{{Short description|Chinese jelly made of mung bean starch}} {{for|the southern Chinese dessert|grass jelly}} {{Infobox Chinese |pic=MungBeanJelly.jpg |picsize= |piccap=Sichuan-style ''liangfen'' |t={{linktext|涼粉}} |s=凉粉 |p=liángfěn |l=cool flour [i. e. noodle] |j=loeng⁴ fan² |y=lèuhng fán |poj= |showflag=p}} '''''Liangfen''''' ({{lang-zh|s=凉粉|t=涼粉|hp=liángfěn|l=cool rice noodles}}), also spelled '''''liang fen''''', is a Chinese legume dish consisting of starch jelly that is usually served cold, with a savory sauce, often in the summer.<ref name="Wilson">Wilson, Ernest Henry; Sargent, Charles Sprague. (1914) [https://books.google.com/books?id=-R0PAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA63&dq=%22liang+fen%22+jelly&lr= ''A naturalist in western China, with vasculum, camera, and gun''] Methuen & co., ltd. p. 63</ref> It is most popular in northern China, including Beijing,<ref>(2007-12-05) {{in lang|zh}} [http://www.bjjt.cn/page/20104538/119683862385699.html 凉粉（漏鱼、刮条）] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707013228/http://www.bjjt.cn/page/20104538/119683862385699.html |date=2011-07-07 }} 老北京网 / 北京公众出行网</ref> Gansu,<ref name="Lanzhou Restaurants">[http://www.china-tour.cn/Lanzhou/Lanzhou-Restaurants.htm ''Lanzhou Restaurants''] China Connection Tours</ref> and Shaanxi,<ref>[http://www.beijingfeeling.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/InfoContent.html?InfoContent150_action=show&InfoPublish_InfoID=c373e9182af307b78f7b2fc9d514e67a ''Xian Dining''] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20101026225604/http://www.beijingfeeling.com/newEbiz1/EbizPortalFG/portal/html/InfoContent.html?InfoContent150_action=show&InfoPublish_InfoID=c373e9182af307b78f7b2fc9d514e67a |date=2010-10-26 }} Beijing feeling</ref> but may also be found in Sichuan<ref>Jack Quian, 2006 [https://books.google.com/books?id=lwH5KfCe7RYC&pg=RA1-PA49&dq=%22liangfen%22+jelly ''Chengdu: A City of Paradise''] AuthorHouse, p. 49 {{ISBN|1-4259-7590-9}}</ref> and Qinghai.<ref>(2008-03-07) [https://archive.today/20120630064457/http://english.cri.cn/4406/2008/03/07/1701@331062.htm ''Xining''] CRIENGLISH.com</ref> In Tibet and Nepal it is called laping and is a common street vendor food.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yowangdu.com/tibetan-food/laping.html|title=Tibetan Street Food — Laping Recipe and Video|date=23 March 2024 }}</ref> In Kyrgyzstan it is an ingredient in a noodle dish called ashlan fu.<ref>{{cite web|author=brollytea |url=http://everything2.com/user/brollytea/writeups/ashlan+fu |title=ashlan fu (recipe) by brollytea |publisher=Everything2.com |date=2016-02-19 |accessdate=2022-09-02}}</ref>
''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.<ref>Law, Eugene (2004) [https://books.google.com/books?id=hUb_BQNkXdQC&pg=PA197&dq=%22liangfen%22&lr= ''Intercontinental's best of China''] [http://www.ecppc.com/members/detail1.aspx?id=36 China Intercontinental Press] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327161159/http://www.ecppc.com/members/detail1.aspx?id=36 |date=2009-03-27 }} (五洲传播出版社), p. 197 {{ISBN|7-5085-0429-1}}</ref><ref>Mooney, Eileen Wen. 2008 [https://books.google.com/books?id=-J6vq1mRnXUC&pg=PA124&dq= ''Beijing''] Marshall Cavendish, p. 124 {{ISBN|981-232-997-8}}</ref> In western China, the jelly-like seeds of ''Plantago major'' were formerly also used.<ref name="Wilson" /> The starch is boiled with water and the resulting sheets are then cut into thick strips.<ref>宋秉武 (Song Bingwu) {{in lang|en}}, 2004 [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLu6PgGl6q8C&pg=PA30&dq=%22liangfen%22+jelly 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}}</ref>
''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.<ref>(2008-08-06) [http://www1.chinaculture.org/08olympics/2008-08/06/content_140254.htm ''Have a Taste of Beijing’s Summer Food''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716101454/http://www1.chinaculture.org/08olympics/2008-08/06/content_140254.htm |date=2011-07-16 }} Chinaculture.org</ref> In Lanzhou it is often served stir-fried.<ref name="Lanzhou Restaurants" /> In Sichuan, a spicy dish called ''chuanbei liangfen'' is particularly popular (see photo above).<ref>Gan Tian, (2008-03-17) [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/citylife/2008-03/17/content_6541871_2.htm ''Official word on local cuisine''] Chinadaily.com.cn</ref>
Similar foods include the Korean ''muk'' made with buckwheat, mung bean, or water chestnut starch and Japanese ''tokoroten''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2009}}
''Jidou liangfen'', a similar dish from the Yunnan province of southwest China, is made from chickpeas rather than mung beans. It is similar to Burmese tofu salad.
In Northeast China, it is called ''lapi'' (拉皮) and is served mixed with julienned vegetables.
==See also== *Liang pi *Laping *Mung bean sheets
==References== {{reflist|2}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716101454/http://www1.chinaculture.org/08olympics/2008-08/06/content_140254.htm ''Liangfen'' page] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110707013228/http://www.bjjt.cn/page/20104538/119683862385699.html ''Liangfen'' page] {{in lang|zh}}
{{Beijing cuisine}} {{Legume dishes}} {{Gansu topics}} {{Qinghai topics}} {{Portal bar|Food|China}}
Category:Beijing cuisine Category:Chinese legume dishes