Liangpi 凉皮Cold skin Noodles

25 October 2015 - Liangpi

From Wikipedia: Liangpi literally means cold skin, although it has no animal products in it at all. There are several ways of making Liangpi:

First, wheat or rice flour is turned into a soft dough by adding water and a little bit of salt. Then, the dough is put in a bowl, water is added and the dough has to be "rinsed" until the water is saturated with starch from the dough, turning into a muddy white color. The remainder of the dough is now removed, and the bowl is left to rest overnight at a cool place to allow the dissolved starch to precipitate.
The following day, there will be a kind of starch-paste on the bottom of the bowl, with a more or less clear liquid on top, which has to be discarded. Once the liquid has been removed, a small amount of the paste can then be poured into a flat plate or tray, and spread evenly in a thin layer. The whole plate is placed into a large pot full of boiling water, where it is steamed for a couple of minutes, and the resulting "pancake" cut into long pieces vaguely resembling noodles.
This one is Shan Xin Gan Mianpi. It is another type of Liangpi, which tastes a bit firmer and looks darker in color compared other to other Liangpi. It is always served with Mianjin (solidified gluten), vinegar, chilli oil, salt, mashed garlic in water and bean sprout.

The recipe is from China Sichuan Food with more detail explanation from Guai Shu Shu page

Liangpi
serves 2-3

For the Liangpi and Mianjin:
2 cups all-purpose flour
150ml water with 10ml more for adjusting
pinch of salt

For the topping:
Shredded cucumber as needed
Blanched bean sprouts as needed
 
For the seasoning sauce:
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp black vinegar
1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 smashed garlic+1 tablespoon water
Chili oil to taste
 
For the chili oil:
1 cup vegetable cooking oil
50g chili pepper powder
1 small pinch of salt
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
2 star anise
2 bay leaves
2 slices of ginger
10 Sichuan peppercorns
1 small piece of Chinese cinnamon bark