[TW] Xiao Zhan Du Sticky Rice Pudding (小暫渡米糕)

This is another top must-visit place as soon as I come back. This is one of the small eats (小吃) in Taiwan. Small eats play an important role in Taiwanese’s eating. I’ve heard of a philosophy describing Taiwanese food, which is “eat often and eat well”. Basically all these gourmet snacking can be found any time of the day, and not limited to weekdays or weekends.

Sticky Rice Pudding (米糕)
Sticky Rice Pudding (米糕)

There are two types of sticky rice pudding. In the south, we have the sticky rice pudding that is shown above. And, in the north, the sticky rice is stuffed into a bamboo tube. The sticky rice is topped with braised pork, fish floss, and pickled cucumber. The sauce from the braised pork makes the sticky rice really moist. The cucumber makes the taste lighter. The braised porks have been stir fried before they are braised, therefore it’s not that greasy. Thumbs up for it!

Four Spirits Soup
Four Spirits Soup (四神湯)

The sticky rice pudding and four spirits soup are the best (and must) combo. Though I don’t dare to eat the pork intestines, but the soup is rich and full of flavor. It doesn’t have the taste of the intestines at all. Some four spirits soup are cooked with barley, but not this one. This is stewed with some Chinese herbs, which gives the soup a bit of sweetness.

“Randomly sliced food” (黑白切)

This type of food is also part of Taiwanese culture. The phrase “Hei bai qie” is a direct translation from Taiwanese, which means “randomly sliced food”. Specifically, it is referring to the cooked foods ready to be cut and fast served as the customs order. The one above are commonly seen, there are shark meat, sausages, cuttlefish, fish roes, sweet eggs, pork gums…etc.  These foods are all boiled in water, so the flavoring depends on the dipping sauce. The dipping sauce is unique from restaurant to restaurant.

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“Randomly Sliced Food”

Overall, I strongly recommend everyone who are visiting Taiwan to try it out! It has been ranked as top 40 Taiwanese food that we can’t live without by the CNN! 😉

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