AI-generated image
Dongbei da la pi
Dōngběi dà lāpí (东北大拉皮): wide mung-bean sheets tossed with crisp vegetables in garlic-sesame sauce
In north-east China, a big platter of this arrives at almost every family dinner and restaurant table, often next to the stews and dumplings. Wide, glassy sheets of mung-bean starch sit on a bed of shredded cucumber, carrot and cabbage, with a sesame, garlic and vinegar sauce and a dab of mustard poured over at the table. It's cool, slippery and crunchy. Look for dried la pi sheets or wide mung-bean noodles in Chinese supermarkets. Chef's tip: the sheet noodles must be fully cold before mixing, or they go soft and sticky.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the salad
For the sauce
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Break 3 ½ oz dried mung bean sheets (la pi) or wide mung bean noodles into palm-sized pieces and cook in boiling water for 4–6 minutes, until clear and soft but still springy.
6 minStep 2: Drain and plunge into iced water for 2 minutes, then drain well. Common mistake: dressing them warm; the starch turns gummy.
Step 3: Stir 3 tbsp Chinese sesame paste or tahini with 4 tbsp cold water a tablespoon at a time until smooth and pourable. Stir in 4 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp Chinese or English mustard, 1 tbsp chilli oil and ¼ tsp salt.
Step 4: Arrange 1 cucumber, 1 carrot, 3 ½ oz red cabbage and ¼ oz dried wood ear mushrooms on a platter in a ring, with the sheet noodles piled in the middle and 1 small bunch fresh coriander on top.
Step 5: Pour the sauce over at the table and toss everything together just before eating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dongbei da la pi take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Mix capsicum peanut salad
A crunchy salad of red, yellow and green peppers with roasted peanuts, cucumber, carrots and celery, dressed with lemon, dill, mint and celery leaves. Just before serving, olive oil mixed with sesame seeds is poured over the top. It's colourful, filling and full of protein.
All-way potato salad
Warm new potatoes boiled in their skins and tossed in one of three dressings: creamy parsley sour cream, a tangy basil vinaigrette, or a fresh 'greeny' dressing of cottage cheese and herbs. Each dressing is enough for 500 g of potatoes, so make one, or make all three for a party. Serve the salad chilled on a bed of lettuce with a spoonful of single cream on top.
Greek village salad
A true Greek salad has no lettuce: just ripe tomatoes, crunchy cucumber, sharp onion and olives, dressed with good olive oil and dried oregano, with a whole slab of feta on top. Salt the tomatoes first and they'll make their own dressing.