Local-recommended Luodong Night Market delicacies – Thai-style spicy numb chicken is thick, tender and super filling

Text/Photo /MIKA

Luodong Tourist Night Market is definitely not unfamiliar to me, weekends here are absolutely packed with people without fail. So later on I started going on weekdays whenever possible, but I found that if it rains on a weekday, the crowd really thins out a lot, yet the vendors still operate as usual. So going to Luodong Night Market on a rainy day, aside from the slight annoyance of having to deal with an umbrella in the drizzle, it’s actually not a bad choice for visiting the night market — no need to queue at all, no one’s pushing past you either XD, super relaxing indeed. Today I followed a local from Luodong around, she took us to eat the snacks she loves most — none of them are the ones tourists usually know about. Turns out locals and tourists really have totally different tastes~

Nope Nope Nope, it's pretty rare to see an actual road at Luodong Night Market. So if you’re in Luodong and it rains, don’t worry, the night market stays open, and there’s no one crowding you, making it super nice to stroll around.

Coconut Grove Thai Spicy Numb Chicken
The first stall is my Luodong friend’s favorite — it just opened not long ago... She likes it because the chicken is freshly fried on the spot, never reheated, and the Thai spicy numb sauce is made fresh with lemon juice and chili, emphasizing natural ingredients. The chicken thigh pieces are also huge, insisting on using boneless thighs weighing 11 taels, freshly prepared and fried — the portion is super generous, and with natural ingredients, it makes you feel very reassured eating it.

Because this one is tucked in a corner alley right at a street intersection, it’s actually quite easy to overlook. It’s kind of a shame for such a conscientious shop that sticks to natural ingredients.

Freshly prepared and fried — we ordered one portion, and only then did we see the boss slowly and steadily take thick chicken thigh meat, coat it in flour and deep-fry it.

Insisting on using 11-tael boneless chicken thighs ensures the portions are thick and hearty enough.

Raw chicken coated in flour and directly deep-fried. Actually this way has slightly fewer calories — some places do a second fry which doubles the calorie count.

Frying for eight minutes is the golden time for the best taste. The fried chicken thigh comes out with a shiny golden crust, the crispiness is just right, and it successfully locks in the juicy and tender meat. When slicing, the chicken is so crispy I could even hear the crunch.

At the bottom are fresh onions, truly juicy and crispy onions. They go super well with the Thai spicy numb chicken. The combo is perfect.

The golden, crispy chicken thigh pieces are sliced and placed on top of fresh onions.

Then some cilantro is sprinkled on to make it look more appealing and add fragrance.

If you plan to eat it later, it’s recommended to get the takeout version with Thai spicy numb sauce on the side, to pour on when you’re ready to eat.

Like us, who ate it right away, we just poured it directly on the fried chicken thigh. Their Thai spicy numb sauce really tastes like it’s made from freshly squeezed lemon juice and chili, etc., blended themselves. That natural citrus sourness is unmistakable.

This portion is 80 NT dollars, very hearty and rich — after finishing this box, you’ll probably be full.

Because it’s raw chicken thigh meat coated and fried directly, and insists on frying for eight minutes, with a set temperature and SOP, ensuring the quality of every piece is top-notch. The fried color comes out with a perfect golden hue, and it’s crispy outside, juicy and tender inside. Even though you really have to wait about ten minutes, I think it’s totally worth it. The texture is really delicious, and the refreshing and non-greasy Thai spicy numb sauce paired with the crispy outside and juicy tender inside of the chicken thigh, plus the onions in the mix — it’s seriously so good, we couldn’t stop and ended up ordering another box.

My friend said she also loves their fried king oyster mushrooms — honestly, fried king oyster mushrooms are a safe bet, they’re really hard to mess up.

There are five flavors to choose from.

The batter is a bit special, seems to have some Chinese herbal seasoning? The batter tastes milder, a bit sweet and fragrant — not bad at all.

If you’re thirsty, next to the king oyster mushrooms there’s a place selling grass jelly with lemon.

This one is also a chain — I’m quite used to drinking their grass jelly, it’s pretty good.

Finally, let’s go try some Taiwanese satay — an old-school stir-fried snack.

This one is quite famous in Yilan, but it was actually my first time trying it.

It’s an old-school shop, offering hot pot, stir-fries, etc. — they emphasize homemade satay sauce dishes.

Business is really booming, luckily there’s a second floor to sit on.

We were already about 80% full, so we just ordered a simple satay pork stir-fried noodles and stir-fried fern.

Satay Pork Stir-Fried Noodles
Actually, their homemade traditional satay sauce is really fragrant and appealing, and the noodles are very chewy. The stir-fried noodles are also full of flavor too—but just a bit too greasy. Other than that, it’s all great..

Stir-fried fern tips
I love fern tips ah!! They’re tender and crispy—definitely one of my favorite vegetables. Stir-fried with fermented black bean and dried small fish, it’s even more aromatic and delicious!!

This time I followed friends to try local snacks recommended by residents, and wow—it’s definitely not how we regular tourists usually think, haha!!
But the coconut grove Thai-style spicy numb chicken I had this time was really super delicious!! Highly recommended??

Yilan Luodong Night Market
Address: Around Luodong Zhongshan Park (Minsheng Road, Minquan Road)
 

"Traveling is to return to where you came from more profoundly."
MIKA's Travel & Food Journal