Wandou Huang

Beijing's cool, pale-gold imperial sweet of sieved yellow split peas set with sugar and a breath of osmanthus, cut into neat blocks

Origin: Beijing, China

From the journey of Pea.

Wandou huang (豌豆黄, literally 'pea yellow') is one of the most refined of all Beijing sweets, and one of the simplest: nothing more than yellow split peas cooked soft, pushed through a sieve to a satin-smooth paste, sweetened, and set firm enough to cut into clean, cool, pale-gold blocks. It is eaten chilled, melting on the tongue with a gentle, nutty pea sweetness, a perfect refreshment for the Beijing spring and summer. Its story is the rare one of a street food that rose to the palace. Wandou huang began as a humble temple-fair snack of the common people, sold in the markets and traditionally eaten on the third day of the third lunar month. According to the well-loved legend, the Empress Dowager Cixi tasted it from a street vendor one hot day and was so taken with it that she had the seller brought into the Forbidden City to make it for her. The imperial kitchen then refined the rough folk sweet into the delicate confection it is today, using premium white or yellow peas, sieving the paste to perfect smoothness, and scenting it with osmanthus flower. From the palace it returned to the city, and it remains a signature of the old teahouses and the 'thirteen treasures' of classic Beijing snacks. The pea reached China across the steppe from the west, a foreign origin still recorded in its name, the wandou (豌豆) whose first character once marked it as a westerly arrival. In the north it became a milling and confectionery pea, and wandou huang is its most elegant expression: an ancient Fertile Crescent pulse transformed into an imperial dessert.

Ingredients

Pea paste

  • 250 g dried yellow split peas, rinsed (and soaked 4 hr or overnight)
  • 800 ml water
  • 100 g caster sugar, or to taste

Setting

  • 10 g agar-agar powder (or 2 tsp), for a firm, sliceable set
  • 150 ml water (to bloom and dissolve the agar)

Flavour

  • 1 tsp dried osmanthus flowers, or 1 tsp osmanthus syrup (optional)
  • 1 pinch salt

Method

  1. Drain the soaked split peas, cover with the 800 ml water, and simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes until completely soft and falling apart, topping up with water if needed. Drain off any excess liquid.
  2. Press the cooked peas through a fine sieve or pass them through a food mill to make a perfectly smooth paste, discarding the husks left behind. (A blender then a sieve works too.)
  3. In a small pan, bloom the agar-agar in the 150 ml water for a few minutes, then bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring, until fully dissolved.
  4. Return the smooth pea paste to a clean pan over low heat. Stir in the sugar, the pinch of salt, and the osmanthus. Add the dissolved agar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes, until thick, glossy, and smooth.
  5. Pour into a lined square tin or shallow container to a depth of about 2.5 cm, smooth the top, and cool to room temperature. Then chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until completely set and cold.
  6. Turn out and cut into neat squares or diamonds with a sharp, wetted knife. Serve cold, as a teahouse sweet.

Notes

Traditional wandou huang was set by the natural starch of the peas alone, but agar-agar gives the reliable, cleanly sliceable block expected today; gelatine may be used instead (and makes it non-vegan). Adjust the sugar to taste; the sweet should be gently, not aggressively, sweet so the pea flavour shows. A thin layer of sweetened red bean paste is sometimes set in the middle.

The Gastrographer

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