Esther Food Adventure: Taipei Food Journey Day 4 and 5

18th September 2010

Danshui, Taipei district. Another small town towards the north of Taipei.

Danshui stuffed fishball

Internal view of fishball

'Ah Gei'

Stuffings of 'ah gei'

Danshui old street offers many 'small eat' or 'siao chi' in Mandarin which are like local delicacies. One of the most famous delicacy is called 'Ah Gei' which means Japanese 'oily/fried tofu'. The main difference between the stuffed tofu found in Jiu Fen and Danshui is the stuffings inside. The stuffings used in Danshui's tofu is vermicelli - a kind of transparent noodle which is chewy yet very soft at the same time. The tofu is also wrapped in fish paste to keep the moisture and flavours inside then cooked in a special sauce containing 'fermented soy bean paste'. The sauce taste a bit salty and a bit spicy.

The stuffed fish ball in Danshui is very similar to the one found in Jiu Fen. The only obvious difference is the shape - oblong in Danshui.

Back in Taipei city:

We went looking for this famous place called 'Ah Zhung Mian Xian' as recommended by friends and guide books. This shop only sells ONE dish and it is always very crowded. The dish that they sell is very simple yet very delicious. The dish is made of 'large intestine' and thin noodles. The noodle used in this shop is the 'red' variety which does not dissolve into the soup when cooked or kept warm for a long period of time. The broth made by this shop is slightly thickened and they used a secret recipe which made this simple dish exceptionally delicious. It is so delicious that you want more and more. I have always refused to eat offals but this dish is just irresistable! One 'special feature' about this shops is that most customers stand while they eat the bowl of noodles.

19th September 2010:

Due to strong wind and rain from the typhoon, we decided to stay indoors at the hotel. Even when staying indoors, we were never short of food! I am mentioning this instant noodle as it is one of the most delicious one that I have tried so far. NB it is inadvisable to have instant noodles regularly due to health warnings.

Even though this is just instant noodles, the noodles were really chewy and the soup was full of flavours. What more can I say about a packet of instant cup noodles, it is quick to cook and it fills your stomach!