Journeys in photographs and words.

Places we stopped along the way

Hualien, Taiwan

Bomb Scallion Pancake, the yellow truck on Fuxing Street

From: Hualien: the sea and delicious everyday life

The 炸彈蔥油餅 sign against the blue sky
The 炸彈蔥油餅 sign against the blue sky

A scallion-pancake stand built around a yellow light truck. The egg-filled dough is fried in a wide pan of oil, brushed with sweet-and-spicy sauce and handed over in paper. A related stand in a blue truck, run by relatives, is on the same street.

No. 102, Fuxing St., Hualien City, Hualien County, Taiwan

Sources: wantgoo.com travel.yam.com

This moment in the journey

Egg-filled scallion pancake from a yellow truck

Out in town, a long line had formed at a stall built around a yellow light truck, and it caught my eye. In a wide pan of oil, the dough puffed up almost at once. Apparently it is a fried scallion pancake with an egg inside.

Fresh from the oil, it was brushed with sauce and wrapped in paper. The crisp, chewy dough gave way to a soft, runny egg, and the garlicky sweet-and-spicy sauce suited it perfectly. Irresistible.

Above the stall, a sign reading 炸彈蔥油餅 (bomb scallion pancake) jutted into the blue sky. I had come because I had heard this was the one thing you must eat in Hualien, and it was truly superb.

Watch this scene on YouTube2:10

Read this scene in the full journey

Dough frying in a wide pan of oil
Dough frying in a wide pan of oil
Lifting the fried pancakes into a strainer
Lifting the fried pancakes into a strainer
A freshly fried pancake held in tongs
A freshly fried pancake held in tongs
The counter beside the yellow truck
The counter beside the yellow truck
Brushing sauce onto the fried pancake
Brushing sauce onto the fried pancake
Picking up a pancake with tongs
Picking up a pancake with tongs
The egg scallion pancake, wrapped in paper, in hand
The egg scallion pancake, wrapped in paper, in hand
A close-up of the folded fried pancake
A close-up of the folded fried pancake