Method
- Make the mungbean starch jelly: whisk mungbean starch with 500ml water; cook over medium heat, stirring, for 8 minutes until thick. Pour into a flat dish; cool. Cut into 1cm cubes.
- Make the tomato-vegetable broth: simmer tomatoes, peppers and garlic with 1L water for 30 minutes. Strain.
- Make the chili oil: heat oil to smoking, pour over Kashmiri chili and minced garlic in a heatproof bowl with salt.
- Boil the noodles for 4 minutes; drain and rinse cold. Plunge into ice water.
- To serve: pile cold noodles in deep bowls. Add jelly cubes. Pour cold tomato broth over.
- Drizzle with chili oil, soy sauce, vinegar. Top with julienned cucumber, spring onion, cilantro and Sichuan peppercorn. Eat cold.
Common questions
Can Ashlyan-Fu be made ahead?
Ashlyan-Fu is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 30 minutes.
Is Ashlyan-Fu spicy?
Ashlyan-Fu as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Ashlyan-Fu vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe contains gluten via the soy sauce and/or noodles. To make it gluten-free, substitute tamari for soy sauce.
How hard is Ashlyan-Fu to make at home?
Ashlyan-Fu sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 90 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can Ashlyan-Fu be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Ashlyan-fu is the Karakol Dungan cold noodle dish — the Dungan are Hui Chinese Muslims who fled to Kyrgyzstan in the late 19th century. The dish reflects Dungan-Chinese-Kyrgyz fusion: Chinese noodle technique meets Central Asian flavours. Karakol's central market has dozens of ashlyan-fu stalls. The dish is summer-essential; the cold tomato broth and chili oil are intensely refreshing.
