<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0JCi3I_1GltItPP00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0JCi3I_1GltItPP00" width="1000" height="750" ><figcaption>Gazhuma Zhou stretches noodle dough Nov. 2, 2026, at Noodle Master and Aqua Tea in Bloomington. Zhou said he makes 200 batches of noodles every day. Photo by Steven Leatherwood / The Indiana Daily Student</figcaption></figure>Noodle Master &amp; Aqua Tea head chef Gazhuma Zhou rolls noodle dough across the kitchen counter and spins it around in the air. He splits the dough with his hands, dividing it into thinner and thinner strips before dropping the batch of noodles into a boiling vat of water. Within seconds, the noodles are cooked and ready to eat with braised beef broth, bok choy and cilantro. Noodle Master &amp; Aqua Tea is hidden away at 217 W. Sixth St. On Google Maps, it will most likely pop up as “Lan Ramen &amp; Aqua Tea” as it only recently changed its name in January. The store is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day but Wednesday. The restaurant offers a wide selection of halal Chinese dishes such as Lanzhou ramen, beef and onion dumplings, various stir-fries and bubble teas. Its dishes range between $12 to $20 depending on the meal.Managing Noodle Master &amp; Aqua Tea is Kate Gao, former manager of Window 85 on Kirkwood Avenue. Gao said she left Window 85 in September due to disputes with the Z &amp; C Teriyaki and Sushi owners. She said some of her old customers have found her at her new location, either incidentally or on purpose. “There’s a lot of supporters that accidentally find me here,” Gao said. “They’re just like, ‘Are you the lady from Window 85?’”Zhou spoke to the IDS through Gao who acted as a translator. He said he learned how to make noodles in northwest China when he was 11 years old, and began as chef of Noodle Master &amp; Aqua Tea in January. “Right now, it's already 35 years' experience working at a kitchen,” Zhou said. The Noodle Master kitchen serves many broths, meats and veggies, the various ingredients cooking in preparation for customer orders. In one vat a perpetual stew, in another the boiling water for noodles; later, cilantro and bok choy are added into each ramen. Once the noodles are flash cooked, Zhou assembles the ramen in less than a minute, dumping the ingredients into a large bowl, ready to serve.“He’s the noodle master,” Kai Rivas, a new employee at the restaurant, said.Over the past month, Rivas has been learning how to make some of the dishes. He recently learned to handmake dumplings alongside Zhou and the other cooks, and Gao said he’s slowly learning the difficult technique to make the noodles as well.Rivas said at first he was making the Chinese hamburgers, a northern Chinese street food, but has now graduated to making dumplings and buns.“No more burger,” Rivas said. “I’m making (baijimo) buns. It’s the bun for the Chinese hamburger.”Gao and Rivas said it’s quite rare to find a restaurant in Indiana where you can get hand rolled and hand pulled ramen noodles the way that Zhou makes them. So, if you want to try some traditional hand pulled noodles, look no further than Bloomington’s Noodle Master &amp; Aqua Tea. </div></body>

Block Source: Indiana Daily Student

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Noodle Master & Aqua Tea head chef Gazhuma Zhou rolls noodle dough across the kitchen counter and spins it around in the air. He splits the dough with his hands, dividing it into thinner and thinner strips before dropping the batch of noodles into a boiling vat of water. Within seconds, the noodles are cooked and ready to eat with braised beef broth, bok choy and cilantro.

Noodle Master & Aqua Tea features hand-pulled noodles and boba

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Noodle Master & Aqua Tea head chef Gazhuma Zhou rolls noodle dough across the kitchen counter and spins it around in the air. He splits the dough with his 

Noodle Master & Aqua Tea features hand-pulled noodles and boba

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