Chengdu-Style Thick Stick Noodles

Chengdushi Cu Gun Gun Mian (成都式粗棍棍面)

Thick and scrumptious, these fresh stick noodles are easy to make and the perfect introduction to homemade noodle making.

Chengdu Style Thick Stick Noodles are specifically used for one dish: Sweet Sauce Noodles. However, Stick Noodles are a common type of Noodle throughout China. The Chengdu version used for Sweet Sauce Noodles requires the same ingredients as regular Stick Noodles, just with fewer steps. I refer to these regular Stick Noodles as ‘classic’ or ‘traditional,’ but really, they are just more widely used. The following Chengdu Style may actually be far older as it’s not only a simpler recipe but also mentioned indirectly in Chinese literature from the early 1900’s.

Stick Noodle dough is pretty easy to make and only requires 3 ingredients: Flour, Water, and Salt. While the exact amount of Flour and Water can vary slightly a good ratio is 300 grams of Flour, 150 milliliters of Water, and 2 grams of Salt. This will produce a rather firm, dense dough that will require kneading and rest times to reach the perfect smoothness. The kneading process is integral to creating strong smooth Noodles. If the dough is under-kneaded, the Noodles will have a tendency to break during the longer-than-average boiling process.

The following Chengdu Style is quite a bit easier to make than traditional Stick Noodles. They both have almost identical steps up until the final rest. After the dough has rested fully, the traditional recipe requires the dough rolled into a 3-inch-thick log and brushed with oil. The dough would then be cut at 1-inch intervals and brushed again with oil. From there, the pieces would be rolled out into sticks similar in size to the Chengdu Style mentioned below. However, instead of dusting the Noodles with flour and cooking them, the Noodles would be brushed with oil again and allowed to rest for 20-minutes. Finally, these Noodles would be stretched as they’re smacked against the work surface, doubled-up, and then stretched again while being smacked. (Anyone who’s been to Haidilao Hotpot will know the Noodles can also be stretched by dancing). These classic Stick Noodles require more work, but are perfect for a variety of dishes including Dan Dan Noodles (担担面).

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 0 min

Total Time: 30 min

Serving: 2 people

Ingredients

300 grams of High-Gluten Flour

2 grams of Salt

150 milliliters of Water

Directions

1.) Whisk together the Flour and Salt first in a large mixing bowl.

2.) Add the Water and mix everything together by hand until a rough, shaggy ball of dough forms.

3.) Cover the bowl with a damp towel and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.

4.) On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 1 minute until somewhat smooth but still quite firm. Cover the dough with a damp towel and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

(This will be a rather firm dough so I recommend using a “fist” folding method. Grab one end of the dough, flatten it slightly in your hand, and pull it away from you. Fold this end backwards and over, onto itself. Use your fist to push it down and smush the layers together. Then, rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the entire process until the dough is kneaded).

5.) After 10 minutes, knead the dough again until extremely smooth. Cover the dough once more and rest for a final 10 to 15 minutes.

6.) Roll out the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick oblong oval using a rolling pin. Cut the dough lengthwise at 3/4-inch-thick intervals using a bench scrapper but do not separate the cut dough into individual strands.

(For easy measurement, 3/4 of an inch thick is slightly less than 1-inch thick).

7.) Sprinkle the cut oval with flour and then begin to separate the dough into Noodles, one at a time, gently rolling and slightly stretching each one.

8.) Dust the Noodles with flour as necessary and ideally cook them soon. These Noodles are ideal for Sweet Sauce Noodles.

 

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