Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly

Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly

　　 Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly are famous snacks in Lijiang, Yunnan, and are sweet and delicious. The Tapioca Pudding is made from small, special fruits wrapped in gauze and kneaded into translucent crystals, smooth and tasty. The Mung Bean Jelly is made from rice flour—after boiling a pot of rice flour mixture, it’s strained through a special conical strainer to form tiny grains, giving it a very unique flavor. When serving, several spoonfuls of brown sugar syrup, rose sugar, papaya water, sesame seeds, and more are added. It’s sold at Sifang Street.

　　 Next to the large stone bridge in the ancient town, at the entrance of a narrow alley, beneath a wall corner, there’s an unassuming little food stall that’s all too familiar to locals in Lijiang. The auntie running the stall greets customers while saying, “A Lijiang specialty—Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly, cool and refreshing.”

　　 Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly are made from wild fruits, forming a transparent jelly-like texture similar to gelatin. The Mung Bean Jelly is made by dripping rice flour mixed with gypsum through a strainer into clear water, solidifying into little rice-white jelly pieces resembling shrimp. These two are placed together in a cup or bowl, then a spoonful of carefully prepared sugar syrup is added, along with a few drops of sour plum juice for mixing, and topped with a few sesame seeds. This makes for an excellent summer coolant—cool, refreshing, pleasantly sweet and tangy, with a wonderful mouthfeel.

　　 Nowadays, many small vendors have innovated with Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly by simplifying the elaborate sugar-boiling process and replacing it with rose sugar. While this adds a hint of rose fragrance, for most locals who have loved this drink since childhood, it’s still the taste of the brown sugar syrup that leaves an unforgettable impression.

　　 The sweet and delicious Sweet Tapioca Pudding and Mung Bean Jelly are made from small, special fruits wrapped in gauze and kneaded into translucent crystals. Rose sugar is made from brown sugar and rose petals, while the tiny Mung Bean Jelly pieces are made from rice flour using a distinctive method, resulting in a very unique flavor. They’re sold at Sifang Street.