December 26, 2009
竹東魷魚羹
Both my and my wife's mothers' families are of Hakka descent in the Hsinchu area. Although most have moved to Taipei, wife's family still returns to their old homestead on a regular basis, and we don't mind bringing the baby along to get him out of the lousy Taipei air once in a while. So it's no surprise that they know where all the best local 小吃 food stands are, and we stopped in at their favorite squid soup place on our way back to Taipei.
The spot is in an anonymous street near the Zhudong train station extended out into the street from the building behind it, built by corrugated siding. It is about as non-descript a hole-in-the-wall as you can get. A big pot of meatball soup is kept warm on a portable station powered by big gas canisters. Upon ordering, the lady running the place quickly scooped up bowls of the thickened soup, then throw in a few pieces of tender cuttlefish, and sprinkle a handful fish-fry chips on top for crunch. A lot of white pepper to add some spice to the rich, hearty soup.
肉圓 pork dumplings is another classic Hakka staple. The thick and chewy skin is translucent, made with yam flour, stuffed with small chunks of tough pork leg meat. The dumplings are par-cooked by steaming and if we get them to-go we'd finish steaming them at home. But out in restaurants they're finished with an oil-bath instead. Then they're smothered with a slightly sweet, nuclear-red sauce, with a sprig of cilantro on top for color. The oil-braising leaves the rice-flour skin softer and chewier compared to steaming, and most of the oil runs off the smooth skin anyway.
Boy that sure did hit the spot. Family and friends often bring us foods from Hsinchu when they visit, but it's still nothing like fresh-made at the source. Made sure to take a few more orders away with us back to Taipei for wife's grandpa and uncles.
切魷魚, 魷魚羹, 肉丸
竹東鎮長春路一段
(渣打銀行對面)