How to Pull Off Thin Hand-Pulled Lamian Noodles | Serious Eats

In the quest for an approachable hand-pulled lamian noodle recipe for the home cook, there’s no shame in turning to science. The goal of any thin hand-pulled noodle dough is repeatable extensibility, which is easier to describe than it is to achieve. Here-as in many noodle shops around the world-Tim Chin uses a dough relaxer to make the stretching process much easier and much, much faster. And while some shops use industrial-grade dough enhancers with all sorts of scary names, this recipe uses a natural ingredient that you can readily find at grocery stores or purchase online: nutritional yeast.
You’ll be able to stretch this dough, but it still takes practice to pull the actual noodles when the time comes. But don’t let that scare you: This is a very forgiving dough, and you can practice pulling noodles over and over again to gain muscle memory and confidence before flouring and cooking off a batch of homemade pulled noodles. Be sure to use bread flour with at least 12% protein content-any lower, and the dough will get too sticky and the noodles will lack both structure and chew.
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Serious Eats is a leading resource for all things food and drink: meticulously tested recipes that really work; in-depth, science-based explanations of cooking techniques; detailed reviews of cooking equipment; and guides to ingredients, dishes, and cuisines. We bring a democratic yet scientific approach to cooking the best dishes, busting food myths, and delivering strong opinions on what you should eat next, where, when, and why.

[@emmereffing]

I like Tim. Put him in more videos.

[@M4TT-G]

+1 to this

[@RubenAledo]

+1

[@genghizkhan9021]

Wildly and awkwardly hand gestures disagreement

[@bongtloxlo3332]

someone know tim instagram or social media ?

[@MINUSKAIRA]

@@bongtloxlo3332 instagram.com/tomthechon/

[@lpbug]

This video is a game changer in my quest to finally make this noodle. I've been trying recipes found on KZbin with little success over 10+ attempts, making small optimizations along the way. Will try this and report back tomorrow! Edit: tried this today, thankfully nutritional yeast is still on the shelves as people are mostly buying out active dry yeast. Amazing result. The dough didn't seem too different at first but after using the technique Tim showed to work it for ~15 minutes, the dough took on an entirely texture I have never experienced before in previous attempts. It is extremely sticky if left for any duration longer than a couple seconds on a surface (I also forgot to add oil, which may be a factor) and it held its shape extremely well. I was actually able to pull noodles of significant length (~2 feet) with this. I have tried pretty much every other recipe on KZbin and had results nowhere near as close as this. At this point I can actually start practicing the pulling technique instead of banging my head against the wall on getting the dough right. Huge game changer. I was initially a little concerned about how the nutritional yeast would change the flavor of the noodle since it's got quite a distinct smell but honestly couldn't tell and it really did add umami/depth to the end result. I have a long way to go in developing technique but couldn't start without this video. Many, many thanks! For reference, I was able to find and used: - Red Star Savory Nutritional Yeast Flakes in the 5 Oz shaker - King Arthur bread flour

[@telaferrum]

I hope to hear back. If this works, I'd love to eat a homemade la mein. Then I'll just need to clear some counter space and for there not to be a pandemic so that ingredients are in stock.

[@lpbug]

@@telaferrum I updated my original comment - tl;dr got incredible results, was actually able to pull noodles and eat them rather than throwing my dough away 😂

[@pasta_o_plomo]

thanks for your review! I have also tried couple YT recipes for pulled noodles and it was a disaster! Definately will try this one!

[@sherlymeliani8897]

Mine always tear if i don't pull it slowly :(. Is this mean my nutritional yeast expired??

[@bl6973]

Ritchie Thai *la mian

[@helenhelenyu]

Can you just have Tim Chin in MORE VIDEOS?! He’s so informative and articulate. Love him America’s Test Kitchen and here!

[@mynameisandong]

Mind blown!! Trying the nooch today!! 🙀 Thanks for the awesome breakdown

[@dianel.9703]

Hi Andong!

[@Aezandris]

We're eagerly waiting for the next lamian episode ;)

[@mastertrey4683]

Does it work andong

[@FinoNick]

This video was super informative can't wait for yours also 👍

[@RubenAledo]

Look really easy now ^^

[@GuyWhatley]

Tim is the best. He was awesome on ATK. I’m so glad he’s moved on to better things :)

[@mssuezee6178]

AGREE 100% so happy to find him again.🙋🙏

[@GuymelefSang]

This is by far the most comprehensive explanation of hand pulled noodles and the mechanics therein I've seen. Great video.

[@nekro5342]

Best content I've seen from Serious eats in a while. Good job Tim, really enjoyed the video. Made it look easy too

[@davidhalldurham]

What an excellent video!! Please have Tim back for more videos. I've tried making my own lamien a couple of times and it was very frustrating and harder than it looks. Thanks to this video, I learned some techniques to use next time. Thank you.

[@sheenachen]

Can't wait to try this out! Thanks to Tim for explaining this in a fun and understandable way. Also for being adorable.

[@williamdouglas1612]

What a fabulous demonstration from very talented chef. Bravo Tim! Encore!

[@jordanfrancis1644]

I love the way he explains the proceess ,and at at a more observable pace than when watching the expert noodle pulling masters .

[@kuldipsapra3053]

Excellent. Simplicity to the core. He has managed to explain a complicated traditional method of making noodles to what laymen can be able to do. Well done. I’m definitely going to try.

[@waltertassi]

Congratulations on the detailed explanation and the necessary details. It's a real Master Class. Thanks a lot!

[@sabyx5]

Thank,you for clearly showing the stretching process. Finally This is the FIRST time I clearly understood how it’s done , after watching tons of other videos that showed it way too fast by pros . God bless!

[@JohnDoe-jp5py]

I can't believe this is the most recent (and only video) with Tim in it!! More tim videoooss pleeaseee

[@jsparakov]

Suddenly Tim previously from ATK shows up on my feed. What a wonderful day.

[@neeper27]

Thank you! Informative. Not too much science, but just enough to understand the process. A genuine guy

[@flagrantlyvivid7195]

The best explanation and technique demonstration on KZbin. THANK YOU!!

[@DrZzen]

Very impressed by the simple yet logical explanations. Will follow.

[@gennyt.1306]

I am HOOKED on your videos! I love how you explain the science behind the foods and dishes you’re making. Thank you so much! I’m seriously going to be watching your videos all night! Thank you!!!

[@dianel.9703]

Genius! Thank you for this Tim.

[@chefpizza4677]

Thanks for the recipe I have been looking for one for years. I’m glad you put it out there

[@derekchandruang]

This guy is awesome. More from him pls

[@PepinoMichoacan]

Great scientific analysis! I was looking for that for months. Excellent host as well, thank you.

[@RAFLarchitects]

Finally! Handpulled noodles recipe with no reservations. Thanks for sharing! 😊

[@KindofCooking]

Thanks for posting this! Awesome in-depth video. Looking forward to making this.

[@luciatrefna]

I love how you explain why you are doing something and the science behind it. Thx for the video.

[@FrazierFinds]

I went Rock Climbing with Tim yesterday. He's not only good at getting dough to relax, he's also calming when belaying on a scary climbing route as well.

[@coronelsakura2841]

I went with Tim to a language school and he learned 5 languages in 30 minutes

[@EffieM98]

Ugh yas he's adorable I saw him today on America's Test Kitchen! He's very talented, I wish he was around more!

[@PeaceLoveAndRico]

i am in love with Tim... WOW, I am smitten! is it the fact that he simplified these noodles that made me cry for years? maybe. Can you make more Tim happen?

[@paulsim9172]

Great presentation and explanation. Thanks Tim!

[@ynnosredd3190]

kuddos for telling your viewers that the one ingredient responsible for the dough to become extremely stretchy is the peng hui. a lot of hand pulled noodles videos out there doesn't tell a thing about it.

[@48956l]

THANK YOU It's insane how there was not a good hand pulled noodle vid on ALL OF KZbin!

[@slowfuse]

its been the dark ages on this topic until very recently...

[@7u231]

The BEST tutorial video. Enjoyed the chem part too! Thanks a lot!

[@Unacuncunaamarilla353]

This is a great video, Tim is super nice and knowledgable, please put him in more videos!!!

[@shyamdevadas6099]

Awesome video! I spent a couple years in China and lamian was one of my sentimental favorites. Every attempt to learn to make it has really left me discouraged. I'm so glad I ran across your video. Tim is awesome!

[@nawty26]

AWESOME VIDEO!!! Thoroughly enjoyed watching this. Explained simply and totally understandable. An excellent host. THANK YOU!!!!!

[@carolrosado8292]

Thanks,Tim,You make it look super easy.

[@exoarn]

Wow, this is great. The dough science is fascinating as well, definitely not too much! Will try this recipe as soon as flour is available again.

[@ramherrump]

Tim is gonna be a star, what a great video!

[@Hoakaloa]

Aigu, just when Tim reveals the secret (dough relaxer -- nutritional yeast) there is no flour to be found in the stores here on Maui. Oh well, may have to buy a 25lb bag of flour from Costco. Mahalo, Tim! Now, have to reconfigure the kitchen to have counter space the width of my arm-span. Malama pono.

[@megahamartolos6638]

Eh brah, no use writing Hawaiian to Chef Chin. His accent isn't Kamaʻāina. He seems to have excluded place of birth from his biography, and that usually means FOB/JOJ and ashamed of it. He shouldn't be; none of us chose where we were born. Maui no ka oi. My father and his mother were born on Maui.

[@drricky]

Excellent explanation and videography. Well done, do more videos with this guy.

[@herzerskerzer]

This is one of the best explanations ever. Thanks man!

[@juanerivera114]

Finally a receipe that i can make in my house, awesome, thanks from Puerto Rico.

[@anyonecancook6105]

Thanks a lot! This is the best tutorial on hand pulled noodles!

[@ritvijpatankar731]

Wow. I love the way he nerd me through the noodles...... U r awesome!!! I think I finally found a way for some amazing handpull homemade noodles!!! Thanks again!!!

[@katharinavonzitzewitz826]

This is the most amazing tutorial video I've seen on making Chinese noodles /this technic ..Bravo !!!👍👍👍

[@Mchand007]

Best and clearly explained video on hand pulled noodles.

[@teamkeller]

AWESOME VIDEO!! We are making pulled noodles soup for the first time ever right now with our daughter whom we adopted from China to celebrate the beginning of Chinese New Year. This has been incredibly helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@senatorjuke]

Best vid on this subject yet

[@matlit1859]

Excellent video. Gonna try this one day

[@cheekoandtheman]

i found running the dough brutally through the pasta machine flatterer and letting the dough fall as it may , then rolling the dough out became really easy, but hey , I am super new to this , yet it was the only time the dough went my way easily tonight after making initial mistakes with kneading the dough like it was bread . I am super grateful for this excellent tutorial !

[@iindifferent]

This really does work. I tried 3 times without it, no stretch, not even after letting the dough rest for 18 hours. With "nooch" + kneading for 8 min + resting 1 hour = it was almost too stretchy lol. Time to practice pulling.

[@techmastertipsandtricks1430]

Tim had a major in chemistry but ended up being a chef

[@conorhughes6018]

It shows

[@oscartortajada5027]

Awesome job, you are a great teacher, I will give a try (or two)! Thanks a lot from Spain.

[@strand195]

Very very good explanation!

[@balin71]

Best tuition on how to pull noodles - thanks

[@thesecretthirdthing]

Thanks so much, I never was able to figure this recipe out when I tried it because I didn't have a dough relaxer, just tried to knead it myself, lol. This is gonna make it possible!

[@KaustavMajumder]

Dude has his science game on point! 👌

[@ParadigmUnkn0wn]

Don't worry about running a good stand mixer for hours at a time. The motors in those things are massive but they only run them at a bit over 500 watts, which is why they last forever, and also means they have a 100% duty cycle rating. Blenders and food processors pump 3 times the power through motors a fraction of the size, which means they generate heat at a rate higher than they can dissipate it, which limits their duty cycle. Duty cycle is how long it can run continuously, or rather how continuously it can run. A 30% duty cycle would mean it could run continuously for 3 minutes, then need a 7 minute cooldown, then be good for another 3 minutes. It's not necessarily a 10-minute time window, but that's the general idea. The massive oversized motor in stand mixers combined with gears that would be at home in some modern economy cars also mean it's very, very, very hard to overload them and do any damage. Stand mixers are probably the last kitchen appliance that hasn't been ruined by planned obsolescence. Go ahead and make your 2-hour stand mixer kneaded dough without trepidation, and relish in the simply power and longevity of a timeless design built to last more than a lifetime.

[@ashu175181]

Amazing!!!

[@sunitasubramoniam7916]

Tim is so cute! And this is SUCH an informative video!

[@JULOC05]

You are such a good instructor.

[@neikobronson5685]

Awesome job, young man!

[@coronelsakura2841]

Tim, you should have your own channel, you are the best.

[@astrolingus]

Awesome! You are the best💕

[@Tdeimis]

Thank you!

[@dtape]

Great video. Really interesting knowledge content, impressive demonstration and delightfully straight-forward. I want to watch more videos like this.

[@nancysenatharang4185]

Wow. This dude rocks.

[@MrNoipe]

Fun fact, ramen and lamian actually are the same characters in japanese/chinese. however, ramen isn't usually pulled anymore.

[@kimchiburger7844]

You can't pull ramen as its hydration is very low. It needs gluten formation rather than relaxing it. They are essentially the same, you're right as ramen came from lamian

[@urthsfount5611]

But actually in Japan pretty much everyone write ramen in katakana instead of kanji, or use its alternative name 中華そば (Chinese soba)

[@benliu9956]

Urthsfount ラーメンor拉麺. Because ramen is actually a borrowed word from Chinese, that's the reason they use katakana. Same for representing English words in Japanese by katakana

[@fabioconsonni3232]

as far as I know, Raamen are made with KANSUI (aka lye water), a strong alkali (PH 11,5) made from potassium and sodium carbonate. The solution is put into the dough to give that springy texture.

[@toshiyukisuzuki7610]

Tim is no longer with ATK? Wherever you choose to share your cooking knowledge, you will always shine.😊

[@komal_sorab_vlogs]

Best explanation and demonstration 👍

[@TZerot0]

Great everything in this

[@beno5135]

Nice! Love the science bits too 🙂

[@cookerymagic2167]

thank you so much for sharing.

[@BearFoodKitchen]

You make it look so easy.

[@talltk]

This is an awesome video man!

[@lungsfullofwater]

I love his cauliflower gratin video on ATK, with Julia. I really wish we could see more of him.

[@fredfrond6148]

Nice science based explanation of how to make a delicious 😋 recipe 🤤

[@makhoe1]

Best lamian noodle video by far

[@combatOracle1]

Great job.

[@alejandropoon462]

sos un genio! gracias

[@slowfuse]

been trying to do this for years, and you are right the other recipes online are trash

[@designdrawing9490]

Wow thank you so much!

[@mssuezee6178]

Thanks so much Tim very informative and I'm making tomorrow AGAIN 😆. 🙋🌷🙏

[@pendiemz]

Tim has a sass. Tim is cool. We want more Tim.

[@nickmeale1957]

Wow well done dude!

[@xxx3janmichael2xxx]

now I finally found the secret about being elastic in dough. Finally I can express my look like a professional presentation Lol

[@pinkponyofprey1965]

I'll save a link to this in my folder that works like a "kitchen bucket list". I have to try this! :D

[@tenobe-ramen]

Good video!!

[@HowToMakeDinner]

I cannot express how excited I am about this! I never thought this was something I would attempt but now? And that special ingredient? I’m already a huge nooch lover and this is all just so wonderful. Also, Tim you are lovely on camera. Wish me luck!

[@drumprince91]

Good luck!

[@joshthompson5267]

How'd it go?

[@HowToMakeDinner]

Josh Thompson I wish I could share a photo in here! It was... not terrible, but he certainly makes it look easier than it is! I definitely need practice!

[@jacquelinewu3277]

What a fun noodle making process to watch but hmmm...Tim this is HARD! You made it look easy!!😂

[@donttouchthisatall]

No such thing as "too much science" :-) I'd argue that Cysteine is defo not bad for you, given that it's an amino acid.

[@dude3675]

Wow..superb and outstanding. Thanks for the tutorial👍

[@huahindan]

Nice. Thanks

[@doubleEFD36]

Nice explanation!

[@Vagolyk]

I think this is the definitive video for hand pulled noodles.

[@lucascardoso2943]

Really nice! I was able to do it! For the flour, I used a Semola (Italian) flour with 10% of protein (for 100g), and to Knead the dough, I used both techniques, rolling and expanding to the sides using the fists and this is it (30 Minutes total). Thanks!!!

[@wujomao]

I think your dough will be better if you use 12% protein or higher. In the US, usually All Purpose flour contains 10% protein but not ideal for this excercise. Glad that you made it though.

[@eufrelugay]

Finally somone who nailed it!!!! 😭😭😭

[@gab.lab.martins]

This is awesome. Wish I had the countertop space to try.