Continuing on from our last blog post about our day trip to Tamsui, we are going to explore one of Taipei’s most famous night markets: Shilin Night Market. Follow us as we try some strange foods you won’t find in the US, or at least, not yet..

1. Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐
2. Blowtorch Beef/Steak 火阎王牛肉
3. Fried Ice Cream 炸冰淇淋
4. Sweet Potato Balls 快乐QQ球
5. Fresh Milk Green Bean Drink 鲜奶绿豆沙
6. Lemon Aiyu Jelly Drink 爱玉加柠檬
7. Hot Dog 大肠包小肠

Stinky Tofu

First off, we are going to try the notorious tofu with the obnoxious smell. Boy was I excited. However, the smell did not live up to expectation– it wasn’t stinky (although my mom beg to differ)! The tofu is fried in a bit of oil so the outside is crispy while the inside is still moist and soft.

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Blowtorch Beef

There were many stands for blowtorch beef, but they were not part of a chain- it was a different vendor. My dad loved this dish. He felt that out of everything at the night market, this was the most flavorful. He went back for seconds at a different vendor but did not like it as much as the first vendor. He described it as a difference in the skill of the blowtorch but honestly it could have just been the quality of the beef.

Fried Ice Cream

As per Acer’s recommendation, I decided to try something I would not usually get: fried ice cream. How weird is that??? I never liked my ice cream inside of something else. For example, I do not like the Drumstick ice cream because the vanilla ice cream is inside the chocolate. BUT– I decided that since I was in Taiwan, I would give this a try.

The ice cream owner/maker was very energetic. He takes the ice cream of your choice of flavor out of the freezer and places it into a tub of hot oil to fry the outside.

He says that typically you would think the outside would be very oily or it would melt the ice cream due to the high heat, however he only places it in the heat for a couple of seconds, then before you eat it he counts to 3 and tells you to take a bite!

Sweet Potato Balls

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To be honest, I was expecting potato balls to have more substance in the inside. However, this is essentially a thin layer of potato, similar to a egg waffle (hollow in the inside). However, you can choose your choice of powder to add a bit of flavor which I think makes the experience better.

Fresh Milk Green Bean Drink

After all that eating, we were getting thirsty. My mom got the “top 1” drink and my dad got the fresh milk red bean drink. According to my parents, it was too sweet but they did not skimp out on the beans and you know Asians are all about the bang for the buck.

Lemon Aiyu Jelly Drink

Sadly, I realized that I did not have pictures of this drink even though I got it twice the same night. I tried the same drink in the US but I haven’t found one quite the same. If I must recommend one item, this is a must try!

Hot Dog

AAANNNDD, you guessed it. I don’t have a picture of this either. Well that makes this part of the post easy (HAHA, I’m jk). Instead of a bun, this hot dog is wrapped in sticky rice. There is also an assortment of toppings available. Since I don’t have pictures, you’re just going to have to believe me and go find it yourself at the Shilin Night Market.