Yang Zhou Ba-wan and Taro Balls

Review

Yang Zhou Ba-wan and Taro Balls sits at the Daming Road corner of Lukang's First Market, its stall set slightly back from the street. It has been running for over sixty years and is now in the hands of the third generation. The menu has only about four items, the queue starts as soon as it opens at dawn, and at mealtimes the line often spills onto the road. Several food articles call it the First Market's queue-worthy favorite, and tables turn over quickly.

Locals usually order one ba-wan and a bowl of taro ball soup. The ba-wan is cooked by poaching in oil, similar to Changhua style, with a thick, translucent skin that is chewy without falling apart, a plump pork filling and dried bamboo shoots for crunch. It is topped with a house rice-milk sauce that is slightly sweet with a little heat and garlic, and the young owner snips it open with scissors before serving so steam rushes out. The taro balls are large, their shells pressed firm and chewy with a clear taro aroma, wrapping big chunks of pork; the soup is generous with a light ginger note.

Praise centers on the chewy ba-wan skin, the solid filling and the big, dense taro balls, and some diners suggest eating a taro ball dry with sweet chili sauce. The drawbacks are long queues that grow toward noon and having to find your own seat. The taro balls are rustic, described as simple but solid, so those after fancy flavors may find them ordinary. A taro ball costs NT$30 each, dry or in soup; articles do not give the ba-wan price, so check on site.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., closed on Mondays. Both dine-in and takeaway customers queue, and articles suggest arriving before 10 a.m. for shorter waits. Seats are few, so find your own spot and give it up promptly after eating. Nearby First Market stalls selling powdered jelly ice, savory rice pudding and duck glass noodles make an easy brunch route.

It suits early risers exploring the market who want both Changhua-style ba-wan and Lukang taro balls in one stop. The standard order is one ba-wan with a bowl of taro ball soup; if you love chewy textures, add a dry taro ball with sweet chili sauce and share it between two.