Sad Jelly Noodles: the spicy street food that has a reputation for making people cry.

2 min read

2 years ago Robin

Anyone brave enough to enjoy a mound of shangxin liangfen, which literally means “Sad Jelly Noodle”, or “heartbreak jelly” should expect to cry.
Yes. Cry.
Street vendors popularized these translucent noodles, made from green bean starch and hot water, or sweet potato starch, throughout the Sichuan province of China.
Despite It was rumoured that this dish was made by a person who missed home, isn’t jelly that makes these delicacy “sad”, but the heap of hot chili peppers and oil that covers them.

Either way, everyone eaters seems to agree that the name originates from the street noodles’ intense spice level.
Some say it’s so hot that it’ll leave your taste buds brokenhearted and make you cry, while others believe that whatever emotional distress one is feeling before trying shangxin liangfen will be flushed out (likely by crying and drooling) in response to the overwhelming sensation of the burning sauce.
Vendors top the noodles also with garlic, coriander, pickles, and other spices, which offer bursts of flavor, but do nothing to make the dish less hot.
And should you see visitors to Chengdu crying on the street, fear not.
There’s a good chance they just enjoyed a bowl of sad jelly noodles!