Ashlan-fu

Ingredients

Starch jelly

• 150 gpotato or mung bean starch
• 900 mlwater
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt

Noodles

• 300 gwheat noodles, or handmade dough noodles
• or 300 g fresh flat noodles

Broth

• 1 litrecold water or light stock
• 6 tablespoonsrice vinegar
• 3 tablespoonssoy sauce
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• salt to taste

Dressing

• 4 tablespoonschilli oil, with the sediment
• 1 teaspoonground Sichuan pepper, optional
• 2 tablespoonssoy sauce

To garnish

• 1cucumber, in matchsticks
• 2eggs, made into a thin omelette and shredded
• 3spring onions, sliced
• a handful of coriander
• pickled vegetables

Directions

1. Whisk the starch into three hundred millilitres of cold water. Work it into a completely smooth slurry with no lumps. Bring the remaining six hundred millilitres to the boil. Add the salt to the boiling water. Whisk constantly and hard as you pour it in. It will thicken almost immediately into a thick paste.
2. Keep whisking through that thickening or it will lump. Cooking the jelly out takes a few more minutes. Cook it for about five minutes until it turns translucent. It should be very thick and pull away from the pan. Pour the hot mixture into a wet shallow dish. Wetting the dish first stops it sticking. Let it cool to room temperature on the counter. Then refrigerate it until it is completely firm.
3. Turn the set jelly out onto a board. Cut it into strips about a centimetre wide. The strips should be slippery and slightly wobbly. Keep them cold until you assemble the bowls. Cook them in plenty of boiling water until just done.
4. Drain them and rinse them thoroughly in cold water. That rinsing is essential for a cold dish. Drain them well and toss them with a little oil. Making the broth is quick and it must be cold.
5. Combine the cold water or stock with the vinegar. Add the soy sauce, crushed garlic and sugar. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Taste it and adjust the balance carefully. It should be aggressively sour and clearly salty. Beat the eggs and fry them into a very thin omelette.
6. Let it cool and then roll it up and shred it finely. Cut the cucumber into fine matchsticks. Slice the spring onions and chop the coriander. Have everything ready in bowls before assembling. Put a portion of cold noodles in each deep bowl. Add a generous handful of the cut starch jelly. Ladle the cold sour broth over both. It should come about halfway up the bowl.
7. Spoon chilli oil generously over the top. Take the sediment as well as the clear oil. Add a little extra soy sauce now. Sprinkle ground Sichuan pepper over it if you like. Scatter the shredded omelette over the surface. Add cucumber matchsticks and pickled vegetables. Finish with spring onion and coriander. Serving it is done cold, straight away. Assemble the bowls only when you are ready to eat.

Technique

• The Dungan are Chinese-speaking Muslims who migrated into Central Asia in the nineteenth century, and their food is distinct within the region.
• Karakol is closely identified with ashlan-fu and the dish is sold from dedicated stalls in its market.

Substitutions

• Potato starch, mung bean starch and sweet potato starch all set into a suitable jelly.
• Any flat wheat noodle works in place of handmade ones.

Variations

• Some stalls serve it with more jelly and almost no noodles.
• A version with a meat broth rather than a plain one is also made.
• Related cold starch jelly dishes are eaten across northern China.

History

Cold Dungan dish of starch jelly and noodles in vinegar broth, the speciality of Karakol.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ashlan-fu?

Ashlan-fu is a soup & stew from Kyrgyzstan: cold spicy-vinegar noodle soup with starch jelly; Karakol icon. Cold Dungan dish of starch jelly and noodles in vinegar broth, the speciality of Karakol.

How long does Ashlan-fu take to make?

Ashlan-fu takes 40 minutes plus setting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Ashlan-fu?

Yes, within limits. Potato starch, mung bean starch and sweet potato starch all set into a suitable jelly. Any flat wheat noodle works in place of handmade ones.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ashlan-fu?

Keep whisking through that thickening or it will lump. Cooking the jelly out takes a few more minutes. Cook it for about five minutes until it turns translucent. It should be very thick and pull away from the pan. Pour the hot mixture into a wet shallow dish. Wetting the dish first stops it sticking. Let it cool to room temperature on the counter. Then refrigerate it until it is completely firm.