Liang Fen - Cold spicy jelly noodles (凉粉)
This liang fen, cold spicy jelly noodles is made from just mung bean (green bean) starch. It's so easy to make and serve with a cold and delicious sauce that's perfect for a hot summer day.
Servings: 3
Ingredients
- 1 cup mung bean starch
- 5 cups water separated
Sauce
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup of water see notes
Toppings
- Chile oil with sediment
- a handful of chopped green onions
- toasted peanuts
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Whisk together starch and 1 cup of water in a bowl until no lumps appear.
- Fill a large pot with the remaining water and heat it up until you see tiny bubbles form at the bottom of the pot.
- Right before you stir the starch mixture into the pot, whisk to combine to ensure no starch is set at the bottom of the bowl.
- Slowly pour it in while stirring. Once the starch is in, turn heat to low and switch to a silicone spatula, if you haven't.
- Stir the mixture gently until it turns into a semi-translucent paste, about 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer to a ceramic or stainless steel bowl. Let it set at room temperature for 2-3 hours. You may place it on top of an ice bowl to speed up the process.
- While waiting, make the sauce. Add minced garlic, salt and toasted sesame oil in a bowl. Then, using the back of a spoon or spatula, crush the garlic to release its flavor. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Mix it well and dilute it with ½ cup of water. Add more water if you prefer a lighter sauce. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to use.
- Once the jelly is set, it should detach from the bowl easily. If not, gently pull the side from the bowl and invert to a plate.
- Dab the jelly with water before cutting.
- Use a jelly scraper or knife to cut it into your desired shapes.
- Place jelly noodles in a bowl and ladle enough sauce over. Top with chile oil with its sediment, chopped greens, sesame seeds, and toasted peanuts. Serve cold.
Video
Notes
- For a lighter sauce, please use 3/4 cup of water