Lanzhou pulled noodles are the precursor to handmade stick noodles, which eventually evolved into today's stick noodles. Geographically, the line from the Qinling Mountains to the Huai River divides China into the southern and northern regions. Due to different climates and soils, there are distinct dietary cultures. Northern wheat has a higher hard wheat rate, higher gluten content, a more upright shape, and longer stability time. In contrast, southern wheat has lower gluten, shorter stability time, and after being placed for a while, it tends to become flat. Therefore, to make noodles with southern wheat, a larger amount of alkali water is needed to increase the gluten content; otherwise, the noodles will be too soft and sticky, resulting in poor taste. In terms of stick noodle flavors, this has led to a preference for northern salt (white salt noodles) and southern alkali (yellow alkali noodles).
The "Penghui" traditionally used in Lanzhou pulled noodles also comes from a type of alkaline derived from plant ash. Descendants of Ma Baozi, the founder of Lanzhou pulled noodles, have detailed the steps of adding Penghui to the noodles: according to the amount of flour, an appropriate amount of Penghui water is added. Alkali is the key to mixing the dough, not only can it remove the sour taste from the dough, but it can also form a dense network of collagen in the flour, lock the starch particles, prevent the noodle soup from becoming turbid, and improve the texture of the noodles, creating a pleasant elasticity in the mouth.
Commonly used food alkalis in alkali water noodles include sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, and sodium bicarbonate, with an addition rate of mostly 0.3%-0.8%. Food alkalis can react with flavonoid compounds in the flour to give the noodles a distinctive yellow color and unique flavor, and an appropriate amount of alkali can improve the texture of the noodles. They have a special alkaline aroma and are sought after for their hard and crispy texture.
From a nutritional perspective, alkali water noodles are rich in protein, high-quality carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and various other nutrients.
Efficacy: The weak alkalinity of alkali water noodles can neutralize stomach acid, promote appetite, protect the gastric mucosa to reduce stomach discomfort, maintain weak alkalinity in the blood to soften blood vessels, reduce purines to help uric acid excretion, and maintain body acid-base balance to enhance immune function.
Cooking endurance: Alkali water noodles are more resistant to cooking, do not clump for a long time, and even if the cooked noodles are soaked and softened, they do not make the soup turbid, making them suitable for restaurants that need to prepare dough in advance.
Calorie consumption: Compared to ordinary noodles, alkali water noodles have a higher thermic effect of food, requiring more calories to be consumed by the body, which has gained popularity among young people.
Our Dongfang Naomu Food Machinery Co., Ltd. has stick noodle production line with a capacity ranging from 4 tons per shift in 8 hours to 30 tons in various models, and can produce a variety of products with interchangeable noodle knives. The Dongfang Naomu stick noodle production line has a high degree of automation and energy saving, with technologies such as one click thickness change and automatic tool change. It can also be combined with various heat sources, green air energy, and natural drying to produce sun dried noodles. Based on the customer's required noodle production and weight requirements, create good products and equipment that fit the customer's needs.