At the table
Eat while warm to enjoy the crisp surface and soft centre. Hold the folded pancake or break off small pieces, allowing the hot middle to cool before biting. The plain pancake does not need a filling or sauce.
The documented plain rice-and-fermented-rice batter is plant-based. Check any added ingredients and the cooking fat for vegetarian or vegan needs. A rice-based name does not guarantee a wheat-free preparation or separate equipment. Sweet fermented rice can contain alcohol; cooking does not establish that the finished pancake is alcohol-free.
Rice proportions, batter thickness, fermentation and browning vary. Some recipes use ordinary rice alone, while others include glutinous rice. Added sugar, baking yeast and pan oil are recipe choices. Thin, crisp versions and thicker, softer ones are both found.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Rice proportions, batter thickness, fermentation and browning vary. Some recipes use ordinary rice alone, while others include glutinous rice. Added sugar, baking yeast and pan oil are recipe choices. Thin, crisp versions and thicker, softer ones are both found.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Gentle rice sweetness, a lightly tangy fermented-rice aroma and a toasted surface. The plain version has no chili heat.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Crisp edges and a finely browned outer face surround a soft, porous middle. Thicker versions are tender and springy; thinner versions can become crisp throughout as they cool.
- How it’s made
- Soak the rice, grind it with water into batter and ferment with sweet fermented rice until bubbly and lightly tangy. Cook portions on a hot pan until set and golden, then fold or pair them with the soft sides inward. Some home recipes add baking yeast and sugar and lightly oil the pan.
Rice proportions, batter thickness, fermentation and browning vary. Some recipes use ordinary rice alone, while others include glutinous rice. Added sugar, baking yeast and pan oil are recipe choices. Thin, crisp versions and thicker, softer ones are both found.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Hubei.
About this regional connection
Hubei: Wuhan rice-batter pan-fried folded snack.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有香煎米粑吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
Two crisp faces and a soft middle
Wuhan rice pancakes are associated with the city’s breakfast and street-snack traditions. They may be folded or paired so the soft rice-cake sides meet and the browned faces remain outside. This makes a simple handheld snack whose appeal comes from the contrast between crisp surface and tender centre.