Dongbei Da La Pi

Ingredients

• 200 g dried wide potato starch sheets (la pi)
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 100 g purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 100 g bean sprouts
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp neutral oil
• 1 small handful coriander
• 4 tbsp Chinese sesame paste
• 4 tbsp warm water
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp Chinese mustard or wasabi
• 1 tbsp chilli oil
• 1 pinch fine salt

Before you cook

• Soak the starch sheets in cold water for 20 minutes.
• Julienne the cucumber and carrot and shred the cabbage.
• Loosen the sesame paste with the warm water, adding it a spoonful at a time until it pours smoothly.
• Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic paste, sugar, sesame oil and mustard into the sesame paste.
• Fill a large bowl with iced water.

Steps

1. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt.
2. Heat the teaspoon of oil in a non-stick pan over low heat and pour in the egg.
3. Cook for 90 seconds into a thin flat omelette, then slide it out to cool.
4. Roll the cooled omelette up and slice it into fine ribbons.
5. Bring a large pan of water to the boil.
6. Blanch the bean sprouts for 30 seconds and lift them straight into the iced water.
7. Drop the soaked starch sheets into the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they turn clear and slippery.
8. Drain the sheets and plunge them into the iced water.
9. Drain them again and cut them into ribbons about 2 cm wide.
10. Pile the noodles in the middle of a wide platter.
11. Arrange the cucumber, carrot, cabbage, bean sprouts and egg ribbons in bands around them.
12. Spoon the sesame dressing over the top and trickle on the chilli oil.
13. Scatter with coriander, then toss it all together at the table and eat it cold.