🍽️ Cold Noodle

Sour, spicy and refreshing, a Shaanxi classic.

Cold skin noodles (liangpi) are a classic cool summer food of Xi'an, Shaanxi. Made by washing wheat dough or steaming rice batter into sheets, then cut into wide, translucent strips, they are dressed with vinegar, chili-oil, salt and garlic water, and topped with cucumber, bean sprouts and wheat gluten. It hits tangy-spicy refreshment, slippery yet springy, fragrant red oil and bright vinegar, cooling and appetizing. Xi'an versions prize thin, even sheets and aromatic chili oil, with Qinzhen rice skin and Hanzhong wheat skin each having loyal fans. Eaten as a snack or with roujiamo, it is most satisfying in hot weather, a beloved street cooler across the Shaanxi heartland.