Across Flushing and Sunset Park, regional Chinese noodle shops differentiate texture through precise dough chemistry: Shaanxi biang biang relies on high-gluten belt stretching, Lanzhou lamian uses alkaline peng-ash (potassium carbonate) to cross-link gluten networks for hand-pulling, and Wuhan reganmian coats parboiled alkaline strands in sesame paste emulsions.