Xiang Gu Rou Zao (香菇肉燥), or Taiwanese Braised Shiitake Mushroom Minced Pork, is one of the true soul sauces of Taiwanese home cooking. It’s often confused with Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯), but the two are actually quite different dishes. There’s also a fun regional quirk worth knowing: what’s called Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) in northern…
Taiwanese Food
Taiwanese Sweet and Tangy Pickled Cucumber 台式酸甜醃小黃瓜
Taiwanese Sweet and Tangy Pickled Cucumber is a classic side dish, and one of the easiest things you can pickle at home. It only needs a handful of ingredients, and the method comes down to two simple steps: salting the cucumber to draw out moisture, then squeezing it dry. That’s what keeps the crunch. And…
Taiwanese Fried Pork Loin (Zha Pai Gu) 台式炸排骨
Zha Pai Gu (台式炸排骨), or Taiwanese Fried Pork Loin (also known as pork chop), is one of the most iconic mains you’ll find in any Taiwanese bento shop. The dish is said to trace back to Japanese-style tonkatsu from the Japanese colonial era, which was gradually localised and combined with Taiwanese-style marinating and coating techniques…
Taiwanese Golden Pickle (Huang Jin Pao Cai) 台式黃金泡菜
Huang Jin Pao Cai (黃金泡菜), or Taiwanese Golden Pickle, is a distinctly Taiwanese creation, first developed in Tainan around twenty years ago. It was created to suit Taiwanese tastes, which lean away from heat and towards rich, savoury sauces and a satisfying crunch. Its defining feature is a thick, golden sauce, emulsified from ingredients like…
Taiwanese Steamed Pork with Pickled Cucumber (Guazi Rou) 台式瓜子肉
Taiwanese Steamed Pork with Pickled Cucumber, known as Guazi Rou (台式瓜子肉), is another comforting and easy-to-make dish in Taiwanese home cooking. It’s the kind of savoury, rice-soaking dish that appears on family dinner tables again and again, and one bowl of rice is rarely enough. The dish pairs minced pork with Taiwanese pickled cucumber (脆瓜…
Classic Taiwanese Stir-Fried Rice Vermicelli (Tshá-bí-hún) 台式炒米粉
Taiwanese Stir-Fried Rice Vermicelli, known as Tshá-bí-hún (台式炒米粉) in Taiwanese Hokkien, is one of those classic home-cooked dishes that almost every Taiwanese family makes their own way. Growing up, my grandma cooked it whenever the family gathered together, and I still remember the aroma of dried shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, and fried shallots filling the…
Taiwanese Rice vermicelli soup with Squid (Bí-hún Thng) 台式米粉湯
Probably not the most internationally well-known Taiwanese dish, but Bí-hún Thng (台式米粉湯)—also known as Taiwanese rice vermicelli soup—is a true everyday staple in Taiwan. For many Taiwanese people, this humble bowl of rice vermicelli soup is more than just food. It represents comfort, nostalgia, and a deep sense of home. What is Bí-hún Thng 米粉湯?…
Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice (Lu Rou Fan) 台式滷肉飯
Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice, also known as Lu Rou Fan, is one of Taiwan’s most iconic comfort foods. This humble yet incredibly flavourful dish can be found everywhere—from street food stalls to traditional eateries across the island. With its rich, savoury sauce, melt-in-your-mouth pork, and fluffy steamed rice, Lu Rou Fan is the perfect example…
Taiwanese Sesame Oil Chicken Soup (Ma You Ji) 台式麻油雞
If you’re craving something warming, gingery, and truly comfort-bowl worthy, this Taiwanese Sesame Oil Chicken Soup (Ma You Ji / 麻油雞) is exactly what you need. It’s a slightly heartier, stew-style version of the classic sesame oil chicken you’ll find across Taiwan. Chicken is gently simmered with ginger, dried shiitake mushrooms, and Taiwanese rice cooking…
Crispy, Flavourful Night Market Favourite Yan Su Ji (Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken) 鹽酥雞
If you’ve ever strolled through a Taiwanese night market, you’ve probably been lured in by the irresistible aroma of Yan Su Ji (鹽酥雞) — better known in English as Taiwanese popcorn chicken. Crispy, juicy, and bursting with five-spice flavour, it’s one of Taiwan’s most beloved street food snacks. When I moved to London, this was…