The origin of Henan braised noodles? A traditional Henan noodle restaurant opened by Xinxiang people on Yongfu Road. The owner, Mr. Wang, said that Henan braised noodles evolved from Xi'an's steamed buns. Xi'an's steamed buns were introduced to Henan during the Qing Dynasty. Because Henan people didn't like to eat steamed buns but liked to eat noodles, they evolved into braised noodles. . Nowadays, the soup you drink in stewed noodles can vaguely smell the flavor of Xi'an steamed buns. The soup is cooked with mutton and mutton bones for more than five hours, and seven or eight Chinese medicines are added into it to make the soup thick. The noodles used for braised noodles are called pulled noodles, which are characterized by their smoothness and chewiness. In Henan itself, Zhengzhou is most famous for its "Heji Braised Noodles"; The way the noodles are made, the taste is more "correct".
Mutton braised noodles are mainly made of clear soup (also called white soup). In recent years, stewed soup has appeared. The mutton stewed in "Xiaobei Street" in Xinxiang is like stewed beef brisket in Guangzhou. The mutton soup of mutton stewed noodles contains some mutton and mutton bones (in the stewed noodle shop, dozens of kilograms of mutton bones and mutton are used to make soup every day.), supplemented by vermicelli, shredded kelp, wolfberry, coriander, etc. The braised noodles are as thick as lily petals, smooth on the outside and tough on the inside, and chewy with tension. Eat them in sections. Eat until the length is long, and then drink the soup. Mutton braised noodles are served with mutton soup, seafood braised noodles are served with seafood soup, and so on. Reference prices: 5 yuan/small bowl, 6 yuan/medium bowl, 7 yuan/large bowl.
Speaking of Heji Braised Noodles
As early as the 1970s and 1980s, outsiders who often went to Zhengzhou for business or tourism gave Zhengzhou a nickname, calling it "Braised Noodle City" ". To this day, there is still a lot of traffic in front of the Heji Braised Noodles Restaurant on Renmin Road in Zhengzhou City. After people experience the hearty taste, many people will ask: Who developed the Heji Braised Noodles?
The predecessor of "Heji" is Lao Xiangqin Restaurant, which opened in 1942 and was later jointly operated by three owners: Lao Xiangqin, Yilanxuan and Shunhelou. Because the boss is a Hui nationality and the chef is from Shaanxi, so Named "Shaanxi Beef and Mutton Stir-fried Restaurant". In 1947, the restaurant moved to the intersection of Shunhe Road (near today's Erqi Square) and was headed by famous chef Zhao Rongguang.
Master Zhao Rongguang was born in 1901 in Changyuan County, Zhili Province (now Hebei Province) (now Henan Province). At the age of 14, he went to Kaifeng, Henan Tongtianju Restaurant to apprentice with the famous chef Zhou Wenhan. Although Zhao Rongguang is of Han nationality, he has been engaged in making Hui cuisine for most of his life. He likes pasta, especially noodles. According to Wang Pinghe, one of his close disciples, during the war years, restaurants often closed to avoid air raids, and sometimes the chefs had to run for their lives as soon as they picked up their jobs. Food was in short supply at the time, and Master Zhao couldn't bear to throw away the leftovers. After the air raid, he simmered the leftovers in soup and ate them. Over time, Chef Zhao Rongguang found that the re-braised noodles were delicious, so he put some salt, alkali and other raw materials in the noodles to make the noodles more glutenous and have a unique flavor, which became a main food item for the clerks. Later, some old customers found that the clerk ate this kind of noodles with relish and the aroma was full of aroma, so they asked to buy it. From then on, Chef Zhao Rongguang began to carefully prepare the braised noodles. He chose the best fresh mutton, put in various raw materials and cooked the meat until tender. When cooking the noodles, he used the original broth, and then added seasonings such as mutton, day lily, and fungus. The stewed noodles tasted very delicious and gradually became the name of the dish. Due to the store's hot-selling varieties, the owner also changed the name of the store to "Shaanxi Beef and Mutton Braised Noodle House", or Heji Braised Noodle House for short. After liberation, "Heji" became a state-owned enterprise through a public-private partnership. Master Zhao Rongguang was also elected as a model worker in Zhengzhou, a representative of the Municipal People's Congress, and a member of the CPPCC for his special contribution to "Heji".
Heji Braised Noodles has strict operating procedures and insists on making pots and bowls for decades, and enjoys a high reputation among the masses. After the 1970s, "Hop Kee" received 4,000 customers every day. In 1991, Zhengzhou Catering Company took advantage of the renovation of the old city and moved the Heji Braised Noodle House to Renmin Road, expanding its business area and receiving 6,000 customers every day. In 1994, Heji Braised Noodles was awarded the title of "National Halal Famous Brand Flavor Food" by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and the National Ethnic Affairs Commission.
In 1996, Heji Braised Noodle House embarked on the road of chain operation development, and successively opened 8 chain stores on Nanyang Road, Huashan Road, and Dongming Road in Zhengzhou City, as well as in Xinxiang City, Kaifeng City, Luoyang City, Xuchang City, and Xingyang City Nearly 30 chain companies have been opened in , Sanmenxia City, Anyang City, Changsha City and other places, entering its heyday. In 1997, Heji Braised Noodles was rated as a "Famous Chinese Snack" by the China Cuisine Association. In 2001, it was commended as "Famous Chinese Catering Store" by the China Cuisine Association. Its founder, Master Zhao Rongguang, retired and settled in Lanzhou in the early 1980s. He died of illness in 1986.
Stewed noodles are still the fragrance of a time-honored halal brand
In the development history of Yicheng for more than 20 years, the changes in the catering industry are jaw-dropping. There are popular restaurants every year, and every year there is a leading "fashion color", such as braised noodles 20 years ago, Sichuan cuisine and hot pot later, Dicos and Western food last year, and McDonald's this year. Pizza, Maran ramen, lamb scorpion, etc. are popular. If in the era of "prominent" noodle soup, a proud man could still "rule" for a year or several years, then now the frequency of position changes of "industry bosses" has begun to accelerate, and some may take a few months or less. He left in a hurry and was replaced by the "proud son" later. It really feels like "the country is easy to change". However, in the era of "big rivals" in the catering industry, although the braised noodles 20 years ago are no longer the "favorite", today, restaurants and stalls selling braised noodles are still scattered all over the streets and alleys in our city. It seems that the public's love for braised noodles has not changed in more than 20 years. A retired cadre in his 60s in Yicheng District said that 20 years ago, those who could eat braised noodles were relatively well-off families. At that time, braised noodles were called a luxurious delicacy. After so many years, now when we go out to eat, the whole family still loves braised noodles.
Food from plane bombings
Speaking of braised noodles, Pan Jianan, who has been running a braised noodle restaurant for 20 years, told reporters the origin of braised noodles. According to research, the noodles came from plane bombings. During the Anti-Japanese War, Japanese aircraft frequently raided Zhengzhou. At that time, there was a chef named Zhao Rongyuan who especially liked to eat pasta. When the plane came, Master Zhao went out to hide from the plane. When he came back, he stewed the remaining noodles with some mutton. At this time, Master Zhao discovered that the re-cooked noodles were also delicious. So, he devoted himself to research and put some salt and alkali in the noodles to make the noodles stronger and have a unique flavor. Later, the stewed noodles became a popular delicacy. As a result, many noodle restaurants popped up in the streets and alleys of Zhengzhou. At that time, some people jokingly called Zhengzhou the "Noodle City". It was January 1983 when Braised Noodles really settled in our city.
Pan Ji Braised Noodles is a brand of its own
When it comes to Pan Ji Braised Noodles in Zhumadian, everyone seems to know about it. Chat with some middle-aged and elderly people, and they will be able to tell you the development history of "Pan Ji". Mr. Li, who still works in the Municipal Grain Bureau, said that 20 years ago, he only remembered that there was a braised noodle restaurant in Zhengzhou. Every time he went on a business trip, he was served braised noodles. At that time, he only knew that the taste was delicious. Every time When I got there, I went to look for the noodle shop first. At that time, we only complained about Zhumadian, but why didn’t such a restaurant open? Soon after, his wish came true. Not far from the train station, the owner of a noodle shop named Pan opened such a noodle shop. After eating it, he discovered that the noodles made by this noodle shop that didn’t even have a name exceeded his expectations. The mellow taste made him no longer miss the noodle restaurants in Zhengzhou. This is the impression that Pan Jian'an's original noodle restaurant left on diners.
When it comes to the Pan Ji Braised Noodle House, Pan Jianan, the founder of Pan Ji Braised Noodle House, told reporters such a story. It was one night in the winter of 1982. He went shopping near a noodle shop. On the way, several workers who had just finished the night shift asked him if there was a noodle shop nearby that made braised noodles. He led the diners to the store and took their seats. The questions the diners just asked made him think for a long time. The next day he made a sign and named his shop Pan Kee Braised Noodle House. In January 1983, Pan Ji Braised Noodle House was "born" in our city and became a brand of its own. Its arrival enlivened the large and small restaurants in our city at that time, and became unique in Yicheng, gradually forming its own style.
Diners who eat noodles at Pan Kee Noodle House for the first time become repeat customers.
What they strive for is the credibility, reputation and unique aroma of Pan Kee Braised Noodle House. Under the guidance and advice of his uncle Pan Yuming, Pan Jian'an continued to innovate, which not only made the braised noodles more pure in aroma, but also rich in nutrients, with the characteristics of gluten, rotten meat, mellow soup and delicious taste. Today, Panji Braised Noodle House has developed from the original soup noodles to stir-fried braised noodles, cold braised noodles and other varieties. These innovations have triggered imitation by peers.
In fact, it is not only the Pan family that opens noodle restaurants in our city, but also Xiao Ji and some unnamed noodle restaurants. But no matter what sign the noodle restaurant hangs, it should work hard on quality. In this regard, Pan Jian'an said that making braised noodles seems simple, but in fact it takes a certain amount of time to make good braised noodles