In celebration of Chinese New Year, Chef Kam Po But, a master in 'La Mian' (the ancient art of noodle making) shows how a lump of dough can be transformed into literally oodles of noodles!

Phillip and Holly took up the challenge to produce the best batch of noodles but who won?

Hand drawn noodles

The making of hand drawn noodles is a magical process. The effective transition of a large lump of dough into several hundred strands of noodles, in a matter of a few minutes is a process that baffles the eye and has to be seen to be believed. It takes many years to master and even more to become proficient and demands continuous practice and dedication to be as accomplished as Chef Kam Po But.

What's the process?

The dough used for noodles is basically a plain flour and water paste that has to be worked into a pliable state. The process goes through three separate stages. Firstly, bulk stretching of the dough, then twisting and finally the folding over and final stretching process into thin strands. This whole process usually takes between 8-10 minutes, depending on the state of the dough.

Chef Kam Po But

Mr But or 'B' as he prefers to be known, was born in Shanghai. At the age of two he moved with his parents to Hong Kong. 'B' is often cited as the leading expert in the art of Hand Drawn Noodles, which he has been perfecting for some thirty-plus years. Nearly 40 years ago 'B' moved to the UK and initially worked at Mr Chow's in Knightsbridge, then at the Golden Duck in Fulham, before joining Chinese Cookery Book writer Ken Lo at Memories of China where he worked for the last 30 years until his retirement in early 2011.