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Chongqing noodles are all made of alkaline water, which can be divided into "water surface" and "dry noodles": the former is noodles with a lot of water, which Chongqing people also call "water leaves", while the latter is noodles that have been dried and dehydrated. Generally speaking, Chongqing noodles mostly use "water surface". The width and fineness of noodles can be selected according to personal taste. If the taste is heavy, you can eat wide noodles, which is more alkaline. Some restaurants in other places use alkali-free noodles for convenience, and the taste is a lot worse, and you can't find the taste of authentic noodles.

Cooking noodles is also very particular: many small restaurants in Chongqing will cook noodles with two courses of water, so that the water retains the aroma of the previous noodles and dishes. "Wide water, big fire and frequent changes" is the six-character formula for cooking noodles. The pot for cooking noodles should be deep, with more water and big fire, and the noodles can be suspended in water all the time to ensure uniform heating. While cooking noodles, one hand should keep stirring with chopsticks, and the other hand should add some cold water from time to time to prevent the noodles from jumping out. A good noodle must have a strong taste.

condiments

Eat Chongqing noodles, the entrance is noodles, but the food is seasoning. Based on spiciness, there are usually more than ten kinds of condiments: oil chili pepper, pepper, soy sauce, lard, chicken essence, chopped green onion, ginger and garlic water, bean sprouts, pickled mustard tuber, sesame or sesame paste, chopped cooked peanuts, peas or beef, etc. They are all home-made seasonings, but they are the soul of small noodles.

You chili pepper sea pepper

This is the most critical seasoning, and it is one of the main forces of fragrant and spicy noodles. For areas that don't eat spicy food very much, the practice is very troublesome, and many local people will do it. Peppers are usually selected from Chongqing bullet pepper Sichuan Erjingtiao, Guizhou Dahongpao or Hunan Chaotian pepper. Many small shops will use 3-4 kinds of peppers, stir-fry them repeatedly with oil and dry them, and then mash them with a mallet. Pepper noodles will also be fried in hot oil, plus secret Amomum tsaoko, walnut shells, sesame seeds, etc., so that the oil chili pepper will be fresh, fragrant and mellow, and bright in color.

Chinese prickly ash powder

This is the main force of hemp, many small noodles will use two kinds of pepper noodles: green pepper and red pepper, Maowen pepper is the best. Pepper should be fried before grinding, and the fragrance in pepper should be extracted as much as possible.

Soy sauce & monosodium glutamate

Soy sauce can blend the aroma of various condiments, and dilute the condiments with a strong taste, and finally achieve a balance. In addition, of course, monosodium glutamate or chicken essence is indispensable to enhance the umami taste. Chongqing noodles must be willing to put monosodium glutamate or chicken essence, which will make the taste more abundant.