Mung Bean Gela

Mung Bean Gela

　　Mung Bean Gela

　　Gela is one of the famous local delicacies in Tangshan. It is an essential dish for festivals, weddings, funerals, and other celebrations or ceremonies. In the area, there’s even a saying: “If you haven’t tried a Gela banquet, you haven’t really been to Tangshan.”

　　Nowadays, Gela is quite common in the folk cuisine of the Tangshan region. It can be found in places such as Luan County, Luannan, Leting, and Zunhua. Among these, Luannan County produces the most authentic and widespread versions. However, the Gela sold in the market today rarely uses mung beans, as doing so is more expensive, and the taste isn't as good as that made purely from mung beans. If you want the genuine mung bean version, you need to place a special order, which comes at a higher price. It is said that after the Qing Dynasty built the Eastern Qing Tombs here, the tomb guards, hoping to win the favor of the royal family, presented this local specialty to the imperial palace. At the time, Empress Dowager Cixi had a habit of only taking a couple of bites of any dish before it was removed from the table. Once, when the imperial kitchen served vinegar stir-fried Gela, she saw that she hadn’t tasted it before and asked, “What dish is this?” The eunuch quickly replied, “It hasn’t been named yet, please bestow a name upon it, Your Majesty.”

　　As Empress Dowager Cixi listened, she took a couple of bites, and the eunuch hurried to remove the dish. However, she hadn’t had her fill yet and said, “Leave it there (‘Gezhe’).” The eunuch thought this was the name Her Majesty had given the dish, and immediately announced, “Her Majesty has named this dish ‘Gela.’”

　　“Gela” sounds like “Gezhe” (leave it there), and from then on, this name has been used by the public ever since. The status of Gela also greatly rose as a result.

　　In fact, Gela was originally a product of turning coarse grains into refined dishes. Tangshan has a lot of land and is rich in mung beans. People would carefully select mung beans, grind them into bean dregs, soak them in water, rinse off the skins, then grind them into a liquid using a water mill. This liquid would be filtered through a sieve to remove residue, and the process of removing fine residue would be repeated three times until pure white starch was obtained. Then, the right mixture would be stirred into a paste-like consistency, which would be spread slowly over a pointed pan with low heat to form round, thin sheets — and thus, a piece of Gela was made. Gela made this way is fragrant and tempting, with great chewiness. It holds together when picked up and doesn’t crack when folded. Additionally, from a nutritional and dietary therapy perspective, mung bean Gela has benefits such as soothing the liver and stomach, clearing heat and reducing summer heat, beautifying and detoxifying, lowering blood pressure and blood lipids. It fits the modern ideals of combining diet with therapy and promoting health through food. Today, Gela dishes have become a beloved unique delicacy among the people of Tangshan, with over twenty varieties such as vinegar stir-fried Gela, deep-fried Gela, glassy Gela, sautéed Gela, stewed Gela, and fried Gela. When served on the dining table, they vary in texture, shape, color, aroma, and flavor. In recent years, Gela has even entered more upscale culinary settings. Gela banquets have become a signature dish for entertaining both domestic and international guests, earning high praise from diners.