Liangfen is a popular northern Chinese dish that is also often consumed in Sichuan and Qinghai, consisting of slices or strips of starch jelly tossed in a savory, spicy sauce that is topped with various garnishes.

 

The jelly is predominantly made from mung bean starch, but pea starch, sweet potato starch, and wheat starch are also common in recipes. As far as the sauce goes, typically it will include soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, ginger, sesame paste, and chili oil, while peanuts, daikon radish, and strips of carrot are also often employed.

 

The dish is served cold, mostly in summer, but it can also be stir-fried. What makes liangfen such a favorite is the balance of textures and flavors; the mildness and smoothness of the cold jelly is the perfect antidote to the spicy sauce and garnishings.

 

Apart from the traditional version, there is also chuan bei liangfen from Sichuan, jidou liangfen from the Yunnan province made with chickpeas, and the recently invented, numbingly spicy shangxin liangfen from Chengdu and Chongqing.

Although liangfen is Chinese, similar types of dishes can be found throughout Asia, namely in Korea, Japan, and Tibet.