At the table
Lift a cake with a small spoon or chopsticks, keeping some topping with each bite. If served on a skewer, remove it before sharing.
The cake may be hot and sticky. Toppings, sauces and cooking fats vary; ask about ingredients that matter to you.
This is the no-chili version. Ask whether the topping is spicy and which fat is used; a rice-and-radish appearance does not guarantee vegetarian or vegan preparation.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Some versions add chili or a sugar-syrup drizzle; others use freshly ground rice batter. Cooking fats vary.
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Mild rice cake with salty-sweet radish and garlic.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Each cake is a small white cup or shallow bowl with a naturally dipped center. The rice cake is moist, smooth and soft with a slight chew; the preserved-radish topping is finely chopped and more savory in texture.
- How it’s made
- Steam rice-flour and cornstarch batter in small molds. Fry chopped preserved radish and garlic with oil and a little sugar, then spoon into the hollows.
Some versions add chili or a sugar-syrup drizzle; others use freshly ground rice batter. Cooking fats vary.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Guangdong.
About this regional connection
Guangdong: Chaozhou rice-batter cup with preserved-radish topping.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有咸水粿吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A little rice cup
This account describes a tradition or story, rather than an established historical fact.
The hollow in this Chaozhou rice snack holds the aromatic radish topping. Plain and chili toppings offer different tastes in the local street-snack tradition.