Qiaotou Bawan

From humble beginnings as a street stall to a historic eatery in Hualien, Qiaotou Bawan has been around for more than thirty years and its popularity still continues to grow with an ever increasing legion of dedicated patrons.

Bawan are a type of dumplings, but unlike the bite-size jiaozi, they are rounder and flatter with a 6-8cm diameter. The rice flour based dough on the outside is translucent, through which can be seen in the mixture of pork, shiitake mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Here at Qiaotou, the pink-skinned bawan (mixed with red yeast rice) are submerged in a pink sauce and has a slightly sticky texture that you need to chew carefully. Each bawan costs you only TWD25 and is a great value for money. Items on the menu also include braised pork rice and four divinity soup. The tender and juicy pork melts in your mouth as you bite in, and the gravy literally smothers the rice with flavor. Four divinity soup is a common dish in Taiwan, simmered with four different kinds of Chinese herbs such as barley and loaded with a generous serving of pork intestines.

The humble street stall now has two locations in the city of Hualien, whose success lies in the authentic tastes that have never changed over the past thirty years.