Cold Pea Flour Jelly

Cold Pea Flour Jelly

　　Cold Pea Flour Jelly is a popular summer snack in Yunnan. For the middle-aged and elderly in Kunming, it evokes the fondest memories of their youth and remains a beloved homemade chilled dish during the summer months. The finished product boasts a delightful mix of sour, sweet, numbing, spicy, and savory flavors, especially cherished by young people. In rural areas, during market days, pea flour stalls are often set up by the banks of streams — firstly for easy access to water, and secondly to enjoy the coolness, blending food and scenery in a truly poetic setting. When farmers grow tired, they might buy a bowl of cold pea flour jelly and, when only the broth remains, mix in some cold rice they’ve brought along for an additional unique flavor. Ingredients:

　　Main ingredient: High-quality dried pea flour

　　Seasonings: Cilantro, ginger, garlic, vinegar, sweet soy sauce, salty soy sauce, sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorn oil, MSG, salt, pepper, and chili oil, each placed in separate containers. (Since seasonings are mixed individually to taste, with varying levels of each, exact weights are not listed.)

　　Preparation Method

　　(1) Making the jelly: Rinse and dry dried peas, then grind them into coarse crumbs, remove the skins, and grind again into fine powder. Sieve the powder through a fine mesh into a basin, mix with 2,000 milliliters of water to form a batter, and add salt. Heat water in a pot until it reaches about 40 degrees Celsius, then slowly pour in the pea batter while stirring the bottom of the pot with an iron spatula to prevent burning. Continuously lift off any formed skin at the bottom. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens. When the pot is half-filled with batter and half with thickened jelly, pour the mixture into a clay basin to cool and solidify. Once set, invert it onto a wooden board and cover with a damp cloth.

　　(2) Mixing the seasonings: Wash and finely chop cilantro into a bowl. Peel and mash ginger and garlic separately, then mix each with cold water to make ginger juice and garlic juice. Place each of the other seasonings in individual bowls.

　　(3) Assembling the dish: Slice the pea jelly into thin strips and place them in a bowl (the traditional method involves holding a slice in the left palm and using a knife in the right hand to shave it into thin strips directly into the bowl). Based on personal taste preferences, use a small wooden spoon to scoop various seasonings into the bowl, stir well, and enjoy.