, the long river noodles will swim happily in the boiling water like fish, and will be cooked in a short while.

6. Use chopsticks to scoop the He Lo Noodles into a bowl, serve a bowl to each person, then pour the臊子 on it, add some vinegar, stir it, and you can enjoy the delicious He Lo Noodles.

Method 2:

Ingredients: Cornmeal, (sorghum rice flour can also be used) elm bark (elm bark is ground into flour, if elm bark is not available, white flour can be used instead)

Tools: River fishing bed (a wooden board with a metal sheet in the middle, with holes all over it)

Method: Heat the pot halfway, mix cornmeal and elm bark flour into dough, use a river scoop to press the dough into noodles, and when the noodles are cooked, take them out and cool them in cold water.

Braised food: You can make braised kidney beans and diced meat, braised leeks and eggs, braised yellow mushrooms and lean meat, and finished garlic chili sauce.

The texture is smooth and the noodles are chewy, this is the old-fashioned way of cooking. If you want to try it, give it a try.