一根针里穿43根面条，四川大厨用绝技征服世界 | The Thinnest Handmade Chinese Noodles

四川的担担面，是可以雄霸一方的美食。

Dandan noodles is a renowned dish from Chinese Sichuan cuisine.

A kid is slurping Dandan noodles. /CGTN Photo

但，四川自贡当地烹饪名师李红凯不仅能做出美味的担担面，还发明了它的进阶版——金丝面，甚至在2007年凭借它打破了世界吉尼斯纪录，被评为“世界最细手工面”。

But Li Hongkai, a famous chef in Zigong City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, took the dish to a new level, and brought it to international fame.

Jinsi means thin noodles. /CGTN Photo

这种面有几大神奇之处，令其他面食望尘莫及。

His "golden thread noodles" were recognized by Guinness World Records as the "thinnest handmade noodles" in 2007.

一个是，李红凯擀出来的面皮非常薄透，像白纸一样，甚至能隔着它读报。

Li's noodles have won the hearts of customers for several reasons.

精细的刀工切出来的面条平均长170毫米，平均厚0.073毫米，最细的0.067毫米。在一根缝衣针的针眼中，最多可以穿43根面。

The dough is so translucent that one could read the newspaper through it.

Li Hongkai. /CGTN Photo

The thin noodles can fit through the eye of the needle. /CGTN Photo

不仅如此，他做出来的面还能燃烧，下锅之后不会煮烂，但吃的时候入口即化。

The noodles he slices are on average about 170mm in length and 0.073mm in thickness. A whopping 43 of the thinnest noddles with a diameter of 0.067mm can go through the eye of a needle at once.

但这种神奇的面条，原料和其他面食并没有什么不同，用的是普通的面粉、水、鸡蛋和盐。

His noodles don't get mushy in boiling water, but they are flammable. They also melt in one's mouth. Despite their extraordinary characteristics, there's nothing special about the ingredients. The dough is made by mixing regular flour, water, eggs and salt. But Li has a secret weapon: 17 years of practice.

让它变得特殊的，是李红凯从1990年开始的17年苦练。

CGTN Photo

面点师往往早上四五点就要起床发面揉面。初出茅庐的李红凯为了节省时间，把几张椅子拼起来当床，就睡在餐厅里。经过几年这样的历练，才练出了他揉面擀面时腿腰臂腕的力量，切面时也稳扎稳打，力道和速度都十分均匀。这样扎实的基本功，才让他得以切出十分细的面条。

Since 1990, the pastry chef has gotten up at 4 o'clock in the morning to prepare the dough. As a beginner, Li slept on the restaurant's chairs to save time. After several years, he learned to control his body strength, which is essential for the slicing techniques. Years in the kitchen have paid off. 

1994年，李红凯切出的超细面条就得到了世界烹饪学会的赞誉。当时，他在一个针眼中穿进了6根面条。

His concoction was first acknowledged by the World's Association of Chefs' Societies, when he fitted six noodles through the eye of a needle in 1994.

之后，他做的面条不断在各大比赛中获奖，技术和也不断精进。

In the following years, he continued to polish his skills and won several competitions.

为了让极细的面条不至于下锅就糊，在刀工之外，面团的质量也十分重要。为此，李红凯改进了面团的配方，并且苦练揉面功夫。

Slicing skills aside, the dough's quality is also important to prevent the thin noodles from getting mushy in hot water. He developed his kneading techniques and improved the recipe.

“揉搓面团直到“三光”，即手光，盆光，面光。”李红凯说。面团除了揉还要“醒”，用湿毛巾盖在已经揉搓好的面团上，静置2小时后再揉，反复4～6次。这样揉出来的面团才有韧性。

"Three things must be clean while kneading the dough: your hands, the bowl and the dough," says Li. After kneading the dough, he covers it with a wet cloth and leaves it for two hours to rest. He repeats the whole process five times, and only then can the dough reach its ideal elasticity.

李红凯算了一笔账：他平均每天用面粉3斤，他在23年的时间里，单揉面就揉了18615个小时，用掉了25180公斤面。

Li has done the math. He uses 1.5kg of flour on a daily basis, which means he's kneaded the dough with 25,180kg of flour over 18,615 hours in the past 23 years.

CGTN Photo

自从打响了金丝面的名声，李红凯接到了许多海外职位的邀请。他在北京曾工作过的饭店，也不厌其烦地出高薪想让他回去。

After his golden thread noodles became popular, Li received many offers overseas. The restaurant he used to work for in Beijing also wanted him back with a handsome salary.

但李红凯决心留在家乡，发展自贡本地的盐帮菜。“因为我在外面工作之后发现，很多客人还是冲着四川本地的小吃来的。”

But Li decided to stay in his hometown and develop the local Salt Gang's dishes.

“很多人对我说，豆芽上天也是小菜，面条再细也是面条，你做这个事情有什么用呢？”李红凯表示，“但我这个人就是不服输，一定要把事情做到最好”。

"From my experience of working in metropolises, most customers prefer genuine Sichuan snacks."

CGTN Photo

现在，李红凯最大的愿望是招到一个聪明正直、而且能吃苦的徒弟，共同带领自贡的美食和厨艺绝技走向全国，走向世界。

"I've been told countless times that, 'Your golden thread noodles can never be turned into real gold threads, no matter how thin they are. So, what's in it for you?' I'm the kind of person that pushes everything to the extreme," says Li.

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