Tangpi Rice Wraps

Tangpi—also called rice wrap or baba-gan—is made by grinding rice into a batter, ladled thin onto a bamboo tray and steamed into a soft, translucent skin; eaten hot it wraps fillings of shredded radish, pickled greens or bean sprouts and is dipped in soy and chilli sauce, while dried shreds can be deep-fried into puffy crisp chips.

Tangpi is widespread across Shangyou, Xinfeng and Dayu in Gannan, a clever Hakka use of upland rice—steamed rather than fried—handed down as the leading breakfast bite, found at every county-town morning stall and farmhouse hearth across Ganzhou.

Fresh-steamed soft tangpi is rolled around fillings and dipped in sauce for breakfast; sun-dried tangpi slices puff up the instant they hit the oil, crisp as prawn crackers, a children's snack and a drinking bite.

Two ways from one batter—the soft steamed wrap and the puffy fried chip—and the bright heat of the chilli dipping sauce are what make Gannan tangpi distinctive.