Bayin Mianpi

Bayin Mianpi

　　Bayin Mianpi

　　It is a popular dish made from wheat flour. A certain amount of alkaline powder (preferably the traditionally made "póng huī" alkali) is mixed into the wheat flour, and then warm water is added to form a stiff dough. After repeated kneading until the dough becomes smooth and even, it is placed in a basin and continuously rinsed with cold water to wash out the starch until the dough turns into a honeycomb-like soft gel. This gelatinous mass, when steamed, is called "miàn jīn" (wheat gluten). The starch water that is washed out is left to settle, the floating water is poured off, and the settled starch paste is scooped into a steamer lined with cloth and steamed into a round flat cake about three fen thick — this is the "mianpi." Another method involves scooping the starch paste into a specially designed iron plate (commonly known as a "biān guō") and cooking it via water bath before peeling it off the plate. The former method is steaming, the latter is steaming via water bath. The steamed version has a deep, rich brown color and is thick and hearty; the water-bathed version is yellow and shiny, thin, delicate, and tender.