A Tibetan street food adapted from Sichuan liangfen — cold mung-bean starch jelly, sliced or shaved and dressed with chili oil, garlic and vinegar. Born where Tibetan and Sichuanese cooking meet, it is now everywhere in Lhasa and across the Tibetan diaspora and Nepal.
Cool, jelly-soft ribbons that quiver on the chopstick and slide down with a tangy, garlicky, lip-tingling chili hit. It is refreshing and fiery at once, the noodles themselves nearly flavorless so the dressing does all the talking.
Mung-bean starch sets into a clear, springy gel when cooked and cooled, giving the slippery texture. Because the gel is bland, the cold-tossed chili-vinegar dressing carries the entire flavor.
Variations
white laping (plain) vs yellow laping (with a thin omelette wrap), made with potato starch, served with a hot dough strip, extra-spicy with Sichuan oil
On the Palate
Where Laping sits in the Tibetan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
8 steps · 30 min
- 15 min
Whisk mung-bean starch with cold water until smooth and lump-free.
- 212 min
Pour into simmering water and stir constantly until the mixture turns thick, glossy and translucent.
Watch outKeep stirring until the mixture turns from milky to clear and glossy and gets heavy on the spoon — that translucence means the starch has set and it will gel firm.
- 35 min
Spread the hot paste into a thin even layer in oiled trays or plates.
Watch outSpread it thin and even while piping hot — once it starts setting you can't smooth it, and thick patches gel gummy instead of springy.
- 4120 min
Let it cool and set firm at room temperature or chilled for about two hours.
Watch outLet it fully cool and firm before touching it — lift a corner and it should peel off clean in one springy sheet; still warm and it tears.
- 55 min
Loosen the set sheet, roll it up and slice into wide noodle ribbons.
- 65 min
Make a dressing of chili oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, vinegar and a little salt.
- 72 min
Toss the cold noodles with the dressing until evenly coated.
- 82 min
Top with coriander and chopped green onion and serve cold.
