Taiwanese street food: popular desserts

1. Ice cream and peanut roll (花生捲冰淇淋)

This unusual ice cream is made by wrapping ice cream in popiah with shaved peanut brittle and coriander. Popiah is a soft, thin crepe or pancake made of wheat flour. Brittle is made by mixing nuts with caramelized sugar. This dessert originated from Yilan but has become popular all around Taiwan.

2. Mochi (麻糬)

This dessert originated from an aboriginal recipe in Taiwan but is well-known in many Asian countries and comes in different styles. It's made of sweet rice flour with water and cooked until it forms a sticky white mass. Mochi can be filled with peanut, sesame, beans, or simply covered with peanut powder. You can find them served cold or boiled, both of which are delicious.

In early Taiwanese society, this dessert was known as doushu, but under Japanese influence, it became better known as mochi. In Taiwan, there are three different kinds of mochi: the Han, Hakka, and aboriginal versions. The aboriginal version uses millet instead of glutinous rice and is called Dulun.

In the past, mochi was served during ceremonies and festivals without any added flavor. In Hakka culture, women prepare mochi for wedding parties as a symbol of the union and stickiness of the couple.

3. Tofu pudding (豆花, dou hua)

Tofu pudding is made with very soft tofu and originated in ancient China. Douhua is served with sweet toppings like peanuts, beans, tapioca balls, and syrup. It can be served with crushed ice in the summer or warm during winter.

4. Glutinous rice dumplings (湯圓, tangyuan)

Tangyuan is a dessert made of glutinous rice flour mixed with a small amount of water. There are two versions of this food: small unfilled dumplings and larger ones filled with sesame, peanut, or red bean paste. They are usually cooked in a sweet syrup and were traditionally eaten during festivals.

5. Egg tarts (蛋撻, Dàntà)

Egg tarts are a kind of custard tart found in various countries. The pastry crust is filled with egg custard and baked. This dessert originated from China in 1920 and was first introduced to Hong Kong in 1940. Egg tarts can have two main types of crust: shortcrust pastry and puff pastry. Sometimes, black sugar jelly is added inside the egg tarts.

6. Shaved ice and snowlake shaved ice  

Shaved ice is made by shaving blocks of ice and topping it with sauces, fruits, beans, nuts, or other ingredients. Shaved ice originated from Taiwan. Snowflake shaved ice is made using condensed milk, chocolate, or fruit-flavored ice blocks and is often decorated with fruits. It has a fluffy texture similar to ice cream.

 7. Jelly (草)

There are different kinds of jelly available, from fruit flavors to herbal options like grass jelly (仙草, xian cao) and aiyu jelly (愛玉). Grass jelly is made with the Chinese mesona plant, a member of the mint family. It can be served chilled or hot with various toppings. Aiyu jelly is made from the seeds of ficus pumila plants. The seeds are dried, soaked in water, and condensed to form jelly.

8. Candied / caramelised sweet potatoes

Candied sweet potatoes are cooked in a sugary syrup with spices for about an hour. Caramelized sweet potatoes are cooked and then simmered in caramel for about 20 minutes. Once dried, the caramel outside becomes crispy.

9. Peanut candy (花生糖, Huāshēng táng)

10. Candied fruits (冰糖葫蘆, Bingtang hulu)

This snack traditionally consists of candied Chinese hawthorn, but nowadays you can find versions with tomatoes, strawberries, and other fruits.

11. Fried dough (油條, Yóutiáo)

Long pieces of deep-fried dough, usually served with soy milk or almond milk.

12. Peanut candies (糖蔥, tang cong)

Sugar and water are boiled and then cooled down to make a paste. The sugar is then pulled, cut into pieces, and coated with peanuts.

13. Fried maltose cookies (麻荖, ma lao)

These cookies are made of glutinous rice and fried to make them larger. After cooling down, they are coated with maltose mixed with sugar and wrapped in sesame, peanuts, or coconut.

14. 花生捲 (hua sheng tang)

Made of peanut sugar and maltose.

15. Black sesame candie (黑芝麻, hei zhi ma)

Made of sesame and maltose.