Liangpi
A cold noodle specialty of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, with a popular legend crediting it to Qin dynasty peasants over 2,200 years ago — worth treating as folklore rather than verified history, though the dish's genuine Shaanxi roots are well documented. The real technique is a starch-wash method: wheat dough is kneaded and rinsed repeatedly until the water runs cloudy with starch, which is then steamed into smooth noodle sheets, while the leftover kneaded dough — now pure gluten — is steamed separately into the chewy gluten cubes that top the noodles. Skipping that gluten component in favor of plain store-bought starch sheets is a common simplification.
⚠ Contains: Gluten, Sesame, Soy. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 500g wheat flour (or a store-bought mung bean/wheat starch sheet as a shortcut)
- 300ml water
- 1 cucumber, julienned
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (for garlic water)
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp chili oil
- 1 tbsp sesame paste (optional)
- Scallion, sliced
Steps
- Knead the flour and water into a dough, then rest 30 minutes.
- Knead the dough under running water until the water runs milky and the dough becomes stretchy gluten. Let the starch water settle, then pour off the clear water.
- Steam the settled starch slurry in thin layers to form sheets; steam the gluten dough separately until puffed, then slice.
- Slice the cooled starch sheets into noodles and combine with the sliced gluten, cucumber, and bean sprouts.
- Dress with the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic water, chili oil, and sesame paste.