Knife-cut noodles, also known as "prince's son noodles", are a traditional local noodle dish in Shanxi and one of the "Top Ten Noodles in China". Knife-cut noodles are popular in Shanxi Province and its surrounding areas. It is said that it was created by Chai Shao, a prince consort in the Tang Dynasty.
Shanxi knife-cut noodles are famous both at home and abroad for their unique flavor. Knife-cut noodles are cut entirely by knife, hence the name. The noodles cut by knife are thick in the middle and thin on the edges, with distinct edges and sharp edges, shaped like willow leaves; they are smooth on the outside and chewy on the inside, soft but not sticky, and the more you chew, the more fragrant they are, and they are very popular among those who like to eat noodles. It is known as one of the five major noodles in China, along with Beijing's fried noodles, Henan's stewed noodles, Hubei's hot dry noodles, and Sichuan's dandan noodles, and is one of the most representative business cards of Shanxi cuisine.
There is an ancient legend about knife-cut noodles: After the Mongolians entered the Central Plains, they established the Yuan Dynasty. In order to prevent the Han people from rebelling, they confiscated all the metal from every household and stipulated that 10 households use a kitchen knife, which is used in turns for cutting vegetables and cooking, and then returned to the Mongolians for safekeeping. One day at noon, an old woman kneaded dough and asked an old man to get a knife. However, the knife was taken away by someone else, so the old man had to return.
When leaving the Mongolian gate, the old man's foot was hit by a piece of thin iron sheet, and he picked it up and put it in his arms. After returning home, the pot was boiling and the whole family was waiting for the knife to cut the noodles, but the knife was not taken back. The old man was so anxious that he suddenly remembered the iron sheet in his arms, so he took it out and said, "Use this iron sheet to cut noodles!" The old woman saw that the iron sheet was thin and soft, and muttered, "How can such a soft thing cut noodles?" The old man said angrily, "If you can't cut it, chop it." The word "chop" reminded his wife. She put the dough on a wooden board, held it with her left hand, held the iron sheet with her right hand, and stood by the boiling water pot to "chop" the noodles. Pieces of noodles fell into the pot. After cooking, they were scooped into a bowl, poured with marinade and let the old man eat first. The old man ate and said, "It's very good, very good, I don't need to take the kitchen knife to cut noodles anymore." This spread from one to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and spread all over Jinzhong. Among the knife-cut noodles in various parts of Shanxi, the most famous is Datong's knife-cut noodles, which can be called the "king of noodles." Datong knife-cut noodles are inexpensive and good quality, with color, fragrance and taste, forming a unique Datong style. Many foreign friends who come to Datong are full of praise after tasting it. Some local wanderers, after returning to their hometown, must rush to the knife-cut noodle shop to eat a bowl of knife-cut noodles to relieve their longing for home day and night.
Knife-cut noodles are different from ordinary hand-pulled noodles. They are all cut by knife. Use a special curved knife to hold the noodles in one hand and the knife in the other hand. The knife and the noodles are not separated from the knife. The experienced chef can cut noodles 200 times in one minute, and each knife is exactly six inches long. "Brush" the noodles against the pot and cook until the edge of the noodles is translucent. Take them out and pour the oil and meat topping on them for consumption.
The most difficult part of making knife-cut noodles is the knife skills. Because the knife-cut noodles are cut out with a knife, the appearance of the knife-cut noodles is thick in the middle and thin on both sides, which is also the biggest feature of the taste of knife-cut noodles.
When cutting noodles, the knife used is still based on the ancient "iron sheet" prototype, with a special curved curved knife, which is now called "noodle cutting knife". It is small and convenient. When cutting noodles, the left hand holds the kneaded dough and the right hand quickly cuts the noodles. Because it needs to be cut one by one, it takes dozens of times to make a bowl of noodles, so it is also a great test of the chef's physical strength.
In addition, the thickness of the knife-cut noodles can also show the level of the chef, and the taste of the knife-cut noodles can be guessed. In the eyes of northerners, especially Shanxi people, if the thickness of the knife-cut noodles is slightly inaccurate, it will affect its taste. If it is too thick, it will be hard after a long cooking time, and it will be too thin and it will be chewy.
