Liangfen

Liangfen (Simplified Chinese: 凉粉; Traditional Chinese: 涼粉; Pinyin: Liángfěn) is a Chinese cold dish of starch jelly—often made from mung bean, pea, or sweet-potato starch—set into a translucent block, cut into strips or cubes, and dressed with chili oil, vinegar, soy, garlic, and sesame. It is a savory street and home cold snack, especially familiar in Sichuan and northern provinces. It is not Grass Jelly (仙草冻), a dark herbal dessert jelly, and it differs from Liangpi (凉皮), which is a wheat- or rice-based cold skin sheet rather than a poured starch gel.

Characteristics

Appearance is pale translucent white or light green-gray; texture is cool, slippery, and gently bouncy. Flavor of the jelly itself is nearly bland, so the dressing (mala chili, vinegar, garlic) dominates. Served cold year-round as a refreshing side.

Ingredients (overview)

Starch (mung bean, pea, potato, or sweet potato), water, salt; dressing of chili oil, black vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, scallion, sesame paste or oil, optional crushed peanuts. No Mesona herb (contrast Grass Jelly).

History and culture

Longstanding northern and southwestern cold-snack repertoire; Sichuan street stalls often sell liangfen beside Liangpi and cold noodles. English descriptions may say "cold starch jelly." Related spicy cold dishes on Sichuan Food share the chili-vinegar dressing style.

Serving and variations

Cold appetizer or snack, sometimes with beer or as a hot-weather plate. See Sichuan Food, Liangpi, and Grass Jelly.

See also

• Sichuan Food
• Liangpi
• Grass Jelly
• Shanxi Food
• List of dishes (A-Z)