Liangfen were formerly also used. The starch is boiled with water and the resulting sheets are then cut into thick strips. "Liangfen" is generally served cold. The "liangfen" strips are tossed with seasonings including soy sauce, vinegar, sesame paste, crushed garlic, julienned carrot, and chili oil. In Lanzhou it is often served stir fried. In Sichuan, a spicy dish called Chuanbei Liangfen is particularly popular (see photo above). Similar foods include the Korean "muk" made with chestnut starch and Japanese konnyaku jelly . "Jidou liangfen", a similar dish from the Yunnan province of southwest China, is made from chick peas rather
Laba garlic Laba garlic The Laba garlic is a vinegar-preserved garlic. Its refined color is green and its taste is sour and slightly spicy. Because it is usually made in the Lunar December 8 (lunar month December the eighth, the Laba Festival), it was named Laba garlic. In general, green and vinegary garlic is called Laba garlic. Laba vinegar is the vinegar used to pickle the Laba garlic. The custom of making Laba garlic is more prevalent in northern China. Laba garlic and vinegar with dumplings are traditional foods for the Spring Festival in China. Laba garlic alone could also be a