5 Days in Taiwan is (well, was) A LOT of food. AMAZING Food.
This post is dedicated to the incredible street food and take out that Taiwan is freakin’ awesome for. Simply so I can savor the taste again by just looking at ‘em.
And because my camera ran out of batteries while I was traveling, I only have pictures of the foods I love the most. Enjoy!
A Typical Breakfast
Freshly “squeezed’ soy bean milk and Vegetarian “Bao Zi” (Buns)
Asian Soy milk Fun Facts:
- Taiwanese people drink freshly “squeezed” soy milk more so than the packaged stuff we get here in the US. Preservative-free, yet just as tasty.
- You almost ALWAYS have the option of unsweetened soy milk at restaurants
- Asian soy milk is not as thick as American soy milk, but it has a stronger bean flavor!
A multitude of breakfast foods like these pan seared/flash steamed buns are made fresh every morning and sold on almost every street corner! Made by mom and pop shops, but always delicious. Always.
A modest sized bun the diameter of a small palm. Seared to perfection on the bottom yet soft, smooth, and doughy on top. Each paper bag holds up to 3 buns. It takes me about that many to be satisfied. :P
Cabbage, mushrooms, and “vegetarian chicken crumbles” all shredded, stir-fried, and stuffed into the bun dough. Steamy and delicious in every bite! Complimentary hot sauce is not needed…*drool*
A Typical Dessert
Grass Jelly
Before you get grossed out by the color of this delicious and healthy dessert…
What it is (according to Wikipedia): “Grass jelly is made by boiling the aged and slightly oxidized stalks and leaves of Mesona chinesis (a member of the mint family) with potassium carbonate for several hours with a little starch and then cooling the liquid to a jelly-like consistency. This jelly can be cut into cubes or other forms, and then mixed with syrup to produce a drink or dessert thought to have cooling properties, which makes it typically consumed during hot weather.”
During winter, grass jelly is served hot along with your choice of “sides” to bring some color, texture, and tastiness to your bowl of goodness.
My add-ins include:
- Taro root stewed in black sugar till soft and pillowy
- White fungus – famous for its beauty-enhancing properties, the white fungus is a plant used in lots of Asian soups and desserts to make your skin more radiant.
- Tapioca Taro Balls – chewy, sweet and 100% starch, this is Taiwanese comfort food at its best.
A giant bowl costs you a little over $1 US, but it is a nutritional powerhouse, vegan, delicious, and DESSERT!! All in one giant bowl.
I dream about this at night. I kid you not. :)
Last but not least, I leave you with LUNCH IN A BOX…with Red Tea.
Taiwan was once conquered by the Japanese, so after the Japanese left, Taiwanese people kept the bento box idea of the Japanese, but re-invented its contents to match the palates of local Taiwanese people!
My brothers chicken bento box. His 3 side dishes of the day including cabbage, tofu, and celery. Fried chicken in Taiwan has less breading but more crunch for some reason…. YUM.
If you ever visit Taiwan, make sure you get local soy milk, fresh buns, grass jelly, and a Bento box! :)
Just for a giveaway’s sake, check out Snackface’s B’day giveaway here!
wowwza what amazing food!!! I love seeing foods from other countries adn the feeling of being immersed in teh culture! thank you for the pics!
That bun looks sooo deliciously doughy!
I’d be really interested to try a dessert like that.
And those facts about soy milk are fascinating. I wouldn’t even know where to order it in the U.S. besides starbucks.
this is such a great post! i miss taiwanese food!
when i was in taiwan for vacations, ALL I DRANK WAS FRESH SQUEEZE soy bean milk! it was bomb!
and the buns! tasty tasty.
my mom LOVE taiwanese bento!
That bun looks AWESOME
I miss Taiwan so much
Yum Yum.
This is random, but I have been meaning to tell you…do you know they make taro frozen yogurt now?! AHHHHH! And it’s just as good as you’d hope it is :)
Taiwanese food looks delish. I would have a hard time coming back and being satisfied with US food. I’d love to try some of the dishes you blogged about, especially the tapioca!
This post has made me ridiculously hungry! The buns look amazing. My brother makes his own soy milk- wonder if it’s authentic tasting? :D
Looks awesome. I just started to make some posts with some pics from my trip to China in 2005. I think you reminded me I was sitting on all these photos of food from my trip.
all your tw food looks delicious! you know what? I used to have a tw bf and I always wanted to travel to Taiwan to eat the street food! YUM~~~
take out is sometimes just what you need. i havent had any in a long time! this post made me crave some yummy taiwanese eats.
Loved this post Michelle – and that the pics you took were of food and not people! :D
Those buns look amazing! Um, not sure about the grass jelly with white fungus though! :D
Oh man I wish I could have that steamed bun right now. And also I love that lunch box idea at the bottom!
What fun eats!
Oh man! That grass jelly sounds SO unique and delicious! Mmm! I think it looks good too! :)
taiwaaaan here i come! that dough looks SO soft and delicious! me waaaant nowwww. glad you had such good eats lady
If I ever need a Taiwan tutorial, youre my girl :)
Thanks for the Asian Soy milk Fun Facts..seriously i love that kinda stuff!
Taiwan Take Out looks Terrific! GREG
Wow what fantastic food! Taiwan food looks delicious!!
love this post! i haven’t been back to taiwan since i was in high school (over 15 years ago) but i remember the food fondly.
wow! everything looks amazing! i cant believe there is freshly “squeezed” soy milk available – crazy to thnk about how much the US is dependent on convenience foods
Thank you for sharing all of this! Loved reading about the interesting foods–so curious to try them someday :)
Those buns look great! Hmm I think I need to take a trip there! Have fun!
oh wow you went to Taiwan!! i know the street food is really famous !! They make me mouth watering again :-D is that a sesame soymilk??? looks really good. Mainland China has the grass Jelly too, but ours is a simple version without the white fungus and little balls. I am a big fan of it and almost bought a mix for that !!
and the lunch box reminds me of mine just few days ago , I had a very similar dish with fried pork steak :-p …
Asian food makes me feel so satisfied !!! thanks for sharing it!!
omg, I’m definitely getting that steamed bun. Or several. That looks AMAZIN!! Michelle, when are you gonna give me a tour to Taiwan = Food Heaven?
I love those buns, I’ve seen those before and they look awesome!
Sorry your camera battery died, I can’t tell you how many times that happens to me!
Thanks for the re-cap of wonderful foods there!
It’s a good thing your food posts are accompanied by photos! I might not know what to look for otherwise! I hope to try it all some day!
Do you ever think I could make grass jelly? It looks so fun! Strange as it may seem, is it like Boba, but thicker?
thanks for sharing!! those fresh buns look so delicious. hopefully you bought a bag of them daily :)
Wow Taiwanese food sounds amazing! I want to try some of that healthy dessert :) The veggie buns, soy milk, and bento box looks quite yummy as well. The buns look so doughy and chewy. Mmmm nothing like hand made buns! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed yourself, Michelle!
mmm, i love steamed buns. I have one in the fridge but unforch its not mine.
There are so many Asian tastes I find delicious…tapioca balls, for one.
I am a little leery of soy, as it tends to be GMO, and is highly estrogenic. I wonder if the quality of soy in Taiwan is better than that of the USA.
BODA weight loss
Such interesting food facts!! I would really love to taste that jelly dessert, AND the Asian soymilk. I wish soymilk was an option at all American restaurants, as I often prefer it over regular (not that I even order milk very often). At Starbuck’s they don’t have the unsweetened kind sometimes, and that’s annoying! My drink already has enough sugar, thanks.
Glad you had a nice trip!
YUM! I would like a little bit of everything please! :)
omg! steamed buns are like my most favorite thing in the whole wide world!!!
i love your bros chicken bento too!! it is making me hungrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry!!
i also really enjoyed your soup review in the previous post. I would love to try those someday!
HOLY COW! There is a pool of drool right under my mouth right now! I LOVE all those foods and wish I could have some right NOW! Those fragrant steamed buns that get all sticky in your hands…and I love how you have to eat them off of the paper they are stuck to. Sometimes, you eat some of the paper accidentally, but that comes along with the territory ;) Thanks for this lovely post and helping me reminisce!