Liangshao (Cold Shrimp Dessert)

Liangshao

　　Liangshao is a dessert from Hubei made by mashing rice into a paste, cooking it, and then straining it through a sieve into a basin of cold water. Its large head and slender tail resemble a shrimp, hence the name. Served with brown sugar syrup, it is a refreshing and delicious treat in summer—sweet, soft, and cool on the tongue.

　　Legend has it that long ago, near the Three Gorges, there lived a mother and son surnamed Peng. One winter, during a heavy snowfall, the elderly mother fell ill and longed to eat some small shrimp from the river. Upon hearing this, the son braved the bitter cold and went to the riverbank, hoping to catch some shrimp for his mother. When he arrived, he found the river completely frozen, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break the ice. In desperation, he undressed, lay down on the ice, and used his own body heat to melt it. Before long, he passed out. In a dream, a white-bearded old man appeared and said to him: “Don’t you want shrimp? I’ll teach you…” The young man woke up with a start, rushed home, and followed the old man’s method to make the little shrimp. He fed them to his mother one spoonful at a time, and miraculously, she regained consciousness. Later, the method for making these shrimp-like treats spread among the people, and they came to be known as “Peng Guihua Liangshao” or “Filial Son Liangshao.”