Liangpi
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Chinese | 凉皮陕西西 | ||||||
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Liang Pi (Chinese: 凉皮; pinyin: Liángpí) is a noodle-like chinese dish made from wheat or rice flour. It is a specialty dish originating from the chinese Province of Shaanxi[1], but may also be found elsewhere in China, predominantly in the northern and central regions.
Preparation
There are several ways of making Liang Pi, some of them quite interesting: First, wheat or rice flour is turned into a soft dough by adding water and a little bit of salt. Then, the dough is put in a bowl, water is added and the dough has to be 'rinsed' until the water is saturated with starch from the dough, turning into a muddy white color. The remainder of the dough is now removed and the bowl is left to rest overnight at a cool place to allow the dissolved starch to precipitate. The following day, there will be a kind of starch-paste on the bottom of the bowl with a more or less clear liquid on top which has to be discarded. Once the liquid has been removed, a small amount the paste can then be poured into a flat plate or tray, and spread evenly in a thin layer. The whole platter is placed into a large pot full of boiling water, where it is steamed for a couple of minutes and the resulting 'pancake' cut into long pieces vaguely resembling noodles.[2]
Types
Hanzhong Liang pi (汉中凉皮) or Hanzhong Mian pi (汉中面皮), named for the city of Hanzhong in soutwestern Shaanxi, are steamed Liang pi with garlic and hot chili oil.[3]
Majiang Liang pi (麻酱凉皮) are Liang pi garnished with julienned cucumber and a sauce made of salt, vinegar, hot chili oil and especially black sesame paste, for which it is named (Majiang (麻酱) is the chinese name for black sesame paste).