Laphing, Tibetan fast food: My experience
A snack that cools and gives strenght on a cool summer day.
Origin
Laphing is originally from Sichuan cuisine which is one of China’s most popular ones. It was called ‘liang fen’. Tibetans, as followed, have enjoyed the dish and have brought it straight to Nepal where it, too, starts to gain popularity.
Serving
The consistency of laphing is jelly-like, made of mung-bean or potato, served with vinegar, chili, and other desired spices that could be; something similar in look to bread but it is soya protein, soya sauce, salt, garlic (water), sesame oil, monosodium or anything other that you think of. I, for example, got a serving of laping with many spices, sauces and – very popular in Nepal, eaten dry – chinese noodles. I ate them in Kathmandu, Baudha, where laping is made as pancakes, ready to cut or serve.
It is served in 2 ways. If you visit a restaurant or a local cafe, you will be asked “Jhol or Sukha?”. So what do this names mean? It is actually the same thing but served differently. They take a ready laphing which looks like pancake and…
- Jhol – the laphing is cut into pieces and topped with all the spices and sauces, it can be called noodles
- Sukha – instead of topping it, the spices are putted inside, and rolled, so it really looks like a pancake
My experience
The first time I tried the jelly-like snack I was struck by its jellines. Eaten with soya sauce and the bread like peaces of soya it turned out really tasty. At first I wasn’t sure about those jelly laying in my bowl and when mom told me that it is a favorite snack of teenagers, I could’n believe. Then the harmony of all tastes made me change my mind. And by the end I had a small surprise which was the chili I stubbornly refused to eat, but had to as it was mixed with the rest. I ate it with the sauce and a lot of water. It gave a big spicy shock to my mouth and a kick of energy.
The next time I ate it I didn’t leave chili for the end but ate it with whole and was pleased with the taste. From then on I became a fan of these spicy jelly snack.
