🍽️ Tongchuan Big-Knife Noodle

Broad knife-cut noodles, north Wei.

Tongchuan Big-Knife Noodle is a traditional noodle dish of Tongchuan, Shaanxi, named for the large knife used and the wide, long strands it cuts. A firm dough is rolled into a large thin sheet, folded and cut into wide strips with a special broad knife, then boiled springy. Toppings are most often tomato-egg, diced-pork zhajiang sauce or pickled vegetables, tossed with the noodles. The strands are wide, thick and chewy, holding up to boiling, with wheat aroma and a solid bite—hearty, substantial noodle style of the northern Wei River region. At Tongchuan noodle shops, the chef wields the knife, cuts and scoops in one fluid motion; a bowl of big-knife noodles with garlic best captures the hearty noodle spirit of the northern Wei plateau.