Journeys in photographs and words.

Places we stopped along the way

Hualien, Taiwan

Hualien Xiang Wontons (花蓮香扁食)

From: Hualien: the sea and delicious everyday life

Plump wontons floating in the soup
Plump wontons floating in the soup

A shop of the wonton chain that began in Hualien in 1997. Thin-skinned wontons packed with filling come in a light broth fragrant with celery. Warming pans by the counter held side dishes such as braised tofu.

Sources: businesstoday.com.tw marieclaire.com.tw

This moment in the journey

Bianshi, the wontons of Hualien

Hualien's specialty, I was told, is bianshi (扁食), and wonton shops line the streets. The long-established favorites were tempting, but I wandered into a shop I happened to pass, under a sign reading 花蓮香. In the kitchen, wontons were boiling in a steaming pot.

These are what we in Japan know as wonton. The bowl arrived with plump dumplings floating in the soup: thin skins packed tight with juicy filling, and a gentle, light broth with a hint of celery that soaked right through me.

Beside the counter, warming pans held side dishes such as braised tofu. Warm and delicious, it soothed me to the core.

Watch this scene on YouTube3:47

Read this scene in the full journey

The sign reading 花蓮香 扁食炒手
The sign reading 花蓮香 扁食炒手
Heading to the wonton shop on a leafy street
Heading to the wonton shop on a leafy street
The kitchen counter with a photo menu above
The kitchen counter with a photo menu above
The counter lined with condiment bottles, the cook at work
The counter lined with condiment bottles, the cook at work
A white bowl on the counter
A white bowl on the counter
Boiling wontons in the pot
Boiling wontons in the pot
Wonton soup with greens and spring onion
Wonton soup with greens and spring onion
Scooping a wonton with a spoon
Scooping a wonton with a spoon