At the table
Choose your noodle width and ask for less or no chili oil before serving. Eat noodles with chopsticks and broth with a spoon.
The noodles contain wheat, and the broth is made from beef. Let hot broth cool; chili oil and spice blends vary.
The cook can pull thin strands, broad ribbons or ridged noodles. Broth spice mixtures vary.
The elastic noodles and savory beef broth can be shared only if the chili-oil finish is omitted and the child manages the noodle texture; request and confirm that change before ordering.
Recipes vary. Ask the restaurant about ingredients and serving before you order.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
The cook can pull thin strands, broad ribbons or ridged noodles. Broth spice mixtures vary.
Typical ingredients
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Savory beef broth with aromatic chili oil.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Smooth, elastic noodles.
- How it’s made
- Stretch dough into strands, boil and serve in beef broth with diced beef and toppings.
The cook can pull thin strands, broad ribbons or ridged noodles. Broth spice mixtures vary.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Gansu.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有兰州牛肉面吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Choose your noodle shape in Lanzhou
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
At a Lanzhou beef-noodle shop, you can choose a shape, from hair-fine strands to wider ribbons. The familiar menu choices are only part of a larger hand-pulled craft: its inherited repertoire included more than ten shapes, and some are now rarely seen in shops, surviving in the hands of a smaller number of noodle makers. The shape is part of the meal; a Lanzhou bowl does not have one compulsory noodle width.
