Dishes
Tainan savoury congee
鹹粥
Also called: 虱目魚粥 (milkfish congee) · 虱目魚肚粥 (milkfish belly congee) · milkfish porridge
A soupy rice breakfast with milkfish, oysters and fried garlic in a clear fish broth.
What it is
Tainan congee is closer to rice in soup than to thick porridge. A clear stock, often made from milkfish bones, holds rice, milkfish fillet or belly, small oysters, Chinese celery and fried garlic, finished with pepper and spring onion.
Where it comes from
Milkfish congee is a Tainan breakfast dish. The city tourism site says A Han (阿憨鹹粥), founded in 1946 by a man of Quanzhou descent, describes its method as Quanzhou-style 'half congee'.
How it is made
Rice is cooked firm first, then simmered in the broth so it soaks up flavour while the grains keep their bite. Because milkfish has many fine bones, southern Taiwan shops often have the fish deboned before cooking.
How to eat it
Go in the morning. Queues form early at well-known shops, and many close by early afternoon. On the side, add fish skin or a milkfish belly with braised pork sauce.
In Tainan
Toppings vary by shop: A Hsing, open since 1965, adds fish skin and baby oysters, and A Han insists on saltwater-farmed milkfish to avoid a muddy taste.
Where to eat it in Tainan
阿星鹹粥A Hsing Congee
Tainan-style savoury congee with milkfish, fish skin and baby oysters, served since 1965.
大勇街無名鹹粥Dayong Street No Name Congee
Brothy Tainan-style congee with milkfish, oysters and fried garlic, plus milkfish skin dishes.
謝掌櫃Xie Shopkeeper
Anping seafood spot best known for a loaded milkfish-and-seafood congee and salt-steamed fish.
阿憨鹹粥A Han Congee
Shop founded in 1946 serving milkfish and oyster congee with the rice cooked firm before simmering in broth.
永通虱目魚粥Yung Tung Milkfish
A small shop in Xuejia, a major milkfish farming town. The congee is made on a rich fish stock, and the braised milkfish head is a local favourite.
王氏魚皮Wang Shih Fish Skin Dishes
An early-opening Anping shop run by a former milkfish farmer. It is best known for milkfish skin with a thin layer of flesh, served in soup or over braised pork rice.
Sources