A traditional snack from Guangdong's Chaoshan region known as rice-free kueh has grown popular after featuring in the film Dear You, attracting food lovers from China and abroad.
Rice-free kueh uses a wrapper made from sweet potato starch and fillings of vegetables and grains, with no rice involved. Traditional options include savory chive, potato and taro versions, as well as sweet taro paste or red bean paste. The chive-filled version remains the most popular.
Vendor Wang Guodan in the Chaoshan region sells 300 to 400 pieces daily. She said the fried snack has a generous chive filling that is delicious and vibrant green in color.
Another vendor, Li Yebin in Shantou, learned the craft from his father at age 16. He described the kneading technique for the wrapper and recounted a legend of a woman who created the dish with sweet potatoes and chives when she had no rice at home.
Food delivery platforms report searches for the snack have increased tenfold. Tutorial videos on one social media platform have exceeded 1.33 million views. The snack has spread with the Chaoshan diaspora to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, where overseas Chinese have adapted it using local ingredients such as jicama and pumpkin.