Lever-Pressed Noodles (Gangzimian)

Lever-pressed noodles are a traditional Xingyi staple: a dough of flour and egg is repeatedly rolled and pressed with a heavy wooden lever, then cut into fine strands and boiled in fragrant chicken broth, the noodles springy and smooth with a faint eggy aroma.

Lever-pressed noodles are a Xingyi heirloom, named for the wooden lever (gangzi) used to press the dough; the craft is rarely seen elsewhere and the noodles are a flagship local breakfast, counted among the city's four great snacks.

Most often served as soup noodles in chicken broth, scattered with scallion and topped with minced meat or pickles, mixed through and eaten hot—a warming, everyday taste of a Xingyi morning.

The old method of lever-pressing gives the noodles a distinctive spring and egg fragrance, the mark that sets them apart from ordinary machine-made strands.