Doupi
In its own language: 豆皮
Wuhan breakfast pancake filled with rice, meat and other savoury ingredients
Doupi is a breakfast dish from Wuhan, China, often eaten as street food. It features a thin pancake made from mung bean powder, eggs, milk, and flour, wrapped around sticky rice and diced meat, then fried. Doupi fillings may also include shrimp, mushrooms, or bamboo shoots, and it was once a festive food before becoming a daily breakfast.
- Doupi is a signature breakfast food from Wuhan, China
- Its outer layer is a crepe made from mung bean, egg, milk, and flour
- The filling combines sticky rice, diced meat, and sometimes shrimp or mushrooms
- Doupi was first made in 1931 and became a daily street food
- It is fried and eaten hot, often as a quick breakfast
What is Doupi?
Doupi is a savoury breakfast food from Wuhan, made by wrapping a filling in a thin pancake. The outer layer, called 'bean skin', is a blend of mung bean powder, eggs, milk, and flour, cooked into a crepe. Inside, you find sticky rice mixed with diced meat, and sometimes shrimp, mushrooms, or bamboo shoots. The whole parcel is fried until golden. Doupi is typically eaten hot and is known for its crisp exterior and rich, savoury filling.
Where does Doupi come from?
Doupi originated in Wuhan, Hubei province, and its name refers to the 'bean skin' pancake that forms its outer layer. The dish was created in 1931 by a local chef who improved on older methods and later opened the restaurant Laotongcheng. Originally, doupi was made for festivals, with mung beans and rice ground into a paste for the pancake, then filled and fried. Over time, it shifted from a festive treat to a popular everyday breakfast.
How is Doupi made?
To make doupi, mung bean powder, eggs, milk, and flour are mixed to form a batter, which is cooked into thin pancakes. The filling is prepared separately, with sticky rice and diced meat, sometimes including shrimp, mushrooms, or bamboo shoots, all cut small and cooked with seasonings. The filling is wrapped in the pancake, and the whole is fried until crisp. The process involves preparing the filling in advance and assembling each portion to order.
How and when is Doupi eaten?
Doupi is most often eaten for breakfast in Wuhan, where it is a common street food. Vendors sell it hot and fresh, often as a quick meal to start the day. It was once reserved for festivals but is now part of daily life. Doupi is usually eaten on its own, straight from the hand or a small plate, and is valued for its combination of textures: a crispy outside and a soft, savoury filling.
Kinds of Doupi
There are several ways to fill doupi. The most common fillings include diced meat, eggs, and shrimp, but some versions use mushrooms and bamboo shoots instead of seafood. The filling is always finely chopped and seasoned before being wrapped. While the basic structure remains the same, the choice of filling may reflect local tastes or seasonal ingredients. Some vendors may offer vegetarian versions, but the classic includes meat.
What Doupi means
Doupi is closely tied to Wuhan's breakfast culture and is a signature street food of the city. It was once a dish for festivals, but now it represents the everyday food traditions of Wuhan. The dish is connected to the restaurant Laotongcheng, which helped popularize it. Eating doupi is part of the morning routine for many locals, and it features in lists of Wuhan's notable snacks.
Questions people ask about Doupi
What is doupi made of?
Doupi is made with a thin pancake of mung bean powder, eggs, milk, and flour, wrapped around a filling of sticky rice, diced meat, and sometimes shrimp, mushrooms, or bamboo shoots.
Where does doupi come from?
Doupi comes from Wuhan, a city in Hubei province, China. It was invented in 1931 and is now a well-known breakfast and street food there.
How is doupi usually eaten?
Doupi is eaten hot, often as a breakfast food from street vendors in Wuhan. It is served as a single portion, usually eaten by hand or from a small plate.
Are there different kinds of doupi?
Yes, doupi can be filled with various ingredients. Common fillings include meat, eggs, and shrimp, but some versions use mushrooms and bamboo shoots instead.
Was doupi always an everyday food?
No, doupi was originally made for festivals and special occasions, but over time it became a popular everyday breakfast in Wuhan.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Doupi", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.
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