Recipes from Lanzhou in Gansu region of china?

Question

I have a student living with me (in Australia) from this area. I would like to try cooking some kind of foods from that area. I know they have a special beef noodle dish. I would love the recipe for that or any other local dish..or even ideas about what kinds of food are typical of the area.

Answer 1

The food in the city of Lanzhou is quite similar compared to that of central China, because was influenced by ethnic groups, especially the h*i people.

Gansu Cuisine: The traditional dishes of the Gansu cuisine include the steaming, roasting, and braising of beef and mutton. Lanzhou people enjoy several tastes including tart, spicy, salty, and fresh. Generally are served in several hotels of Lanzhou.

Typical dishes include Baine Tao, Jinchen Baita, Jincheng Babao Melon Carving, and albino leeks with roasted pork and chicken.

Lanzhou Beef Noodles (Stretched Noodles) is the most famous local dish in Lanzhou. It was first created during the reign of Emperor Guangxu (1875 - 1908), Qing Dynasty (1616 - 1911) and it is now popular all over China. This dish has five main features: clear soup, white radish, red pepper, green caraway and yellow noodles. The noodles can be wide or slim to meet different preferences. Boys like er xi (a little wider) while girls like slim ones, the middle-aged and the old like jiuyezi (leek leaf) and maoxi (slimmer) and scholars prefer slim and jiuyezi. Farmers, soldiers and workers prefer wide or even wider. If a girl or an old man asks for wider noodles or a boy asks for maoxi noodles, it would be rather strange. The noodles have gone beyond food to become a culture.

Lanzhou Beef Noodles

SERVES 6

1 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns, ground

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced thin

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

12 cups water

2 lbs beef chuck, boned

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 tablespoon ginger, ground

1 tablespoon curry powder

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons vinegar (black vinegar prefered)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

6 cups broad rice noodles, cooked and still hot

peanuts, chopped (optional)

chili oil (optional)

Directions

1Fry the peppercorn powder on low heat for 30 second so it becomes fragrant. Add the oil and allow to sit for 10 minutes.

2Saute the onions and garlic in the peppercorn oil until onions are clear and starting to brown.

3In a deep-sided pot, add water and beef. Cover beef with sauted onions and garlic. Add rest of seasonings.

4Boil and then simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours til beef is tender.

5Transfer beef to cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice thinly and set aside. Continue simmering the broth.

6Divide cooked noodles among large soup bowls. Divide meat into soup bowls. Ladle broth over noodles and beef.

7Serve with peanuts and chili oil.