Weifang's beloved pressed noodles, extruded through a perforated wooden bed directly into simmering chicken-duck broth, served dressed with shredded fowl, sweet pickled garlic, salted Chinese toon, and chili oil — a silky, savory bowl that locals use to recalibrate after any time away from home.
Hele noodles (和乐, pronounced huòluo) derive from the northern Chinese 饸饹, a buckwheat or sorghum noodle pressed through a perforated wooden frame. Historians trace 饸饹 to Shanxi and Shaanxi, where Yuan Dynasty texts — including Wang Zhen's 1313 Book of Agriculture (《农书》) — refer to it as 河漏, describing pressed buckwheat noodles. The technique entered Beijing as palace food, then spread south to Weifang, where local cooks replaced buckwheat with a blend of wheat flour and starch, renamed the dish 和乐 ('harmony and joy'), and created the signature chicken-duck broth that defines the local version. The name 和乐 also carries folk symbolism: legend tells of a feuding merchant family whose patriarch served the dish as a final shared meal, the name inspiring reconciliation. In 1997, Weifang's Eastern Hele brand (东方和乐) received both the 'China Famous Snack' and 'Shandong Famous Snack' designations.
The noodles land in the bowl with satisfying density — thicker than spaghetti, smooth and lightly springy under the tooth. The chicken-duck broth is a restrained golden color, barely a trace of fat on the surface, tasting gently savory like a refined consommé. The sweet pickled garlic cuts through with mild acidity; the salted toon adds an almost bitter, herbaceous depth.
The wheat flour and starch blend creates a weaker gluten network than pure wheat: starch granules interrupt gluten strand formation, reducing overall elasticity while preserving structural integrity, yielding noodles that are softer and smoother than all-wheat varieties but resist disintegration in hot broth. Pressing through the 'hele bed' aligns the gluten and starch strands longitudinally, contributing springiness. The chicken-duck broth achieves its clear, tea-colored appearance through careful temperature control: a vigorous initial boil denatures blood proteins which are skimmed, then sustained low simmering dissolves collagen and releases nucleotides while fat globules remain too large to emulsify, preserving transparency.
Variations
The essential toppings are shredded chicken and duck meat, 憨肉 (slow-braised pork belly), egg crepe strips, sweet pickled garlic, salted Chinese toon, and chili oil. Shops vary in which toppings they emphasize. Some modern vendors offer a dry-mixed version (拌和乐) without broth, dressed in thick sauce. The noodle diameter varies — thicker is considered more traditional and provides more textural satisfaction.
On the Palate
Where Weifang Chicken-Duck Hele Noodles sits in the Chinese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
7 steps · 30 min
- 1120 min
Place a whole old laying hen and half a duck (chopped into large pieces) in a large pot with cold water; bring to a boil and skim scum vigorously for 5 minutes; add ginger, scallion, and salt; reduce to a bare uncovered simmer for 2 hours until the meat is tender and the broth is clear amber.
Watch outSkim hard through the first five minutes of the boil, then drop to a bare tremble — a lid or a rolling boil clouds the broth from amber to milky.
- 210 min
Remove the birds; shred the breast and leg meat for topping; return the carcasses to the broth and continue simmering; skim any fat that rises to maintain clarity.
- 325 min
Mix 300 g all-purpose flour with 100 g potato starch; gradually add warm water, kneading into a medium-firm dough; cover and rest 20 minutes.
- 460 min
Braise the 憨肉: combine 300 g pork belly with soy sauce, sugar, star anise, and a splash of Shaoxing wine in a small pot; simmer 60 minutes until glazed and tender; slice thinly.
- 55 min
Bring the broth to a gentle boil; load portions of dough into a hele bed (or potato ricer with large holes); press noodles directly into the broth; cook 2–3 minutes until cooked through; transfer to individual bowls.
Watch outPress the noodles straight into the broth and lift them at 2 to 3 minutes — they keep softening in the hot bowl, so err chewy.
- 65 min
Ladle clear hot broth over the noodles; arrange shredded chicken-duck, braised pork slices, and egg crepe strips on top.
- 73 min
Add sweet pickled garlic slices, a pinch of salted toon, a drizzle of chili oil, and cilantro; serve immediately while piping hot.
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