China · Chinese
Cold-dressed mung bean starch sheets
A cold starter of a Luoyang water banquet: mung bean starch sheets soaked, briefly blanched and chilled, then cut into wide ribbons and tossed with a sesame, garlic, chilli oil and black vinegar dressing. Slippery and smooth. Public reference · home adaptation, not a historical original.
Public reference · Home adaptation Starch sheets are thin films set from mung bean or pea starch; dressed cold they are a common summer and banquet dish across Henan and Shaanxi, served warm or cold. The water banquet places them among the cold starters as a slippery, light vegetable that will not weigh the table down. The seat record gives only the name, and other versions write the same slot as dressed vermicelli or red-oil mung bean jelly, so this entry follows the published seat name and is not merged with the cooked-and-dressed Shaanxi biangbiang route. **The seat record gives the name only**: the published menu lists “cold-dressed starch sheets” sixth among the cold starters, and culture and recipe write-ups likewise give only the name — no water-banquet source sets out the process. This version therefore uses a general public method for dressed starch sheets, a home adaptation with no specific correspondence to the banquet. Sesame paste is an optional upgrade, marked as such, and can be left out. **Soaking time is excluded from cookMinutes**: the sheets need 15–20 minutes in warm water. Quantities and dressing ratios are editorial for 4 servings, with a spoon read as about 15 ml. Text-reviewed, not kitchen-tested. Contains soy and wheat (light soy sauce) and sesame (sesame oil and sesame paste). Entirely plant-based: no meat, egg, dairy or animal stock, so this is vegan. 搜狐：凉拌粉皮别只会放醋，记住这“黄金3步” — Handling method — soak at 40–50°C for 15–20 minutes, blanch about 30 seconds until transparent, shock in iced water and drain — plus the dressing ratios and the option of loosened sesame paste. https://www.sohu.com/a/986203969_122231867 百度知道：洛阳水席24道菜的菜名是什么呀？ — The seat of “cold-dressed starch sheets” among the eight cold starters. https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/558521656.html 河南省文化和旅游厅：烩面、胡辣汤、洛阳水席……这群“豫娃”，把河南美食唱成歌 — Official culture-and-tourism feature confirming the Luoyang water banquet as a representative Henan banquet built on brothy dishes and successive serving. https://hct.henan.gov.cn/2026/08-15/3399309.html FDA: Food Allergies — Basis for declaring soy, wheat and sesame allergens. https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/food-allergies AI-generated illustration; not kitchen-tested.
Ingredients
- dried mung bean starch sheets200 g
- warm water at 40–50°C for soaking1000 ml
- boiling water for blanching1000 ml
- iced or cooled boiled water for chilling500 ml
- cucumber, cut into fine shreds100 g
- garlic, finely chopped10 g
- scallion, finely chopped10 g
- light soy sauce30 ml
- Chinkiang-style black vinegar45 ml
- white sugar5 g
- chilli oil30 ml
- sesame oil8 ml
- sesame paste thinned with warm water, optional20 g
Directions
- 1
Put the dried sheets in warm water at 40–50°C, weighted down with a plate so they stay submerged, and soak 15–20 minutes until fully pliable. Never start them in boiling water, which cooks the outside while the centre stays hard. Soaking time is not counted in the cooking time.
- 2
Bring a separate pot to the boil, add the softened sheets and blanch for about 30 seconds, lifting them out the moment they turn fully transparent. Any longer and they fall apart.
- 3
Drop them straight into iced or cooled boiled water for 1 minute, then drain thoroughly. This hot-to-cold step is what makes the sheets springy, and any water left on them stops the dressing clinging.
- 4
Cut the sheets into ribbons about 2 cm wide and shred the cucumber. If using sesame paste, loosen it gradually with a little warm water until it pours like thin yoghurt.
- 5
Mix the dressing: 30 ml light soy, 45 ml black vinegar, 5 g sugar, the garlic, 30 ml chilli oil and 8 ml sesame oil. Stir, then taste and add more vinegar if it is not sharp enough.
- 6
Put the sheets and cucumber in a large bowl, pour over the dressing and toss, finishing with the chopped scallion. Eat soon after mixing, as the sheets release liquid and the dressing thins.
Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.