Explore street food at Taipei's night markets

“At my first Night Market, called Ningxia, in the capital, Taipei, it was roaring at full throttle when I sat down at about 10pm for pork dumplings and hot and sour soup. The savory dumplings were served with soy and vey spicy chili sauces, the lip-smacking soup thick with wood ear and shitake mushrooms, tofu and bamboo shoots. I had started out yellow-bellied (pun intended), choosing familiar Chinese foods. Next, I had to try the quintessential Taiwanese street food, oyster omelet. A long line of people was waiting so I queued up. A little like a pancake, a little like an omelet, the fresh oysters popped with juicy flavor in my mouth, blending with crunchy bean sprouts, onions and cilantro. Tapioca starch gave it a gummy, batter-like texture. The sauce on top was a surprising mixture of ketchup, sweet chili sauce, peanut butter, rice vinegar, sour plum powder, corn starch and salt. Fun, tasty and chewy with layers of flavor – seemed like a true taste of Taiwan ‒ it was my favorite dish at these nightly culinary festivals.”

“We had so much fun learning about the Ningxia Night Market, about Taiwan’s culture and history, and about our guide and her family. Tung-wei was so much fun—it was an evening full of laughs and lots of fantastic food. It felt like we were wandering around the market with a local friend. She even drew us an adorable map to a hot spring complete with a list of some of her favorite things to do in Taiwan. And now, on to the FOOD! Our first stop at the market was Formosa Chang for their famous and award winning Lu Rou Fan, aka braised pork rice. This small shop is located in a store along the street of the market. Because it is in an actual building, it doesn’t have to be taken down every day like the food carts in the middle of the street. We each received a small cup of soup and a small bowl of braised pork rice. Both were tasty, but the braised pork rice was extra delicious and melt-in-your-mouth tender.”