A Grand Tour of Tainan’s East Vegetable Market: Classic Braised Snacks and Traditional Rice Dishes

Text and Photos bySan Gao Eats Han

I rode my bike in the morning to do some shopping at East Vegetable Market on Qingnian Road. Both East Vegetable Market and Ximen Market (the Big Market) were established during the Japanese colonial period, but East Vegetable Market has an even longer history, having been around for over a century. Despite the hot weather that morning, the market was bustling with activity. As always around markets, there’s no shortage of food options—nearby, for example, is Qingqi Vegetarian Breakfast, which had plenty of customers and a thriving business.

Right at the entrance of the market, there were several small stalls, perhaps unnamed but clearly steeped in history. Inside the market, it goes without saying—the vibrant scene is undoubtedly supported by loyal regulars. Walking into the market, my first stop was A-Jia’s Sausage and Cooked Meats. As someone who loves mixed meat slices, I definitely had to get some to take home.

There were handmade fish balls, three-color eggs, wiggly glutinous rice sausages, layered pork sausages, as well as octopus and shark fish roe and grilled eel—all not a huge variety but everything I wanted to try. I picked four items to make up a box (150 TWD), a kind of Tainan-style refined snack.

Winding my way around… next up was to buy some oil rice. The famous stall here is Meifeng Oil Rice. The classic Taiwanese flavors at the stall were almost heartbreaking because I couldn’t try everything...

In addition to oil rice, there were also turnip cakes, fried dough sticks, fried tofu, spring rolls… My stomach was already growling, but I just got a small box of oil rice and two taro balls. Then I headed to the stall across from A-Fen Yi to get a cup of black tea with milk and kill two beverage birds with one stone—apparently these two stalls are run by a mother-daughter duo.

I was afraid I wouldn’t have an appetite for lunch, so I didn’t eat too much breakfast, and instead just got some smoked braised snacks. (Uh...)

Liu Ji Smoked Braised Snacks has a sign saying it was established in 1972—ten years older than me. It’s rare to hear of smoked braised snacks being sold continuously for so long.

The selection is pretty standard: chicken and duck together, plus the offal that I love. Just looking at them, you can tell the quality is good, and they give off a fragrant aroma.

While waiting for the owner to pack my box, I took out my black tea with milk to drink. This one tastes different from the usual versions—it’s made with powdered milk—but it doesn’t taste bad at all. It’s slightly sweeter, which is quite unique, hehe.

After finishing my shopping, I was ready to head back and enjoy breakfast. There were still many stalls I wanted to try, but it’s impossible to cover them all in one go~

First, I started with the sausage and cooked meats to whet my appetite, served with sweet soy sauce and mustard. The sliced cooked octopus was tender and flavorful, and the woman I was with said it was delicious right away. I personally loved the fish balls and pork sausages. The fish balls from A-Jia’s had a slightly jelly-like texture but were firm when bitten into, while the pork sausages also had a satisfying meaty feel. Both had just the right level of sweetness and tasted great. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any “rolled ones” (juan zi) that day—I really wanted to try those~

Then I had the oil rice to go with it. Even the smallest box was a delight to eat. Some parts of the glutinous rice weren’t fully mixed, showing slight white patches here and there, but it didn’t affect the taste much. The texture was moderately soft and chewy, and the key was that the seasonings were fragrant and flavorful—the lean pork, large pieces of mushrooms, dried shrimp, and squid were all high quality, making it simply delicious.

The taro balls were chewy, soft, and had a bit of a crunch, filled with fragrant scallion-infused pork mince. These were also very tasty.

Liu Ji Smoked Braised Snacks truly lived up to its reputation as a long-established stall. The quality of the meat was great, and even after the smoking process, the meats retained their juiciness. The smoky flavor was rich but not overpowering.

The duck tongue was surprisingly good—it retained its crispness without being dried out, and the native chicken leg was also quite tender. This breakfast was extremely satisfying (a bit too full…). Traditional markets often have lots of delicious things to try—going there is definitely a good idea~

A-Jia’s Sausage and Cooked Meats / Meifeng Oil Rice / A-Fen Yi Black Tea with Milk / Liu Ji Smoked Braised Snacks
Address: No. 28, Lane 164, Qingnian Road, West Central District, Tainan City (inside East Vegetable Market)
Business Hours: 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM (Closed on the 17th day of the Lunar Month)

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