Lamian is the Chinese noodle traditionally made by hand-pulling and stretching wheat dough.
The name combines Chinese terms for “pulled” and “noodle.” A cook repeatedly stretches a rope of dough, folds it, and pulls it again, multiplying the number of strands. Flour dust or oil helps prevent the strands from sticking during the process.
Lamian is strongly associated with the Hui Muslim communities of northwestern China, particularly Lanzhou. Lanzhou beef noodle soup is one of the most famous preparations, with hand-pulled noodles served in beef broth alongside sliced beef, radish, chili oil and herbs.
Hand-pulling produces noodles with varying thicknesses depending on the cook’s technique. Lamian should not be confused with lo mein, a separate Cantonese-style preparation whose name refers to tossed noodles rather than the hand-pulling method.