Rice flour
Xiaoqu or "small starter" () are generally small () cubes or flattened or rounded balls made of rice dough incubated for only a short period of time, usually only several days. Rice flour or rice bran and inoculum are used, with bentonite clay as a bulking agent. Traditionally various herbs (from one to fifteen varieties) are incorporated into the preparation as either yaoqu (herb xiaoqu) or baiqu (white or herb-less xiaoqu). They are commonly referred to as Chinese or Shanghai yeast balls when available through western Chinese suppliers.