yung ho tou chiang: taiwanese breakfast

yung ho tou chiang: taiwanese breakfast
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

the breakfast here makes me nostalgic. i'm not taiwanese, but there are some overlaps in food influences that remind me of things i ate growing up. even if you are not asian, the whole egg & starch combinations with simple flavors epitomize what comfort food is, and for breakfast, that's what really hits the spot to start your day out well.

here are some of the things i tried:
sweet soy milk: served in a bowl, comes not too sweet so you can add sugar to taste. this is how soy milk should be (i think). none of those added flavorings or sweeteners, but pure soy milk IS good. i have to say i'm not a huge fan of the soy milks in health food stores as they don't quite taste right--usually chalkie and too sweet!

salted bean flower: a little on the salty side. cut up bits of fried crullers, tofu and green onions.

sticky rice roll (salty or sweet): the sweet one has sugar rolled inside. the salty one has dried bits of sweet pork. most people liked the salty better, but i would get both.

hubei doupi: sticky rice with little bits of ground pork and pancake on top; very subtle. the pancake reminds me more of a potato cake.

fried onion pancake & egg: it looks like two fried tortillas with a layer of egg in between. the green onions are tasty, and the combination is good.

pork & mushroom bao: not the best bao, but fine.

veggie bao: little bits of greens in this one

crullers: airy, long, cylidrical fried thing. you can't go wrong with something fried.

steamed taro bread: dense bread, reminded me of potato bread, with a little bit of nuttiness. i don't think i would order it again as i wouldn't be able to eat anything else as it's so filling.

turnip cake & egg: buttery, good combination with nice flavors in the turnip cake. one of the favorites.

pan fried shrimp & pork dumplings: surprisingly a lot of flavor in the filling. so good & fresh.

beef pancake: marinated well-done beef with herbs is wrapped in a cruchy pancake thing encrusted with sesame seeds. tasty.

i couldn't believe how inexpensive it was. we ordered a lot of food and ended up taking half of it home, and it came out to $10/person.