Why Wuhan hot dry noodles, one of China’s top noodle dishes, are so loved in the city and beyond
- Hot dry noodles represent Wuhan people’s character, its residents believe, and reports say millions in the city eat the dish every day
- Cailinji, the most famous hot dry noodles brand, has more than 100 restaurants; its cooking skill is listed as intangible cultural heritage
Shops and streets in Wuhan are bustling again. People in the Chinese city where the first cluster of Covid-19 cases were reported were ordered to stay indoors for two-and-a-half months to curb the disease’s spread. Now the lockdown has been lifted, they are eager to venture outside to get a taste of normal life again.
One of the things locals missed most during lockdown was the city’s famous hot and dry noodles. According to Chinese media, the dish – alkaline noodles with sesame sauce, spring onions, spicy turnips and other ingredients – is eaten by more than half the city’s 11 million people every day.
Most have the noodles for breakfast. Street vendors and shops selling the dish are everywhere in Wuhan, as well as in surrounding Hubei province.
Wuhan people love the noodles for their soft exterior but chewy interior. They think the delicacy represents their character of being friendly but with a rugged toughness inside. Wuhan people also love food rich in carbohydrates for breakfast, which includes deep-fried dough sticks, glutinous rice chicken and fried bean curd with mushrooms and sticky rice.
The most famous hot dry noodles brand in Wuhan is Cailinji, started by the Cai family. After its noodles are cooked, they are put into cold water and a film of oil is spread over them. Sesame paste, vinegar, spicy oil and other condiments are added.