Kitchen Recipe Collection
Liangpi (Cold Skin Noodles)
A refreshing Shaanxi street food classic. Translucent, chewy, cold wheat starch noodles tossed with cucumber, gluten sponges, chili oil, and black vinegar.
- Prep
- 300 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 330 min
- Servings
- 2
- Difficulty
- hard
- Cuisine
- Chinese
Ingredients
Scaled for 2 servings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- Water
- 1 cucumber, julienned
- 1 cup bean sprouts, blanched
- 3 tbsp Chinese sesame paste (diluted with water)
- 3 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Shaanxi chili oil (with sediment)
- 1 clove garlic, minced and soaked in 2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp salt
Equipment
- Large bowls
- Fine sieve
- Flat round steaming pan (like a pizza pan)
Instructions
- 1
Make Dough
Mix the flour and a little water to form a stiff dough. Knead until smooth. Rest for 30 minutes.
- 2
Wash Dough
Place the dough in a bowl of water. Knead and wash the dough in the water. The water will turn milky white (this is the starch). The stretchy yellow part left behind is the gluten.
- 3
Save Starch Water
Pour the milky water through a sieve into a large bowl. Repeat washing the gluten with fresh water until the water runs clear. Combine all the milky water.
- 4
Settle Starch
Let the milky water sit completely undisturbed for at least 4 hours (or overnight) so the starch settles to the bottom.
- 5
Steam Gluten
Add yeast or baking powder to the yellow gluten lump. Steam it for 15 minutes until it puffs up like a sponge. Cool and slice into cubes.
- 6
Pour off Water
Carefully pour the clear water off the top of the settled starch bowl, leaving only the thick white starch slurry at the bottom. Stir it well.
- 7
Prepare Steamer
Boil water in a wide pan. Brush a flat metal pan (steaming plate) with oil.
- 8
Steam Noodles
Pour a thin layer of starch slurry onto the oiled pan. Float the pan on the boiling water. Cover and steam for 2 minutes until it forms a translucent, blistered pancake.
- 9
Cool Pancake
Remove the pan and float it in a cold water bath to cool. Peel the noodle sheet off carefully. Brush with oil so it doesn't stick. Repeat until slurry is gone.
- 10
Slice Noodles
Fold the noodle sheets and cut them into 1/2-inch wide noodles.
- 11
Assemble Bowl
Place noodles, cucumber, bean sprouts, and gluten cubes in a bowl.
- 12
Dress and Serve
Add the diluted sesame paste, black vinegar, soy sauce, garlic water, and copious amounts of chili oil. Toss and eat immediately.
Cooking Tips
- Making Liangpi from scratch is a labor of love. You can buy pre-made Liangpi at Chinese supermarkets, but homemade has an unmatched bouncy texture.
- The garlic water provides garlic flavor without the harsh bite of raw garlic.
Variations
- Rice Liangpi: Found in Southern China, made using rice flour instead of washing wheat dough, yielding a softer texture.
Nutrition Estimate
340 calories · 10g protein · 60g carbs · 12g fat · 3g fiber per serving
