| Liangfen | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sichuan-styleliangfen | |||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 涼粉 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 凉粉 | ||||||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | liángfěn | ||||||||||
| Literal meaning | cool flour [i. e. noodle] | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Liangfen (simplified Chinese:凉粉;traditional Chinese:涼粉;pinyin:liángfěn;lit. 'cool rice noodles'), also spelledliang fen, is aChinese legume dish consisting ofstarch jelly that is usually served cold, with a savory sauce, often in the summer.[1] It is most popular in northern China, includingBeijing,[2]Gansu,[3] andShaanxi,[4] but may also be found inSichuan[5] andQinghai.[6] InTibet andNepal it is calledlaping and is a common street vendor food.[7] InKyrgyzstan it is an ingredient in a noodle dish called ashlan fu.[8]
Liangfen is generally white or off-white in color, translucent, and thick. It is usually made frommung bean starch, but may also be made frompea orpotato starch.[9][10] Inwestern China, the jelly-like seeds ofPlantago major were formerly also used.[1] The starch is boiled with water and the resulting sheets are then cut into thick strips.[11]
Liangfen is generally served cold. Theliangfen strips are tossed with seasonings includingsoy sauce,vinegar,sesame paste, crushedgarlic,juliennedcarrot, andchili oil.[12] InLanzhou it is often servedstir-fried.[3] InSichuan, a spicy dish calledchuanbei liangfen is particularly popular (see photo above).[13]
Similar foods include the Koreanmuk made with buckwheat, mung bean, orwater chestnut starch and Japanesetokoroten.[citation needed]
Jidou liangfen, a similar dish from theYunnan province ofsouthwest China, is made fromchickpeas rather than mung beans. It is similar toBurmese tofu salad.
In Northeast China, it is calledlapi (拉皮) and is served mixed with julienned vegetables.
