Liangfen
| Liangfen | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sichuan-style liangfen | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 涼粉 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 凉粉 | ||||||
| Hanyu Pinyin | liángfěn | ||||||
| Literal meaning | cold noodle | ||||||
| |||||||
Liangfen (simplified Chinese: 凉粉; traditional Chinese: 涼粉; pinyin: Liángfěn; lit. 'cold powder'), also spelled liang fen, is a Chinese dish consisting of starch jelly that is usually served cold, with a savory sauce, often in the summer.[1] It is most popular in northern China, including Beijing,[2] Gansu,[3] and Shaanxi,[4] but may also be found in Sichuan[5] and Qinghai.[6] In Tibet it is called laping and is a common street vendor food.[7]
Liangfen is generally white or off-white in color, translucent, and thick. It is usually made from mung bean starch, but may also be made from pea or potato starch.[8][9] In western China, the jelly-like seeds of Plantago major were formerly also used.[1] The starch is boiled with water and the resulting sheets are then cut into thick strips.[10]
Liangfen is generally served cold. The liangfen strips are tossed with seasonings including soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, crushed garlic, julienned carrot, and chili oil.[11] In Lanzhou it is often served stir fried.[3] In Sichuan, a spicy dish called Chuanbei Liangfen is particularly popular (see photo above).[12]
Similar foods include the Korean muk made with chestnut starch and Japanese konnyaku jelly [citation needed].
Jidou liangfen, a similar dish from the Yunnan province of southwest China, is made from chick peas rather than mung beans. It is similar to Burmese tofu salad.
See also
References
- ^ a b Wilson, Ernest Henry; Sargent,Charles Sprague. (1914) A naturalist in western China, with vasculum, camera, and gun Methuen & co., ltd. p. 63
- ^ (2007-12-05) (in Chinese) 凉粉（漏鱼、刮条） Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine 老北京网 / 北京公众出行网
- ^ a b Lanzhou Restaurants China Connection Tours
- ^ Xian Dining Archived 2010-10-26 at archive.today Beijing feeling
- ^ Jack Quian, 2006 Chengdu: A City of Paradise AuthorHouse, p. 49 ISBN 1-4259-7590-9
- ^ (2008-03-07) Xining CRIENGLISH.com
- ^ http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/laping.html
- ^ Law, Eugene (2004) Intercontinental's best of China China Intercontinental Press (五洲传播出版社), p. 197 ISBN 7-5085-0429-1
- ^ Mooney, Eileen Wen. 2008 Beijing Marshall Cavendish, p. 124 ISBN 981-232-997-8
- ^ 宋秉武 (Song Bingwu) (in English), 2004 大禹治水的源头—临夏 China Intercontinental Press (五洲传播出版社), p. 30 ISBN 7-5085-0661-8
- ^ (2008-08-06) Have a Taste of Beijing’s Summer Food Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine Chinaculture.org
- ^ Gan Tian, (2008-03-17) Official word on local cuisine Chinadaily.com.cn
External links
- Liangfen page
- Liangfen page (in Chinese)
