Chapter 110 Wuhan Hot Dry Noodles

Wuhan Regan Noodles, Shanxi Daosha Noodles, Liangguang Yifu Noodles, Sichuan Dandan Noodles, and Beijing Zhajiang Noodles are also known as the five famous noodles in China. They are very famous, but they are just early (breakfast) snacks in Wuhan.I used to travel to Hubei frequently for several years, but I fell in love with the breakfast of hot dry noodles.Looking at the slender noodles of Reganmian, it tastes full of gluten and tenacity, and I am always thinking about its characteristics.The hot dry noodles mixed with sesame sauce are golden in color, oily and delicious, mixed with sesame oil, dried shrimp, spiced pickles and other ingredients, which tastes more Wuhan-style.

The origin of hot and dry noodles is very accidental. In the early 1930s, Li Bao from Changdi Street in Hankou often made a living by selling jelly and noodle soup in the Guandi Temple area.One day, the weather was hot, and there were still a lot of noodle soup left. Fearing that the noodles would go bad, they boiled all the noodles and drained them, and dried them on the chopping board.Accidentally knocked over the oil pot on the chopping board, and the full bottle of sesame oil was splashed on the cooked noodles, soon staining the cooked noodles.Li Bao had no choice but to use the noodles to absorb the poured sesame oil, mix the sesame oil on the noodles, and take it to dry again.The next morning, Li Bao boiled the naturally oily noodles in boiling water for a while, and added various seasonings.The aroma of the noodles was overflowing, and passers-by rushed to buy them. When someone asked the name of the noodles, Li Bao said hot dry noodles, and his reputation rose from then on.Since then, Li Bao has specialized in selling hot and dry noodles, and there are many diners, making it a sensation in Wuhan. Many chefs learn from him and specialize in making hot and dry noodles.

A few years later, Cai Mingwei and his wife opened a hot and dry noodle restaurant at the intersection of Manchun Road, Zhongshan Avenue, Wuhan. .Later, it moved to Zhongshan Avenue opposite Hankou Water Tower, and changed its name to Wuhan Regan Noodles. In the 1980s, Wuhan hot and dry noodles were introduced to Xinyang, Henan. People in Xinyang improved Wuhan hot and dry noodles according to the local food characteristics and the tastes of citizens, and made hot and dry noodles with Xinyang characteristics. Hot and dry noodles have developed rapidly in Xinyang. , has become one of the favorite breakfasts of Xinyang people, and its reputation has surpassed that of Wuhan hot and dry noodles.

The first time I ate Wuhan hot and dry noodles was on a business trip to Huanggang, Hubei in the early summer of 2003.For breakfast the next day, I ordered a bowl of beef rice noodles according to Changsha’s eating habits, but I saw several colleagues in the same company serve a bowl of bald noodles, and add a spoonful of pig’s blood-like black paste on the noodles, mix well and serve eat.I saw their actions, and found it strange that they all liked to eat rice noodles in Changsha, but they only ate noodles when they went to Hubei?Liu, who has been here several times, told me that it is the famous hot dry noodles in Hubei, and it is a famous special snack.On the third morning, I also ordered a bowl of hot dry noodles with a spoonful of black sesame paste.When I mix the sesame paste on the noodles, it gives off a rich sesame aroma, which is very tempting.For the first bite, I only dared to try it. I stuffed a noodle into my mouth. The noodle was extremely elastic, and it was tough and not easy to break.The layer of sesame paste wrapped on the noodles forms small particles, which taste powdery and hit the tip of the tongue like jumping pearls, stimulating the taste buds and producing a smooth pleasure.After a while, all the water on the noodles was absorbed by the sesame paste, and the noodles appeared crystal clear and brighter, more orange-yellow and brighter; Saliva that has been stored for a long time.This kind of tasting opened the door to my delicious taste and increased my appetite. I just swallowed dates and finished a bowl of hot dry noodles with two chopsticks.

Hot and dry noodles are different from cold noodles and soup noodles, and pay attention to the noodles and ingredients.The first is to cook the noodles. They should be cooked well, but not too bad. They should be very firm and have a feeling of standing upright.Next is the noodles, each noodle is coated with sesame oil, and it must be even and not too greasy, so that it is tough and chewy.Then it is dried and thoroughly dried, so that the noodles cannot stick or knot.The most important thing is to make the ingredients. Use authentic small sesame oil to slowly make the sesame paste into a thin paste. Do not add water, otherwise the taste will be impure.When eating, you can add soy sauce, salt, vinegar, monosodium glutamate, chopped green onion, pepper and chili juice according to the diners' preferences. You can also add capers, kelp shreds, diced radish, pickles and other condiments. Too many condiments will cover up the original flavor of sesame sauce. Strong aroma or string flavor, the taste is completely different.I like to eat plain hot dry noodles, only with sesame sauce.

Before 1983, Wuhan hot and dry noodles were divided into three types: roasted pork hot and dry noodles, whole ingredients hot and dry noodles, and shrimp hot and dry noodles. In 1996, Wuhan hot and dry noodles expanded to eight varieties, including whole material hot and dry noodles, shrimp hot and dry noodles, shrimp hot and dry noodles, pickled vegetables and shredded pork hot and dry noodles, fried sauce hot and dry noodles, Caiyu hot and dry noodles, Three fresh hot dry noodles, fruity hot dry noodles, etc. After 2005, two new varieties of red oil hot dry noodles and red oil beef hot dry noodles appeared in Wuhan hot dry noodles.Now there are as many as 11 varieties.

Half a month later, Long and I took the train to Huanggang for a business trip. We arrived in Wuchang first, just at noon, so we didn’t have time to find a place to eat. There was Cai Linji near the train station, and we each ordered a bowl of hot dry noodles.I tasted the traditional old-fashioned hot dry noodles. The sesame paste was wrapped in a thin layer, without grains, pure taste, and smoother. It was much more delicious than the one I prepared in Huanggang.I asked for another bowl, and Long said I could really eat it.I told him: I can't let go of delicious food, and I would rather suffer a bit.

Later, I often went to Huanggang for business trips. I no longer needed a car from my unit to take us to Huanggang. I still chose to take the train. I could go to Wuchang first, eat a bowl of hot dry noodles at Cai Linji, and then go to Huanggang. In 2006, I left the publishing house to engage in book planning by myself, often traveling to Wuhan on business.At that time, I had already met many literary friends in Wuhan, including Lu Yong, Tang Lichun, Ye Lei, Li Shengqing, Su Bai, Zhu Hui, etc. At the invitation of literary friends, I often went to the places designated by them to taste delicious food, and seldom ate any more. Hot and dry noodles.Once I stayed at Mr. Tang Lichun’s house. The next morning, he cooked me a bowl of homemade hot dry noodles. The noodles were bigger and softer. After eating, they had an aftertaste and I will never forget them for a long time.

While chatting with Mr. Tang Lichun, I realized that eating hot and dry noodles should be accompanied by drinks, preferably eggnog, milk, soy milk, while eating and drinking; if you only eat and don’t drink, your mouth feels dry, and you can’t eat hot and dry noodles The ultimate taste. Now, Wuhan hot and dry noodles have spread to southern Henan, southern Shaanxi, western Jiangxi, western Anhui, northern Hunan and eastern Sichuan, as well as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing and other places, becoming a delicacy of the people all over the country.Many Hubei people who are on the go, far away from their hometown, really want to have a bowl of delicious Wuhan hot dry noodles to express their deep nostalgia.The song "Regan Noodles" sings: The sun in Wuhan is hot, and the Yellow Crane Tower is my home. Everyone loves to eat Regan Noodles. The century-old classic tastes delicious. Ginger and garlic are added with sesame oil. Sesame sauce is sprinkled with green onion. Mix evenly with chopsticks, Wuhan taste top quack.