Ashlyanfu

Ingredients

• 150 g potato starch or mung bean starch
• 900 ml water for the jelly
• 1 tsp salt for the jelly
• 250 g thin wheat noodles
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 800 ml cold beef or chicken stock
• 80 ml rice vinegar or apple vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbsp chilli oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1 small bunch coriander, chopped

Before you cook

• Whisk the starch into 300 ml of the cold water until there are no lumps at all.
• Oil a shallow tray or dish about 20 cm square, ready for the jelly to set in.
• Mix the cold stock with the vinegar, soy sauce, crushed garlic, sugar and ground coriander, then chill it.
• Cut the cucumber into matchsticks and slice the spring onions.

Steps

1. Bring the remaining 600 ml of water to the boil with the teaspoon of salt.
2. Pour in the starch slurry in a thin stream while whisking hard and without stopping.
3. Keep whisking over a medium heat for 4 minutes, until the mixture turns from milky to glassy and thick enough to hold a ribbon.
4. Scrape the hot jelly into the oiled tray and spread it to about 2 cm deep.
5. Leave it to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill it for 2 hours until firm and sliceable.
6. Boil the noodles in plenty of water for 4 minutes, then rinse them under cold running water until cold.
7. Beat the eggs, heat the oil in a small frying pan and pour in the egg to make one thin flat omelette.
8. Cook the omelette for 90 seconds without turning it, then slide it out, roll it up and slice it into thin ribbons.
9. Turn the set jelly out and cut it into strips about 1 cm wide and as long as your finger.
10. Divide the cold noodles between four deep bowls and lay the jelly strips on top.
11. Pour the chilled vinegar broth over each bowl until the noodles are nearly covered.
12. Top with the egg ribbons, cucumber matchsticks, spring onion and coriander.
13. Spoon chilli oil over each bowl and serve while everything is still fridge-cold.