“Bo Bi Kuay”, Which Thais Lump Together as “Kui Chai” (Not Quite the Same Thing)

Bo bi kuay (无米粿) originated in the Teochew area of Guangdong Province, China. The name “bo bi kuay” literally means “kuay with no rice”. Whatever the filling, as long as the wrapper is made from sweet potato starch or tapioca starch with no rice flour at all, it is called bo bi kuay.

The origin of bo bi kuay comes from a tale of a daughter-in-law in a time when China was poor and the house had no rice left. Being resourceful, she mashed sweet potato starch into a wrapper in place of rice flour and wrapped a filling in it, and so it became the delicious dish bo bi kuay.

The special thing about sweet potato starch is that it holds a lot of water, making the wrapper soft yet light. So wrapping requires a very light hand to seal in the filling completely, before steaming until cooked. You can eat it steamed and soft, or fry it so the wrapper is crisp outside and soft inside, which is just as delicious. Interestingly, people of old told the fillings apart by shape: if it was wrapped and pinched into a pointed top, it was a savoury filling, but if it was wrapped round and smooth, it meant a sweet filling.

Originally the main filling of bo bi kuay was Chinese chives, so people commonly also called it “gu chai kuay (韭菜粿)”. But as people's lives improved and they wanted more variety in flavour, savoury fillings began to include diced potato, taro or bamboo shoots, stir-fried with sha cha sauce, curry or pepper, while sweet fillings included mashed taro and mashed red beans.

When the Teochew Chinese began migrating south to Southeast Asia, including Thailand, they brought this hometown dish with them. We Thais know it well as khanom kui chai, with the recipe adapted to suit local tastes: a thin steamed wrapper, then fried until crisp outside and soft inside, dipped in a sweet and spicy dark soy sauce. Just talking about it makes me hungry..

P.S. Next year The Wild Chronicles will be running a Shantou-Teochew China tour in March or April 2027!

This tour focuses on easy-going travel with a relaxed programme and plenty of local food, suitable for all ages, especially for older travellers.

If you are interested, message our LINE OA and write “Interested in the Shantou tour” to receive the tour programme in advance!

References: baike(ดอท)baidu(ดอท)com/item/%E6%97%A0%E7%B1%B3%E7%B2%BF/1093043

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