Cold Skin? Rice Noodles to Help You Chill Out

The name itself is unsettling at first. But then you realize that “cold skin” (liangpi 凉皮) simply describes the thin sheets of mashed and steamed rice paste that eventually get cut into noodles ... and you relax. Liangpi originated in Shaanxi province, and it seems almost every county (Huxian), city (Hanzhong and Xi’an) or small historic town (Qinzhen) has its own version. Noodles range from the squarish and udon-sized to the generously broad and flat, and can be mixed with any combination of garlic, chilli oil, soy sauce, cucumber slivers, bean sprouts, peanuts, green onions, wheat gluten squares (mianjin) and more.

According to legend, during Emperor Qin Shihuang’s reign, the farmers were commanded to pay a grain tax to the government. One year, the wheat crop was excellent, but the rice crop was not, so the people shuddered with fear as they approached the ruler with their paltry offerings. Luckily, one enterprising man named Li Shier mashed up his rice, spread it in a thin layer and steamed it, creating silken sheets of rice that were cut into noodles. Li fed it to the emperor and lo, everyone escaped punishment.

In order to imagine ourselves in Qin Shihuang’s shoes, we sought out a liangpi that would closely resemble the earliest incarnation of the dish. Dianping users raved about the “simple, refreshing” flavor of the dami liangpi (大米凉皮) at Yellow River Noodles, so away we went.

Basic indeed. The noodles were dressed mostly in chilli oil and vinegar, without too much salt. Hidden among the noodles’ white strands was a handful of pale bean sprouts, adding crunch but no color. The dish was chewy, bouncy and refreshingly tart, but I can’t see it wowing an emperor. It might, however, satisfy one of his low-ranking generals – especially if it were teamed with a crunchy-shelled rou jiamo (肉 夹馍).

Liangpi is ubiquitous around Beijing and personal preferences run the gamut, so we won’t be prescriptive about where to get yours. But if you’ve had a late night at the Gongti clubs and fancy capping the night off with a pared-down version of these famous chilled rice noodles, Yellow River is open 24 hours. Your table is set, Emperor.

Yellow River Noodles Daily 24hrs. North of Gate 6, east side of Workers’ Stadium, Chaoyang District (5842 6260) 黄河水陕西小吃. 朝阳区工人体育场东门 内6号看台北侧

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Photo: Marilyn Mai