Authentic Tainan sweet-and-sour flavor – generous portions of thick, hearty eel snacks

Text & photos byOrange Dog Loves Candy

This should be my eleventh record of conquering eel pasta in Tainan, but it remains the musings of an amateur food critic. Think back to when I first tried the authentic stir-fried eel at Dongmencheng – I didn’t dare eat eel at all. Just like how my friends react every time I recommend it: “Eel is so dark and long, the shape looks terrifying.” To put it simply, it’s because it looks too much like a snake, and traditional shops often display freshly slaughtered eel meat, bloody and gory, on bamboo baskets. That vivid, raw sight used to terrify me back in my younger days. It wasn’t until two years ago that I finally gave it a try. So I totally get where they’re coming from. But I always thought it was just because Tainan-style stir-fried eel hadn’t had the chance to meet your taste buds yet. Little did I know, I’d end up loving this flavor even more than beef soup. Once I tried it, I couldn’t stop – there are still several spots on my list waiting to be explored. This time, I took advantage of a weekday to visit the Yongle Market area and finally try the 【Huang Ji Eel Pasta】 I’d been curious about.

This 【Huang Ji Eel Pasta】 doesn’t have an obvious signboard, so I’m not sure why everyone calls it Huang Ji. Maybe the owner’s last name is Huang? Many Taiwanese snack shops have such simple names – a surname that people got used to eventually became the shop name. But actually, it’s been operating in Shuixian Temple Market for forty years. I’m not sure if it’s always been at this exact location, but for a snack stall to survive here for over thirty years is pretty common – you’ll find plenty of them along Guohua Street.

After all, this area has been one of the busiest and most bustling parts of Tainan since the Qing Dynasty, through the Japanese colonial era, and into modern times. What makes Huang Ji even more special is its location at the corner of Guohua Street and Minquan Road, sharing a space with the neighboring Shuixian Temple Rice Cake. On weekends, if we don’t count the long line for Jin De Spring Rolls at the intersection, this corner has the most outrageous queue. Don’t be fooled by the empty storefront in my photo – on weekends, you can’t even see inside, it’s completely packed with people. It’s probably because both the rice cake and stir-fried eel are very famous, which is why the whole shop is jam-packed.

Even on weekdays, there might be seats available, but it’s not completely deserted – regular customers still keep coming. After eating so many eel pastas in Tainan, while finding delicious eel pasta is important, it’s even harder to find “a good bowl of eel soup.” Not every shop serves it. I’ve tried the old-school Liao Ji Stir-Fried Eel in Shakali and Ah Yuan Stir-Fried Eel on Chenggong Road – both have their unique flavors, though they come from the same school. But when it comes to the flavor of this shop’s eel pasta, its eel soup even more intensely showcases its signature delicious taste. So even when I’m alone, I usually go for the basic combo: dry stir-fried eel and a bowl of eel soup. (Though normally people eat eel with rice cake here, but since I’m alone today, I won’t go overboard.)

【Dry Stir-Fried Eel Pasta / 90 NTD】
The soup-based eel pasta is actually cheaper, but I’m not a fan of its overly thick, sweet-and-sour starchiness. With dry stir-frying, you can always taste the crispier eel slices and the chewier egg pasta, so the higher price is worth it. Though at this price point, the cheapest I’ve had so far is probably Eye Glass Eel Stir-Fry in the South District public housing area.

In the plate, you can see plenty of onions, cabbage, and eel slices – it’s quite a generous portion, making your appetite soar. The flavor is very authentic Tainan-style, with a strong sweet-and-sour taste. The vinegar is used quite heavily, as I can see the onions are drenched in the sour black vinegar sauce.

But it lacks the aromatic wok hei (breath of the wok) from stir-frying. It feels like something’s missing. The eel slices are thick and generous, but they’re a bit soft – the texture is more like regular fish, without the crispy bounce I was hoping for. The noodles are springy and chewy, and the portion size is decent.

【Eel Soup / 110 NTD】
This soup is expensive, but honestly, it’s a bit much for one person to finish – I’d recommend sharing it with someone. The soup is also packed with ingredients, though the dark brown broth makes it hard to see what’s inside.

But take a sip of the piping hot soup – like the eel pasta, it has that rich sweet-and-sour flavor. The eel slices are just as big and substantial, but they’re also a bit soft from the stir-frying, which might be their signature style.

With crunchy cabbage and lots of onions, the combination of sweetness and black vinegar’s sharp sourness is honestly a bit monotonous for me. Compared to Ah Yuan’s fresh, spicy kick and Liao Ji’s sweet, mellow richness, Huang Ji’s eel soup doesn’t leave much of an impression.

Honestly, I didn’t have high expectations before coming here – I was just curious about why there was such a long queue. After eating, it’s true that it didn’t quite match my preferred eel noodle flavor. But would I say it’s just a touristy spot? I don’t think so. Because I happened to share a table with an uncle who was also eating here, and we chatted a bit. He said he’s been eating here for years. I think that’s just how Tainan snacks are – everyone has their own preferences. There’s a vibrant diversity, but everyone has their own must-eat list, because the ones they love carry memories. A shop that’s been around for forty years naturally has its loyal supporters, but if you’ve only tried one eel dish in Tainan, then I think there’s still a lot more to explore in the real Tainan flavor. If you’re interested, come give it a try. And if you’re trying eel for the first time, I think Huang Ji is a great introductory spot to get a taste of Tainan.

◎ Shop Info: [Huang Ji Eel Pasta, Minquan Road, Yongle Market │ Central & West District]
◎ Address: No. 44 & 46, Section 3, Minquan Road, Central & West District, Tainan City (Intersection with Guohua Street)
◎ Phone: 06-2202407
◎ Business Hours: 4:00 PM – 1:00 AM
◎ Tip: Recommended to visit on weekdays; weekend queues are very long

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