Either on the streets of downtown Shigatse or at the entrance of Tashilhunpo Monastery, there are always Tibetan ladies carrying large aluminum pots, with a group of people gathering around them. They are peddlers selling a kind of Shigatse food called "pengbi".

"Pengbi" is a kind of pea jelly of Tibetan flavor. Because its Tibetan name has the same pronunciation as the words "friend" and "must" in Chinese, Tibetans like to say that "pengbi" is a must-eat food when good friends come, so as to make it a remembered occasion.

The pea juice used to make "pengbi" is extracted from the juice to make bean starch vermicelli. When making bean starch vermicelli, peas are ground into powder, and water is added to make it juicy. After sedimentation, the supernatant can be used to feed stocks; the subsided amylum on the bottom is bean starch vermicelli, and the thick juice in the middle is for making "pengbi".

The pea juice needs to be boiled until it turns to paste. Then, spices such as salt, Tibetan scallion, curry powder and a little bit of boiled oil and minced meat are mixed in together to form pea jelly "pengbi" after cooling.

The Shigatse people love pengbi jelly with spicy chili sauce because it satisfies any appetite. A large pot of "pengbi" can be sold out in a blink of an eye. One usually needs to order in advance – and good luck – to get some freshly made "pengbi".

The Tibetans'creativity gives the "pengbi" pea jelly a unique look and taste that stands out from the pea juice and has become a part of daily life in Shigatse.

Photo shows the Tibetan-styled "pengbi" pea jelly of southwest Tibet's Shigatse City. [Photo/ China Tibet Online]

Photo shows the stall selling "pengbi", around which there is always a crowd. [Photo/ China Tibet Online]