Henan Hula Tang: Automated Gluten-Starch Separation and Thermal Hydrocolloid Gelatinization

Dating back to the Tang and Song Dynasties, Henan Hula Tang achieves its signature velvety viscosity without industrial thickeners, relying instead on automated gluten-starch separation. A high-gluten dough is rested to align its protein chains, then rhythmically washed underwater for thirty minutes. This forces water-soluble starch granules to flush out into a milky suspension, leaving behind a sticky, pure protein mass known as live gluten (Mianjin). The gluten is torn and simmered with beef marrow bones and wood ear mushrooms for eight hours. Meanwhile, a sachet of over thirty pungent botanicals releases fat-soluble piperine and volatile oils into the hot broth. Finally, the reserved starch water is ladled back into the boiling cauldron, triggering rapid thermal gelatinization that locks the intense spice oils into a unified, silky hydrocolloid.