If the above does not work, you can view the video here.
Continuing my retrospective on my time in China: No series about Zhongguo would be complete without an entry dedicated to noodles, so let me take you west to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, where I arrived on a rainy but muggy June day with one clear mission.
Lanzhou sits on the banks of the mighty Yellow River, which was flowing thick and brown during my visit - swollen from summer rains and mountain snowmelt, its muddy waters looking even darker under the grey sky.
Despite the less-than-inspiring weather and the city's reputation as a transit hub rather than a destination, I knew exactly what I needed to do: find a bowl of authentic Lanzhou beef noodle soup.
This was the first stop on a five-day trip through Gansu province, and I couldn't think of a better way to begin than with the dish that put Lanzhou on China's culinary map. Lanzhou beef noodle soup (兰州牛肉面) - often simply called Lanzhou lamian (literally "hand-pulled noodles") - is serious business across China. You'll find versions in noodle shops from Beijing to Shenzhen, but like many regional specialties, nothing compares to eating it where it was born.
The dish follows a precise formula: clear beef broth simmered for hours, fresh hand-pulled noodles, tender beef, crisp white radish, fresh coriander or spring onions, and bright red chili oil/sauce.
What makes Lanzhou lamian special isn't just the ingredients, but the theatre of it all. The video shows my experience at Mazilu Beef Noodles in central Lanzhou - and it was everything I'd hoped for. After ordering, I handed over my number and watched, mesmerised, as the process unfolded. First, the master noodle-puller stretched and twisted dough into impossibly long, perfectly even strands. Then a second cook dropped them into a great vat of boiling water. Finally, a third cook ladled the cooked noodles into a bowl, and added that fragrant, soul-warming broth, along with the rest of the crucial ingredients.
The first slurp was perfect - the noodles had just the right chew and the broth was clean, deeply flavoured and nourishing. At 7 yuan (less than 1 euro) for a completely satisfying bowl, it was ridiculously good value. No wonder locals queue up for their morning bowl before work - it was certainly the perfect way to fuel up for my adventures in Gansu.
Some experiences are worth travelling across provinces for - authentic lamian in Lanzhou was definitely one of them!
This article originally appeared as a post on my LinkedIn profile.
