Mike SciaccaTo watch the magical handiwork of...

Mike Sciacca

To watch the magical handiwork of Jeff Hsu is truly to watch a work

of art in progress.

Monday at Ruby Palace Chinese Restaurant in Huntington Beach, Hsu,

the restaurant’s head chef and co-owner, along with brother, Domingo,

literally was rolling in the dough.

Hands chalked with flour, he rolled a ball of dough that measured

a little less than 1 pound -- massaging, kneading, pounding and

twirling it, until the blob became several, long, symmetrically

perfect noodles.

His performance drew applause from a few mid-afternoon restaurant

diners.

“We learned this ancient art from our father, who learned it from

his father,” Domingo Hsu said, as he watched his brother from nearby.

“It’s a tradition we, too, will hand down.”

The noodle-making demonstration was a dry run for Jeff Hsu, who

will give several demonstrations on the ancient art of Chinese noodle

making on Feb. 4 and 5, as the restaurant kicks off its celebration

of the Chinese New Year, which is Feb. 9.

Ruby Palace, a family-owned and operated restaurant that is

celebrating 25 years of business in Huntington Beach, will honor the

Chinese New Year -- the Year of the Rooster -- with the

demonstrations next week, as well as a special, 10-course meal on

Feb. 9.

Hsu, 39, and his father, Hsueh Yung, who is retired from the

restaurant business, will create the noodles every half hour for

patrons dining in the restaurant.

“People are quite amazed when they watch a demonstration like

this, and it makes for a more fun dining experience for them,” Hsu

said. “But, it’s a lot of work.”

In less than five minutes, Hsu went through a five-step process to

create the noodles, which are used for soups and Spaghetti-style

plates with black bean sauce, he said -- not the chow mien variety

that is set tableside and eaten out of a bowl.

He performed his magic on a 6-foot long table, one that stood

about 3-feet high and had been floured so that the raw dough “would

not stick.”

The noodle-making process must be completed quickly; if it isn’t,

the noodles can loosen up and break.

“The taller the person making the noodles, the longer the noodles

are,” said Hsu, who is 5-feet-7. “Also, Chinese custom says that,

‘the longer the noodle, the longer the life.’ That’s a traditional

saying.”

Chinese noodle making is an ancient tradition. There’s no

machinery involved, just steady, experienced hands that, because of

the fluidity and precise movement, looked as though they were

performing a magic trick.

In a way, Hsu was.

The Hsu brothers learned the art of noodle making from their

father who, along with their mother, Ying Ching, developed food

preparation in China, Japan and Korea, before opening the Dragon

Palace in Los Angeles in 1979.

That experience brought them to Huntington Beach, where Ruby

Palace came to life in 1980.

Both Domingo and Jeff Hsu graduated from Huntington Beach High.

“I remember giving a demonstration on noodle making in one of my

classes at Huntington Beach High,” Jeff Hsu said. “The teacher, I

remember, was impressed.

“I enjoy giving these demonstrations to the public. It’s to let

people know that old traditions do count, and that they shouldn’t be

forgotten.”

Ruby Palace also is working with Project Self-Sufficiency, a Surf

City-based low-income single-parent program, during the month of

February.

Beginning Feb. 4, all proceeds from egg roll sales will benefit

Project Self-Sufficiency.

“The proceeds could go toward child care tuition, books, or

perhaps even to fix up an old car,” said Susan Edwards, human

services coordinator at Project Self-Sufficiency. “I’ve seen Ruby

Palace do similar things with other projects, and it’s always nice

when local businesses give back to the community.”