Taipei Travel

The Ideal Taiwanese Breakfast:

Authentic Salty Congee

Article｜ Jiao Tong

Photos｜ Chic-Jen Yan

▲Ye Ji’s pork congee looks simple but tastes great. (Photo: Chic-Jen Yan)
 

As in most salty congee eateries in Taipei, Ye Ji’s (葉記) pork congee is not really congee, but more like rice soup. It is well-flavored using only basic ingredients, with no traces of the often seen chopped green onions or coriander. The soup is light brown, indicating that they’ve added soy sauce. Besides rice, the dish contains only shredded radish, rougeng (肉羹), or specially-processed pork meat, finely-chopped celery and small dried shrimp. This bowl of congee is cheap in price but not in quality, and you’ll find three pieces of the delicious pork meat in it. The cooking brings out and combines the flavor of all the ingredients – the pork bones and radish that make the stock, the added mushrooms and fried shallots; have a sip and it’ll surely warm your body and your heart. When I come for a bowl of congee, I quite often also order some fried red-yeast pork (紅糟肉), oysters, shrimp, tofu, or red-yeast eel. The fried pork liver doesn’t look inviting but is actually very tender. Fried red-yeast pork tastes great with pickled radish slices.

Taiwanese Salty Congee: Where North Meets South

The congees from northern and southern Taiwan are quite different. Usually in the north, it's a soup based on pork bone stock; in the south, the base ingredient is fish bones. Northern congee shops sell not only pork congee but fried red-yeast pork, shrimp, oysters and tofu as well. Southern congee emporia sell fish congee and offer customers a youtiao (油條), or deep-fried dough, to go with it. Oysters often make an appearance in both parts of the country.

Founded 60 years ago, Old Bangka Salty Congee (老艋舺鹹粥店) in Wanhua (萬華) doesn’t use soy sauce and thus has a white refreshing look. With a couple of fried red-yeast pork pieces floating on top, and fried shallots, tofu skin, Chinese cabbage, chopped green onions, and sometimes shredded bamboo shoots mixed in, this is one mouthwatering bowl of congee! Their oysters are fresh, pork skin, and fried tofu, red-yeast pork and oysters are all yummy. The fried red-yeast pork has a brighter red in color, and has a more tender texture different from Ye Ji or Zhou Ji’s crunchy flavor. When you order this dish, the staff will thoughtfully ask, “Do you prefer the fatter or the leaner part?”

Zhou Ji Pork Congee (周記肉粥店) on Guangzhou Street (廣州街) is more than 50 years old. Its salty congee is served in a small bowl, with one piece of pork meat, fried shallots, small dried shrimp and chopped fried tofu. This is surely the most popular eatery of the three, owing to the number of items on its menu. Dishes such as blanched squid, pork liver and pork cheeks are offered here; but, except for the fried red-yeast pork, I must confess that the congee at Zhou Ji is not quite up to Ye Ji’s or Old Bangka’s level.

For my money, salty congee is the ideal breakfast, and also a wonderful Taiwanese invention. It really should be promoted and marketed globally. In addition to the places I've just mentioned, Salty Congee Eatery (鹹粥) at the southeast corner of Section 4, Yienping North Road (延平北路4段) and Jiuquan Street (酒泉街) is also worth trying. Enjoy!

Ye Ji Pork Congee 葉記肉粥

Across 32, Ln. 47, Bao’an St., Datung Dist. (大同區保安街47巷32號對面)

0916-836-699

Old Bangka Salty Congee 老艋舺鹹粥店

117, Xichang St., Wanhua Dist.

(萬華區西昌街117號 )

(02)2361-2257

Zhou Ji Pork Congee 周記肉粥店

104, Guangzhou St., Wanhua Dist.

(萬華區廣州街104號)

(02)2302-5588

This article is from the Chinese-language book Savoring the Tastes of Old Taipei (味道臺北舊城區), published by the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government. Based on over 10 years of in-depth culinary research, writer Jiao Tong (焦桐) spent almost half a year walking the Bangka, Dadaocheng , and Dalongtong areas, trying the food and drink at countless shops, finally deciding on the best 167 for presentation, taking armchair travelers on an exploration of Taipei’s old-time flavors.

Savoring the Tastes of Old Taipei

written by Jiao Tong / NT$250 / Chinese version is available at major bookstores around Taiwan

▲Old Bangka Salty Congee’s wares have a light, savory taste enhanced by various ingredients. (Photo: Chic-Jen Yan)