Once the dough has been rested enough, Yin Hongbin puts it back on the workbench, crosses his hands, and uses his fists to knead it outward, smoothing out the surface of the dough.
He sprinkles one-third of the Peng Hui water on top.
Then he folds the dough, continues to use the base of his thumb to push forward, forming dough pieces, allowing the Peng Hui water to be better absorbed.
He kneads the dough pieces back into a smooth dough and repeats the steps of sprinkling water, folding, pushing out, and kneading into dough twice, fully incorporating the Peng Hui water into the dough, thus completing the dough preparation and resting process.
After adding the Peng Hui water, the dough becos soft and smooth.
"Next, we can start forming the noodle strips."
Peng Hui water makes the dough soft and elastic, but it has a shelf life, so adding Peng Hui water as you go is better.
Yin Hongbin rolls the dough on the board into a long strip, ensuring the workbench is greased to prevent stickiness while rolling.
Holding both ends of the rolled dough, he gives it a shake and twist, causing the long strip to twist into a braided shape.
Placed it back on the board, kneads it again into a long strip, holds both ends, and twists it into a braided shape again, but in the opposite direction this ti.
This step Lin Xu understands, as in pastry terms it’s called "following the grain," which helps the dough’s texture beco smoother, making it easier to stretch into noodles.
After repeatedly following the grain, the dough’s elasticity becos more pronounced.
Yin Hongbin again rolls the dough into a slightly thicker strip; it’s ti to make the pulled noodles.
He sprinkles so dry flour on the workbench, pinches a piece of dough from the roll and rolls it into a cylindrical shape, using both thumbs to pinch the ends, pressing them at the base of his thumb, and gently stretching it outward.
Stretching while slapping on the floured board, elongates it and loops it onto his left hand, thus forming the first loop.
After forming the first loop, he uses his right index finger to stretch the middle of the two strands, stretching outward again, thus repeating the action loop by loop.
Lin Xu watches very attentively.
He notices that before starting each stretch, Yin Hongbin would twist the dough held by his left hand, rolling the area pressed by his fingers onto the dough.
From the fourth loop onward, the right hand switches from index finger to the back of the hand for stretching.
While stretching, the back of the hand should maintain an arc, ensuring the noodles receive force evenly to prevent them from breaking under concentrated stress.
After eight loops, a batch of second-grade pulled noodles is complete.
Yin Hongbin hangs the noodles held by his left hand onto the fingers of his right hand, and by intertwining the index and middle fingers, breaks off the piece of dough in his palm instantly.
"Use the Cooking Learning Card."
Taking advantage of this mont, Lin Xu silently recites to himself.
He’s here to learn noodle-making, he must not be distracted by awe.
"Learning target: Yin Hongbin. Current skill: Advanced noodle-making technique, learn?"
"Learn!"
"Consu one Perfect Level Cooking Learning Card, acquire Perfect Level premium pastry cooking technique—Pulled Noodles, congratulations to the host."
Finally, it’s in hand.
Lin Xu is quite pleased.
This trip wasn’t in vain.
Yin Hongbin places the noodles on the workbench, then fetches a pot and fills it with water before putting it on the stove to boil.
"Since the noodles are ready, let’s make a bowl of Lanzhou Clear Soup Beef Noodles."
After speaking, he goes out to get the beef soup.
While idling, Lin Xu washes his hands, pinches a piece of dough, kneads it on the workbench, then presses it into a long strip dough sheet.
The freshly acquired technique itches him to try his hand, unable to resist it.
Pressing the dough sheet by both ends, he slowly stretches it outward, pulling it into a long strip and looping it over.
Just as Yin Hongbin cos back carrying clear soup and ingredients needed for beef noodles, Lin Xu finishes pulling a perfect leaf scallion noodle.
"Chef Lin, are you here challenging the masters?"
My goodness, claiming to learn noodle-making but makes a perfect standard leaf scallion after one look, who is teaching whom?
Lin Xu snaps back to reality, realizing his oversight, quickly says:
"Actually, I have secretly learned a bit from other masters, but hadn’t fully grasped it. Seeing Executive Chef Yin’s skill today, I finally fully understood."
Yin Hongbin sets down the beef soup and asks:
"The essence of Beef Noodles is actually in this clear beef soup, do you know how to make it?"
Lin Xu shakes his head.
He really doesn’t know, nor does he intend to learn.
Pulled noodles are purely pastry technique, learnable.
But the making of beef clear soup is a trade secret; even if he learns, Director Liao might slap him with a confidentiality agreent to sign.
Better spare the Dining Departnt a few sheets of paper.
Lin Xu looks at the beef clear soup brought by Yin Hongbin, resembling the broth used for poached cabbage, both tea-colored and transparent, a bit like thirstily brewed tea.
This crystal-clear soup piques his curiosity instantly.
"Executive Chef Yin, this beef clear soup... is it also cleared using chicken atball?"
Yin Hongbin chuckles upon hearing:
"The cost for such soup would be exorbitant, it is cleared soup but not using atball, rather the blood water from soaking beef."
The pot’s water is now boiling.
Yin Hongbin puts the freshly pulled noodles in, brings to a rapid boil then says:
"Heated blood water froths due to hemoglobin’s reaction to heat, pouring it into the simred beef soup also yields a similar effect, that’s the secret to beef soup’s clarity."
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