Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup: What Makes It the World's Best Noodles?
▲ Guess which types of beef noodles these are? Photo by Xiao You A, Image from Huitu
A bowl of beef noodles allows Lanzhou people, drunk from the night before, to freely step out into the early morning.
▲ Start a great day with a bowl of "Niu Da" in the morning. Photo by Yansu
At the break of dawn, over a thousand beef noodle restaurants in Lanzhou city open for business. By 7 or 8 a.m., these eateries get increasingly crowded. Beef noodles are the alarm clock for Lanzhou locals.
How much do Lanzhou people love beef noodles? They even think the long, narrow terrain of their city, nestled between two mountains with a river running through, resembles "Da Kuan" (the widest type of beef noodle).
▲ Just look at how wide the Yellow River is as it flows through Lanzhou. Photo by Yang Wenjie
In Lanzhou, ordering a bowl of noodles can reveal one’s personality—some might say it shows pettiness:
Customer: "Boss, one small bowl of 'Er Xi' (medium-thick noodles), extra chili, extra meat, extra garlic sprouts, and extra noodles."
Boss: "Bro, why not just order a large bowl?"
This joke highlights the straightforward and humorous nature of Northwesterners. But Lanzhou people can be particular too. A common phrase they use when traveling is:
"There’s no authentic 'Lanzhou Lamian' where we’re from—only beef noodles."
▲ Meat, egg, and vegetables—a luxurious bowl of Lanzhou beef noodles. Photo by Yansu
Young people love beef noodles so much they create online comedies about them. For old-time Lanzhou residents, beef noodles are like a clock.
A bowl of beef noodles cost 60 cents forty years ago. If you ask which year caused an uproar over a 50-cent price hike—when the price bureau’s phones were flooded and the government set a price cap—it was, of course, 2007. Even today, a bowl costs just over 7 or 8 yuan, a real bargain compared to Lanzhou’s housing prices.
▲ In Lanzhou, a bowl of beef noodles with two slices of meat costs just over 10 yuan. Image from Visual China Group
In Lanzhou, beef noodles are a measure of living standards, as essential as water, electricity, and gas. For Lanzhou natives returning home, the first thing to do is "have a bowl of Niu Da!"
How is a bowl of beef noodles made?
A simple bowl of "Niu Da" contains the essence of the entire Northwest.
High-quality wheat from Longdong and the Hexi Corridor, combined with ash from desert weeds (now often replaced with stretching agents) from Lanzhou’s outskirts, forms the noodles. These are paired with chili from Tianshui’s Gangu, and high-quality beef from Gannan Plateau and Qinghai... A bowl of Lanzhou beef noodles is a perfect blend of noodles, broth, beef, and chili oil.
One shop’s noodles are the chewiest, another’s broth is the richest, a third’s beef has the best texture—each restaurant has its loyal fans. To express their fondness, Lanzhou locals often refer to their favorite beef noodles by the shop’s name.
▲ For Lanzhou locals, the timing of eating noodles is more important than the environment—one must never wait until the noodles have turned soggy before picking up the chopsticks. Most Lanzhou people finish their bowl, wipe their mouths, and leave promptly, freeing up seats for others. Photo/Yansu
In Lanzhou, beef noodle shops evolve quickly. In the 1980s and 1990s, the "Five Greats" dominated the scene: East Villain Saddam, West Poison Ma Anjun, South Emperor Guo Bao, North Beggar Cang Ying, and Central Sage Ma Zilu. Decades later, the landscape is now filled with numerous contenders.
Mogouyan near Zhongshan Bridge is famous for its delicious broth; Wumule by the Yellow River is highly praised for its beef; outside Bai Jianqiang in Yantan, the scene of eating noodles while squatting by the roadside from the 1990s is recreated year-round. For people outside Lanzhou, more familiar chain brands include Chenji, Sibohu, Ximaxiang, and Dongfang Gong.
▲ Clear broth beef noodles from Ma Zilu. Photo/VCG
However, when it comes to authentic old-established brands, Ma Zilu and Jinding are unavoidable—they are the two most famous old noodle restaurants in Lanzhou and must-visit spots for tourists. Both emphasize clear broth and fresh flavor, holding a special place in the hearts of old-time Lanzhou locals.
In the early days, Lanzhou beef noodles were not pulled to order. Instead, the noodles were pre-pulled, cooked, and cooled, only to be reheated in the pot when served. Nowadays, all Lanzhou beef noodles are pulled fresh, though some offal noodle shops still retain this traditional method.
Generally, a small piece of dough can be hand-pulled by a Lanzhou beef noodle master into nine types of noodles, ranging from thin to thick, narrow to wide: Maoxi (hair-thin), Xi (thin), Sanxi (third-thin), Erxi (second-thin), Erzhuzi (second-pillar), Qiaomaileng (buckwheat edge), Jiuye (leek leaf), Bokuan (thin-wide), and Dakuan (big-wide). There was once another type with a cross-section resembling a train rail, but it has largely been lost.
▲ In the hands of a skilled noodle-pulling master, a bowl of noodles takes only about ten seconds to prepare. Photo/VCG
Noodle-loving Lanzhou locals have even summarized personality traits corresponding to noodle types. Those who enjoy personality tests will find themselves taking a "noodle type test" in Lanzhou: the hair-thin "Maoxi," also called "Yiwo Si" (a nest of threads), tests the eater’s speed and patience—the noodles often clump after just two or three bites; leek leaf noodles are soft and gentle; the widest, Dakuan, similar to Shaanxi’s belt noodles, is the most hearty to eat, even giving a meaty sensation.
▲ To eat Lanzhou beef noodles, one should lift them with chopsticks and take big mouthfuls. Photo/VCG
However, the most frequently ordered noodle types in restaurants are Sanxi, Erxi, and Xi: Sanxi is tender and缠绵 (lingeringly soft), Erxi is firm and robust, and if you’re unsure what to order, a bowl of Xi noodles is always a safe choice.
For beef noodles, the most important element is not the beef or the noodles, but the broth.
As early as the era when beef noodles were called "hot pot noodles," upon entering a noodle shop, the owner would serve a small bowl of broth for the customer to taste. If the broth was good, they would stay to eat; if not, they could leave immediately.
▲ The broth is the soul of beef noodles, and the broth-scooping master is the hub of the noodle shop. They handle over a dozen meal tickets at once, remembering each customer’s preferences with precision. Photo/Yansu
Generally, Lanzhou beef noodle broth is made from tender yak meat or high-quality yellow beef, along with beef spinal cord and leg bones, combined with spices like cardamom, Sichuan pepper, dried ginger, cinnamon, and fennel in specific proportions, and mixed with a certain amount of water. Beyond that, each shop relies on its own secrets—from using beef and sheep liver in the early days to adding native chicken and beef fat, even blending in chicken broth, along with often more than ten types of spices. The entire simmering process takes four to five hours.
▲ After finishing the noodles, the broth should also be completely consumed. Photo/Yansu
Even today, Lanzhou locals still emphasize drinking the "first broth." After hours of simmering, the broth reaches its best flavor around 7 or 8 a.m. By the afternoon, after being boiled for too long, it is no longer fresh. Thus, in the past, Lanzhou beef noodle shops would close after 2 p.m.
However, some 24-hour beef noodle restaurants are now quite popular. After all, for many Lanzhou people who deeply love beef noodles, they恨不得 (wish they could) eat them for all three meals a day.
Beef Noodles丨What Other Soul Sidekicks Are There?
If the broth is the soul of beef noodles, then the pool of bright red "chili oil" is the captivating gleam in its eyes. Lanzhou people consume as much as 30 tons of chili oil daily with their beef noodles.
The chili oil for Lanzhou beef noodles is best made with chilies from Gansu's Tianshui Gangu region. These chilies are long, thick-skinned, vibrant in color, and fragrant without being overly spicy. Rapeseed oil serves as the base, infused with scallions, ginger, garlic, onions, and more than ten other spices. The intricacies of this process are no less complex than simmering the broth.
▲ Next to the broth pot is a large basin full of chili oil. Once the chili oil is added, the noodles are ready to make their grand appearance. Photo/ Kanchai Shusheng
Sometimes, the chili oil steals the show and becomes the star of the beef noodles, as at Ma Anjun near Qilihe Bridge. This place takes an unconventional approach, allowing a maximum of ten scoops of chili oil per bowl, with each extra scoop costing one yuan. The chili here is intensely potent, turning the bowl of noodles fiery red. In such cases, the texture of the broth and noodles becomes secondary.
A standard bowl of beef noodles is assembled by ladling clear broth over the noodles, then adding chili oil, garlic sprouts, and cilantro. This affordable bowl contains only small bits of meat, so meat lovers will likely want to add extra. The best cuts for this are tendon meat or marbled beef, usually sliced and added in portions starting from 50 grams.
▲ The meat in beef noodles is best enjoyed with the broth. Photo/ Yansu
Marbled beef offers lean meat with a chewy texture and fatty parts that melt in your mouth, making it perfect for soaking in the beef broth—a harmonious balance of firm and soft. What does good beef tendon look like? It may even have a greenish shimmer. This is not a sign of spoilage but rather the result of light diffraction caused by the orderly arrangement of muscle fibers on the cut surface.
In addition to extra meat, there is a variety of cold side dishes available. To complete the meal with a marinated egg is the currently popular "meat and egg duo." If you see a "Lanzhou Lamian" restaurant serving fried eggs, along with large-plate chicken and rice dishes, it’s a clear sign you’ve entered a Qinghai-style noodle restaurant.
▲ A full set of beef noodle meal, with an unexpected appearance by one of Lanzhou’s representative delicacies—milk egg醪糟 (a sweet fermented rice drink with milk and egg). Photo/ Visual China
How can a bowl of beef noodles conquer the world?
In the eyes of Lanzhou locals, beef noodles are undoubtedly the "world’s number one noodles."
Every day, over 370 tons of flour are used in Lanzhou’s local beef noodle restaurants, transformed into 2 million bowls of noodles. Across China, there are more than 60,000 beef noodle restaurants. There was even a Japanese enthusiast who traveled afar to Lanzhou six times, eventually bringing the Mazilu brand to the streets of Tokyo—a mere glimpse of Lanzhou beef noodles' global reach.
▲ Lanzhou beef noodle restaurants typically feature a semi-open layout. Photo/ Visual China
How have these beef noodles taken the world by storm? While much credit goes to the relentless efforts of generations of chefs, it is equally important to note that only a city as uniquely positioned as Lanzhou could give birth to these "world’s number one noodles."
Delving deeper, these noodles carry a hint of Henan flavor: During the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, Ma Liuqi, from the Dongxiang ethnic group in Gansu, learned the technique of preparing old-broth noodles with小车牛肉 (a type of braised beef) from Chen Weijing, a太学生 (imperial college student) from Suzhai Village, Huaiking Prefecture, Henan (now in Bo'ai County, Jiaozuo, Henan), and brought it to Lanzhou.
▲ The noodle-making skills originating from Henan were later deeply cherished by generations of Lanzhou locals. Photo/ Yansu
Once in Lanzhou, these noodles underwent a transformation. The city, a convergence of nomadic and agricultural cultures, is renowned for its high-quality wheat and beef. As a key commercial hub in Northwest China, Lanzhou’s bustling population makes it an ideal place for fast food like beef noodles. Moreover, as a multi-ethnic area inhabited by Han, Hui, Dongxiang, Tibetan, and other groups, the dietary customs of these communities are harmoniously blended in a bowl of beef noodles.
By early spring of 1915, Hui Muslim Ma Baozi, driven by livelihood needs, started selling "hot pot noodles" from a shoulder pole at Nanguan Cross in Lanzhou. This marked the beginning of the noodle’s legendary journey. Four years later, he opened the first beef noodle restaurant in Lanzhou. By 1932, the noodles had won the heart of gourmet Tang Lusun, who described them as "clear and aromatic, rich yet delicate, with broth golden and impeccably clear"—a divine delicacy.
Such elegant praise might initially sound like it’s describing a flower.
▲ One clear, two white, three red, four green, five yellow—all in one bowl of noodles. Photo/ Yansu
The standardization now common in fast food was already mastered by beef noodles a century ago. The criteria—clear broth, white radish, red chili oil, green cilantro and garlic sprouts, and yellow noodles—may be the earliest standard for fast-food noodles. The rich broth and the chewiness of hand-pulled noodles appeal to noodle lovers nationwide, while the chili oil, emphasizing aroma over spiciness, has won over even the milder palates of the包邮区 (Yangtze River Delta region).
▲ Today's Lanzhou Beef Noodles are also keeping up with the times, such as the "Yin-Yang Beef Noodles" in the picture, which combines both pickled cabbage and clear broth flavors. Photo/VCG
In 1999, Lanzhou Beef Noodles were officially designated by the state as one of the three pilot varieties of Chinese fast food for promotion. Today, Lanzhou Beef Noodles are finally expanding beyond Gansu under the name "Lanzhou Beef Noodles." Led by top and mid-tier brands such as Chen Xiang Gui, Ma Ji Yong, Zhang La La, Xi Ma Xiang, and Chen Ji, a new wave of beef noodle entrepreneurship is sweeping through Shanghai. In the future, at least 50 new stores are expected to open every month, with a market size approaching ten billion yuan...
▲ Top: Lanzhou Beef Noodle restaurants entering the Shanghai market; Bottom: Instant version of Lanzhou Beef Noodles exhibited at the Shanghai International Food Exhibition. Photo/VCG
In recent years, with the rise of e-commerce and instant packaging, instant versions of Lanzhou Beef Noodles have quietly entered the market. For example, Long Cui Tang's self-heating beef noodles and instant brew beef noodles, as well as Ga Di Ge's original Lanzhou Beef Noodles with large chunks of beef, have been well-received by loyal fans of Lanzhou Beef Noodles. Authentic instant noodles also represent a vast market worth billions.
Lanzhou Beef Noodles are becoming the "most expensive" bowl of noodles in China.
▲ Traditional Lanzhou Stewed Beef Noodles, which include meatballs and vegetables in addition to beef noodles. Photo/Kan Chai Shu Sheng
In Lanzhou itself, while adhering to tradition, this bowl of noodles has also seen innovations. Pickled cabbage beef noodles once became popular and can be combined with clear broth beef noodles to form a "Yin-Yang bowl"; Xiang Yuan Beef Noodles in Anning add garlic sauce for a richer flavor; traditional Lanzhou stewed beef noodles, represented by Ga Di Ge Beef Noodles, include meatballs and vegetables for a more satisfying meal.
However, whether it's beef noodle restaurants in the delivery-covered areas that combine various Northwestern delicacies and charge several times the price, or convenient instant beef noodle "alternatives," they are merely a way to alleviate homesickness. People from Lanzhou still prefer to return to their hometown, wake up early, and enjoy a steaming bowl of "Niu Da" (beef noodles) at a local noodle shop, exclaiming "Man Fu!" (satisfaction).
▲ The noodles are long, and so are the years. Photo/Yan Su
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