Must-trys at the night markets in Taiwan

New: Must-trys at the night markets in Taiwan
Whats up: Where to eat in Taiwan and delicious things you must try

Deep fried pretty much sums up everything you’ll eat at the night markets in Taipei. Forget deep-fried wagon wheels and deep-fried oreos, Taiwan has the good stuff: deep-fried chicken steak, deep-fried tofu, deep-fried pastries, deep-fried buns, deep-fried milk.

I stayed in the city of Taipei in the Zhuwei area, about 20 minutes from the famous Shilin night market and Ximending pedestrian area.

Just the Shilin market itself will take a few visits to complete. One of the most popular items (identified by the never-ending mile-long lineups)was the Da bao bao shao bao (literally means big bun wrapped around a little bun). It’s a crispy pastry filled with a wide variety of fillings including pork floss and peanuts then crushed and wrapped inside a soft, chewy roti-like skin.

Another popular item that you won’t have to wait quite as long for is the oyster pancakes. If you like seafood and you like eggs, this is the dish for you. It has a very gooey texture due to the cornstarch and fresh, chewy pieces of oyster and vegetables cooked inside.

Oyster omelette at the Shilin night market in Taiwan

Another deep-fried goodie you must get your hands on (as mentioned in my previous post) is the deep-fried chicken steak by Hot Star. You can get your choice of seasoning, but I like mine with the original flavour. If you feel like something a little more fishy, give the deep-fried squid a try. Tender pieces of squid tentacles are coated with a delicious savoury batter and fried to a crisp.

Deep-fried and seasons squid at the Taiwan night markets

Where to eat in Taiwan and delicious things you must try

New: Where to eat in Taiwan and delicious things you must try 
Whats up: Make your own cheese nibs

Seven days in Taiwan and 80 per cent of that time was spent eating. The streets of Taiwan are filled with food carts, food stands, restaurants—every form of food vending you can think of. 

Everything I ate was fresh and handmade on the premises, sometimes just as you order it.

Although it takes more than a mere seven days to explore the infinite eating opportunities, here are the top ten things and a few places you must try in Taiwan:

1. Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

A given yes, but make sure to ask for beef too when you order it. If you just ask for Taiwanese beef noodle soup you will get just that, noodles and broth. An amazing, flavourful broth yes, but the tender chunks of beef just make it so much better. Great at most places I tried, so you can’t really go wrong. If you’re unsure, just look for the place with the lineups.

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

2. Taiwanese Shaved Ice

One of my favourite desserts in the world. Taiwanese shaved ice is served with the freshest toppings at any shaved ice restaurant or stand. There are an infinite number of combinations from fruit, to chocolate or pudding to more traditional toppings such as taro, red/green beans, grass jelly and of course the most popular, mango. I tried King Mango’s red bean, taro and condensed milk flavour.

You can also get the shaved ice mixed into the topping for something like an icy ice cream. I tried the taro flavour—amazing.

Red bean taro shaved ice