Taiwanese street food: soup and noodles

Noodles have a history of 4000 years in Asia and come in a wide variety of types. They are distinct from Italian pasta and can be made from ingredients such as rice, yam, mung beans, or wheat flour. Noodles have different textures and flavors and are used in numerous dishes.

1. Beef noodles (牛肉麵)

Beef noodle soup is a popular dish made with stewed or red-braised beef, beef broth, and vegetables. It originated from the Hui people during the Tang Dynasty and is considered a national dish of Taiwan. The beef broth is typically cooked with brisket or shank, and there are variations such as braised beef noodle soup and clear beef noodle soup.

2. Duck noodles

Duck noodles feature duck meat cooked with various Chinese herbs such as jujube, goji berries, ginseng, angelica, and red dates. The soup also includes ginger and rice wine. The herbs are cooked first, then filtered, and the duck and organs are added and cooked with rice wine and ginger. This soup is often consumed in winter for its warming properties.

3. Oyster vermicelli  

Oyster vermicelli is a dish that includes oysters and other ingredients such as pork, intestines, or a mixture of various ingredients. It is served with Chinese vermicelli noodles (misua), which originated in Fujian, China. The noodles are made from wheat flour and salt and are steamed, giving them a unique texture and color.

4. Milkfish soup (虱目魚湯)

Milkfish soup is a traditional dish from Tainan that features a whole fish and sliced ginger cooked in a soup.

5. Sesame oil chicken soup

Sesame oil chicken soup is made with chicken broth, red dates, angelica, ginger, rice wine, and sesame oil.

6. Pork feet peanut soup (豬腳花生湯)

Pork feet peanut soup is a soup made with rice wine, jujube, ginger, and peanuts. The pork feet are cooked with seasonings for several hours.

7. Golden Needle Flowers Soup  

8. Squid soup 

9. Dry noodles 

Dry noodles refer to noodles served without soup, which is unique to Asian-style noodles. They are typically seasoned with soy sauce, sesame paste, and garlic chives.

10. Hakka fried noodles 

Hakka fried noodles are pan-fried noodles with sliced ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and vegetables such as carrots and cabbage.

11. Hakka flat rice noodle soup

Hakka flat rice noodle soup consists of rice noodles made from rice flour and water. The noodles are served in a light-flavored soup with fried chopped onions, minced meat, and sprouts.