I’ve been on a la pian binge recently after rediscovering them, so there are quite a few of these lined up. La pian, which literally translates to ‘spicy slices’ in Chinese, are chewy spicy gluten strips covered in a fragrant and spicy oil, and it is one of my childhood snack staple along with coca cola flavored hard candies.
Xiao Hua Tou brand’s la pian come in individually packed 18 gram bags with three slices of la pian in each package, which is a very good size for a late night snack – if you have the self control to stop with one package. The taste is authentic, and it’s basically impossible to eat without making a small mess because of how oily it is, which is perfectly normal for la pian.
I think the price could be better. I bought a 10 pack on sale, and I definitely wouldn’t buy them at full price. But I’m pretty sure the ‘sale’ price itself is a pricing strategy where this never actually gets sold at the full price to give the illusion of being a good deal. So the rating’s largely reflective of its price. If I can get packs for 30 cents or less each, this would be a 5/5 snack.
- Cost: $5.49 on sale, $9.99 regular price for a 10 pack of 18 gram packs (April 2026)
- Storage: Shelf stable.
- Rating: 3/5
