Sichuan-Style Stir-Fried Mung Bean Jelly (Chao Liangfen, 四川炒凉粉)
The Mala MarketIngredients
For the Liangfen
- ½ cup mung bean starch
- 3½ cups water
For the Stir-Fry
- ¼ cup caiziyou or neutral oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoons ground chilies
- 1 tablespoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black vinegar
- 2 teaspoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 garlic shoot or small leek, sliced into ½ inch diamonds (see Recipe Notes, below)
- 1 teaspoon MSG
Instructions
Make the Liangfen
- Mix the mung bean starch with 1 cup of water in a small bowl until the starch has dissolved.
- Bring the remaining 2½ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then turn the heat to medium low and stir vigorously while pouring the slurry into the hot water. Cook for about 1 minute, whisking continuously to prevent lumps from forming. The mixture should thicken immediately and turn slightly translucent.
- Pour mixture into a medium sized bowl and allow to cool on the counter until firm or in the fridge overnight.
- Once the liangfen is firm, invert the bowl onto a cutting board and cut the liangfen into ½ inch cubes.
Stir-Fry the Liangfen
- Heat oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until fragrant. Turn heat to medium, then add the chili powder and ground Sichuan pepper and let them bloom for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn them.
- Add the liangfen, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir gently, being careful not to break apart the liangfen. Continue cooking the mixture over medium heat for 5 minutes while stirring every few seconds. After 5 minutes, the cubes will be slightly transparent as the sauce starts to soak toward the middle of each jelly cube.
- Add the garlic shoot/leek and stir it into the liangfen. If the mixture is sticking to the wok, add a tablespoon of water. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes, until the garlic shoot/leek is softened.
- Add MSG, gently mix everything one last time, and serve.
Notes
Not to be confused with garlic chives or garlic scapes, garlic shoots (蒜苗, suàn miáo) are the flat-leaved sprouts that grow from a garlic plant. In Sichuan, they have red roots and are quite spicy (in a garlicky sense), but here they are more similar to a hybrid with traditional western leeks, which are much sweeter. I’ve also seen them labeled as “young garlic” and “green garlic;" the new product garleek also works here. Alternatively, feel free to use a regular small leek.