Obsessed: The Magic of China's Hand-Pulled Noodles

[@kiranframes1]

the cinematography is stunning... reminds me of Netflix's Chef's Table... Well done

[@rpli]

Born and raised in LZ, I visited my home town during the past summer for two months, I had a bowl every single day for 60 days. Thank you for making my mouth watering late night here in Seattle 😂

[@calvinsbnb76]

So impressive. I just now discovered your work, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it! And now I'm starving! :)

[@saintcavish]

thanks for the compliment, glad you appreciate it :)

[@diamondhanddan5929]

Thanks for sharing lanzhou lamian history. It truly is an amazing noodle soup that warms the soul every time I eat it!

[@melsunday1991]

There was a la mien restaurant near me several years ago. I remember absolutely loving it and ate there almost everyday on the commute home. Some time later, it closed but I still remember how amazing the noodles were. I hope to find another la mien restaurant soon. Thanks to Ma BaoZi for inventing this. And thank you for this great documentary.

[@MarcSwabber]

In Northern Chinese cities, eating a bowl of Lanzhou Beef Noodles (as the locals call it) on a cold winter's day will make your whole body feel warm, which is better than any other food 🍲 to keep you warm!

[@saintcavish]

you are speaking from experience

[@MarcSwabber]

@saintcavish Experience from Beijing time 🤛🤛🤛🤛🤛🤜🤜🤜🤜🤜🤜🤜

[@jhtham]

Thanks for making these videos and keep them coming.

[@cchoi127]

It's amazing that video journalist St Cavish has beautifully captured simple food like noodles in his storytelling foodie video. Well done!

[@saintcavish]

thanks for watching!

[@rorytell5759]

Please Keep Making these Videos - just incredible!

[@saintcavish]

thanks, we will!

[@Gerrardstrike]

Love tour style and editing of this video. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff!

[@xiaofifi]

The quality of the video is so high! Thanks for sharing the noodle history!

[@saintcavish]

thanks, graeme is a pro

[@GraemeDYK]

Thank you so much!

[@alesterleong249]

Beautiful cinematography!

[@WARautenberg]

Nicely done, Waiting for more videos to come!

[@Gideonblade]

Wow, interesting to learn about the history behind Lanzhou noodles. Cinematography is awesome.

[@grumblemouse]

Excellent content. Thank you.

[@GraemeDYK]

Glad you like it! Lot's more on the way - hit that subscribe button!

[@baldman4187]

This cinematography is a sight to behold. You guys deserve more subscribers!

[@saintcavish]

thanks, one at a time!

[@amreshbalaji]

Just started watching your videos already a fan! Keep em coming ! :)

[@saintcavish]

thanks for the support!

[@SirTrollingham]

Great video! Your channel deserves to grow much larger.

[@saintcavish]

thanks! we're just getting started

[@amandaolieve565]

thank you for these videos

[@elcidgarcia]

This video is amazing. A trip waiting for me to take on. We have a resto named after Lan Zhou serving hand pulled noodles. It's located in Binondo, the oldest Chinatown in the world found in the Philippines.

[@EricHunt]

I am so excited to see what this channel produces!!

[@saintcavish]

thanks, we have tons lined up!

[@joeyli7048]

Absolutely amazing content, I really enjoyed watching you digging so deep into this. Any chance you can reference the book you talked about by Mr Du ?

[@saintcavish]

hi, yes, it's called 兰州味道 by 杜擂升

[@maryz5253]

I need to know how that clear soup is made. I had it once so long ago, the flavor is just so amazing. Clear and yet depth

[@jeffportnoy3863]

Always a real secrecy around these noodles. I remember a Chinese chef coming to Houston, TX in the 80's. Hand pulling noodles for an exhibition. Would not give out the secret of the alkaline water. Ive tried several times in my life to replicate them but the high gluten flour and alkaline water are the key to developing the dough

[@dansan956]

Keep up the good work ! I am reading your book this week.

[@saintcavish]

thanks for reading!

[@boet764]

Awesome videography, as always

[@saintcavish]

that's graeme kennedy behind the camera!

[@GregorioUy]

one of the best food history i have watched

[@rogerpancake6803]

Great presentation .,thank you

[@sebastianjuul6276]

Fantastic editing

[@kiawan]

wow you tracing lineages now! great work man.

[@saintcavish]

thanks! i’m just trying to understand how these amazing things came to be

[@Zuomen]

Great job 🎉❤

[@mirbekt]

We say Lag Man in Kazakhstan.🇰🇿 All uygur people make Lagman almost everyday for dinner. Uygur people used to live northern part of China.

[@dtw8446]

If you have not eaten this bowl of noodles, you cannot understand why people are obsessed with it. You owe it to yourself to seek out a bowl in the city near you.

[@natalexander7837]

Even sitting here in 30 degrees, those steaming noodles look so appealing, thanks for taking me there!

[@saintcavish]

You should come visit!

[@alonehobo]

4:05 one side note, peng cao WAS the additive for allowing doughs to be easy to pull, until it was discovered that it could cause cancer and replaced by additive that's scientifically crafted with no side effects, though the name "penghui" is still remaining to be used.

[@saintcavish]

hey, thanks for the comment. you're touching on a complicated issue that's well-known in china -- the supposed connection between penghui and cancer, and the modern synthetics. i won't go into too much detail, but will say that many noodle industry people in lanzhou don't believe the cancer scare (and it's far from a water-tight case); that the synthetics have gone through several generations of development, and some of *those* were proven to be very harmful to the human body (through the reduction of sulfides in stomach acid) themselves; and that today's synthetic penghui is still widely called "penghui" in lanzhou and across china. we can def agree that the grass is no longer commonly used (though there are still a few producers of traditional penghui). the point in my video was more about noodle production in ma baozi and ma jiesan's era. appreciate the comment!

[@upaya-kaushalya]

As someone from North China now living in Sweden, Lanzhou hand-pulled noodles are the one food I miss the most. You just can’t find authentic ones anywhere in Scandinavia.

[@ernestohemingway2308]

If I was a detective fiction writer for Nero Wolfe, I might include a noodle with clear broth soup. Maybe, someday, I’ll find a way to write a fictional story and include the noodles.

[@woolfel]

i love hand pulled noodles. when made properly, the texture is just better fantastic

[@protopigeon]

Really interesting thanks!

[@PLAZALINK]

Better than Netflix!

[@wulawrence1358]

Excited to learn about the origins and history of China's hand-pulled noodles :D

[@tschmidhuber]

What is this book you are talking about around 0:55? Thank you for this wonderful piece of cinematography.

[@saintcavish]

thanks for noticing the detail! i'm working on the book now, hope to have it out in 2026 or so.

[@BTYFDONGLE]

​@saintcavish please post a video when the book comes out!

[@akadhsu]

I wonder the story behind peng hui powder, how was it known to be alkaline and discovered for stretching noodles?

[@saintcavish]

this is a good question. the way it was explained to me, the alkaline ash was originally used for washing clothes, and then for making steamed buns, and eventually for noodles. how people discovered the plant and its ash were alkaline in the first place... lost to time!

[@cheung119]

You just made me homesick!

[@MarcSwabber]

Chinese noodles are found in every province and city in China, and there are many different ways to make and eat them.

[@Lividbuffalo]

Yeah though they just call them noodles in China 🤣🤣

[@CharlieCharlie88]

@@Lividbuffaloactually they call it “mian” instead of noodles

[@chowderpuffseven9742]

Cool story bro

[@mekore]

DAMN this is such a HUGE FLEX😅

[@saintcavish]

going deeper and deeper

[@bearcubbing]

you mentioned you're writing a book about the noodle making in China, has the book been published now?

[@saintcavish]

not yet, hopefully 2026. still writing...

[@hoangbachle9310]

Mỳ bò Lan Châu, khi nào ở Việt Nam tôi mới được ăn đây nhỉ?

[@walkbylight]

dude you can use the materials to more SHORTS! will be 10 times views and will attract people to your channel. I got to know many great channels by their short video first.

[@lesauvage6945]

Secret ingredient for that super elastic dough : peng hui Without this its absolutly impossible to stretch the dough that way

[@saintcavish]

yep, that's right. hardly a secret though...

[@krishna011100]

Please remove background sound on make it super low