Makes 8 servings
Bean starch sheets, also known as Tianjin green bean sheets, are translucent sheets made from mung bean starch that visually resemble Vietnamese rice paper. The slippery texture of the bean starch sheets is comparable to cellophane noodles, another product made from mung bean starch.
Ingredients
- 1 lb bean starch sheets
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Sichuan pepper
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons black rice vinegar
- 2 English cucumbers, cut into julienne
- 1 cup coarsely cut cilantro
- 3 oz (about 3/4 cup) mung bean sprouts
- 1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- Kosher salt, as needed
Directions
- Pour boiling water over the bean starch sheets until they are fully submerged. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.
- In a sauté pan over high heat, heat the vegetable oil almost to its smoke point. Add the Sichuan pepper and the red pepper flakes to the oil and fry until they begin to turn brown, 5 to 10 seconds. Strain, discard the solids, and reserve the oil.
- Drain the bean starch sheets thoroughly and rip them into bite-size pieces. Combine the sheets with the pepper oil, sugar, vinegar, cucumbers, cilantro, bean sprouts, and sesame oil. Season the salad with salt.
- Serve in a soup bowl with chopsticks.
