Originally published “Taiwanese Night Market: Braised Pork Rice” By Madeline Yeh

For me, comfort food comes from a small, rusted cart located in the alley of a busy street in east Asia. In Taiwan, the night is reinvigorated by the hustle and bustle of the night market. Located across Taipei, and in each municipality, these markets overflow with the smell of fresh Taiwanese dishes, the multicolored lights of street carts and stores, and the dimmed chatter of vendors and passersby. There is something strangely comforting about the night market’s environment, with crowds of people gathered and enjoying the night under the neon glow of restaurant signs and lanterns. Tourists from across the country and around the globe come to Taiwan just to experience the night markets, which are also known for their cheap and authentic Taiwanese comfort foods. For as little as 120 yuan (4 USD), you can easily get your fill on some comforting Taiwanese dishes.

A starter’s guide to Taiwanese comfort foods (in no particular order):

2. Taiwanese Fried Chicken 鹽酥雞 (yán sū jī)

鹽酥雞: crispy, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. What’s not to like about Taiwanese fried chicken? Unlike other famous fried chicken varieties, Taiwanese fried chicken is flavored with the distinctive spices of Taiwan, five spice, and white pepper to create a delectable dish and easy finger food.

4. Ba-Wan Dumplings 肉圓 (ròu yuán)

Pronounced as “ba wan” in Taiwanese, ba-wan dumplings are Taiwan’s traditional dumpling, made from a starchy, translucent dough and filled with a savory pork or chicken stuffing. The best part? Its salty, sweet sauce.

1. Braised Pork Rice Bowl 滷肉飯 (lǔ ròu fàn)

滷肉飯, also known as a braised pork rice bowl, could easily be considered Taiwan’s national treasure. A savory, aromatic rice dish flavored with soy sauce, five spice, and star anise spice, and featuring melt-in-your-mouth pieces of pork belly.

3. Beef Noodle Soup 牛肉麵 (niú ròu miàn)

While each municipality of Taiwan will argue that theirs is the best rendition of beef noodle soup, there is no doubt that this qualifies as a Taiwanese comfort food. The chewy noodles, combined with the rich beef broth, makes for the perfect noodle soup.

5. Oyster Vermicelli Noodles 蚵仔麵線 (hé zǐ miàn xiàn)

Known as “orh ah mee sua” in Taiwanese, oyster vermicelli noodles are the chicken noodle soup of a Taiwanese kid’s childhood. Consisting of a thick savory soup, fresh oysters, and chewy vermicelli noodles, this dish is a key part of the Taiwanese comfort diet.

Braised Pork Rice

Ingredients

2 whole shallots

2 medium cloves garlic

2 tbsp. oil

350 g. medium fat pork (五花肉)

½ tsp. five spice (五香粉)

½ tsp. white pepper (白胡椒)

1½ cups soybean paste (醬油膏)

¼ cup soy sauce

6 cups water

2 star anise spice (八角)

2 tbsp. rock sugar (冰糖)

1½ cups fried shallots (油蔥酥)

5 eggs (optional)

Instructions

Finely chop the shallots and garlic into ½ cm. cubes, then heat a pan on medium heat. Add the oil to the pan, and allow it to heat slowly. Add the shallots and stir fry until they begin to lightly brown and add garlic. If you would like to add eggs to your dish, hard boil and peel them at this step.
Slice the pork into small cubes and add to the pan. Stir fry until the pork becomes white.
Add five spice, white pepper, soybean paste, and soy sauce to the pan.
Transfer the meat and sauce mixture to a larger pot. Once transferred, add water, star anise spice, rock sugar, and fried shallots to the pot and begin to cook on low heat for 1 hour.
Optional: If adding eggs, add the hard-boiled eggs to the stew pot at this step.
After 1 hour, check the stew, and add additional sugar or water to adjust flavor to taste.