Nanjian Pea Jelly & Charcoal-Grilled Meat: Yunnan’s “Layer Cake” & Late-

After removing the shells and soaking the peas, we grind them into a smooth paste. After settling, it separates into three layers with different textures: pea starch, floating powder, and water. The middle layer, the floating powder, is the key ingredient for making the crispy layers.
Making these crispy layers looks simple, but getting the right consistency of the floating powder took me more than twenty attempts before I finally succeeded. The result is a thin and crispy layer with a rich pea aroma.
The white pea starch is turned into soft pea jelly. While everything is still warm, the crispy layers and jelly layers are stacked together one by one. After cooling, it becomes Nanjian Pea Jelly with Crispy Layers.
The texture is amazing: the crispy layers bring a fragrant, chewy bite, while the pea jelly is soft, smooth, and refreshing.
After that, we enjoyed the most traditional charcoal barbecue. Pine wood is burned into charcoal, and the meat is grilled directly over the charcoal fire. The charcoal ash left after burning pine wood is very clean, and the elders say it can even help with digestion.
Meat grilled over this charcoal has a special smoky aroma. The grilled chicken, beef, pork stomach, and beef tripe are all incredibly delicious!
If you have the time and the right conditions, I highly recommend trying this traditional Yunnan feast!

Hello, everyone! I am Dianxi Xiaoge, a Yunnan native.