Hand-pulled noodles are having a moment in London. But not all hand-pulled noodles are created equal - and not all restaurants that claim to serve them actually pull them by hand.
Here's how to tell the difference, and where to find the real thing.
What are hand-pulled noodles?
Hand-pulled noodles - la mian in Chinese - are made from a single piece of dough that's repeatedly stretched and folded by hand until it becomes dozens (sometimes hundreds) of individual noodle strands.
The technique originated in Lanzhou, in China's Gansu province, where Muslim noodle makers have been perfecting it for centuries along the ancient Silk Road. A skilled puller can go from a block of dough to a bowl of noodles in under a minute.
What makes them special?
Three things set hand-pulled noodles apart from machine-made noodles:
Texture Hand-pulled noodles have a chewiness - what the Chinese call "Q" - that machines can't replicate. The stretching and folding develops the gluten in a way that gives each strand a springy, satisfying bite.
Irregularity No two strands are identical. Some are slightly thicker, some slightly thinner. This variation means each mouthful is slightly different - a complexity that uniform machine noodles lack.
Freshness Hand-pulled noodles are made to order. They go from dough to bowl in minutes. You can't get fresher than that.
How to spot the real thing
Not every restaurant that says "hand-pulled" actually pulls by hand. Here are the signs of the genuine article:
- You can see them being made - many authentic noodle restaurants have an open kitchen or a visible noodle station
- The noodles are irregular - perfectly uniform noodles are machine-made
- They're served immediately - hand-pulled noodles don't sit around
- The menu is focused - a restaurant that specialises in noodles is more likely to pull them by hand than a restaurant with 200 dishes
Hand-pulled noodles at The Greedy Sheep
At The Greedy Sheep in Chinatown, every noodle is pulled fresh by hand for every bowl. Our noodle dishes include:
- Lamb Noodle Soup - rich lamb broth, hand-pulled noodles, tender braised lamb, coriander, chilli oil
- Beef Noodle Soup - slow-cooked beef broth with sliced braised beef
- Spicy Lamb Dry Noodles - no broth, just hand-pulled noodles tossed in fiery chilli sauce with cumin lamb
All noodle dishes are prepared in our 100% halal kitchen. They sit alongside the wider Northern Chinese street food repertoire we serve - dumplings, rou jia mo and cumin lamb stir-fries.
The Lanzhou noodle tradition
The hand-pulled noodle tradition comes from the Muslim Hui communities of Lanzhou. For centuries, Hui noodle makers have passed down the technique from generation to generation. The combination of halal lamb broth and hand-pulled noodles is one of China's most iconic dishes - and it's been halal from the very beginning.
When you eat hand-pulled noodles at The Greedy Sheep, you're eating food with deep Muslim heritage, made the way it's been made for hundreds of years.
8 Little Newport Street, Chinatown, London WC2H 7JJ. Open 12pm-10pm daily.
