Chuanbei Liangfen (Northern Sichuan Mung Bean Jelly)

Ingredients

• 120g mung bean starch
• 840ml cold water
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp vegetable oil, for the tin
• 5 garlic cloves
• 4 tbsp Sichuan chilli oil, with sediment
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sweet aromatic soy sauce, or 1 tbsp light soy sauce plus 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang vinegar
• 1 tsp ground roasted Sichuan pepper
• 2 tbsp ya cai or zhacai, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, crushed
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Before you cook

• Whisk the mung bean starch with 240ml of the cold water and the salt until no lumps remain.
• Brush a 20cm square tin or shallow dish with the vegetable oil.
• Pound the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, stir in 3 tablespoons of cold water and leave it to steep.

Steps

1. Bring the remaining 600ml of water to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan.
2. Stir the starch slurry once more, then pour it into the boiling water in a thin stream while whisking hard.
3. Keep stirring over medium heat for about 3 minutes, as the mixture thickens and turns from milky to translucent.
4. Drop the heat to low and stir for a further 4 minutes so the starch cooks right through and loses its chalky taste.
5. Scrape the hot jelly into the oiled tin and level the top with a wet spatula.
6. Leave it on the worktop for 30 minutes to lose its heat.
7. Chill the jelly for at least 2 hours, until it is set firm enough to slice.
8. Turn the block out onto a board and cut it into strips as thick as your little finger.
9. Whisk the garlic water, both soy sauces, the vinegar and the ground roasted Sichuan pepper together in a bowl.
10. Stir the chilli oil through the dressing, scooping up the sediment as you go.
11. Divide the jelly strips between four bowls.
12. Spoon the dressing over so it pools at the bottom of each bowl.
13. Scatter over the chopped ya cai, crushed peanuts, spring onions and sesame seeds.
14. Serve straight away, while the jelly is still cold and the oil still sits separate on top.