Textual Chef Textual Chef

Spicy Bean Jelly

Cold mung bean jelly strips tossed in a savory, garlic-infused Sichuan chili oil sauce. A classic chilled appetizer with a uniquely smooth texture.

25 minMediumServes 4160 cal/serving

ChineseAppetizerStovetopVeganVegetarianKosher-styleNut-FreeDairy-FreeEgg-FreeShellfish-FreePork-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup mung bean starch
  • 2.5 cups water
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Sichuan chili oil
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 stalks scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. 1

    Whisk 1/2 cup mung bean starch with 1/2 cup of cold water in a bowl until smooth.

  2. 2

    Bring the remaining 2.5 cups water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan over medium heat.

  3. 3

    Pour the starch slurry into the simmering saucepan while stirring constantly with a whisk.

  4. 4

    Cook and stir continuously for 3 to 5 minutes until the slurry becomes translucent and thick.

  5. 5

    Pour the warm mixture into a glass dish, cool to room temperature, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours until set.

  6. 6

    Combine 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar, 2 tbsp Sichuan chili oil, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, and 1/2 tsp granulated sugar in a small bowl to form the sauce.

  7. 7

    Unmold the set jelly onto a board, cut into thick noodles, arrange on a plate, top with sauce, and garnish with 2 stalks thinly sliced scallions.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

Why mix the cornstarch with water first in Spicy Bean Jelly?

Step 3 reads: "Pour the starch slurry into the simmering saucepan while stirring constantly with a whisk." Dry starch clumps the moment it meets hot liquid. The slurry in step 3 disperses it first, and it only thickens once the sauce comes back to a simmer.

Is there a substitute for toasted sesame oil in Spicy Bean Jelly?

The entry for Spicy Bean Jelly calls for 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. In its place: There is no neutral substitute for the toasted flavor. Warm a spoonful of sesame seeds in a neutral oil, or leave it out and finish with toasted seeds.

Can I make Spicy Bean Jelly gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in Spicy Bean Jelly is 2 tbsp soy sauce. Swap the soy-based sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Everything else proceeds as written.

Does Spicy Bean Jelly contain sesame?

Yes: 1 tsp toasted sesame oil. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten, soy and sesame. Seeds used as a garnish can simply be left off; the oil has no true substitute. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

How many calories are in Spicy Bean Jelly?

One serving (the recipe makes 4) is about 160 calories, with 1 g protein, 26 g carbohydrate and 6 g fat, plus 1 g fiber and 480 mg sodium. The figures are estimates computed from the ingredient list.

Which part of Spicy Bean Jelly can be done ahead?

Everything up to step 5. Step 5 is a built-in pause of 2 hours: "Pour the warm mixture into a glass dish, cool to room temperature, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours until set." Do everything up to that point ahead of time and pick up at step 6 when you are ready to finish.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More Chinese entries

All Chinese recipes · All Appetizer recipes