Egg-flavored? Egg Dog? Only in Kinmen can you try this hidden gem of a dish

Text and photos byOrange Dog Loves Candy

Although Kinmen is only about a one-hour flight from Taiwan, it has its own unique local snacks and cuisine. Aside from the Cantonese-style congee where the rice grains are barely visible after long cooking, I also found many types of noodles that piqued my interest. During the first two days in Kinmen, I kept hearing our local guide telling people that he was going to take us to eat "egg aroma" and "egg dog." The first time I heard these two snack names, I didn’t even know how to write them. Their pronunciation made me think they were some kind of exotic foreign food, but when I asked, he just teased me and refused to explain. It wasn’t until the afternoon of that day, under the blazing sun, that we arrived at Xiaojing Village in Jinhu Township.

Xiaojing Village holds significant military strategic importance in Kinmen and is also the convergence point of several main roads on the island. Back then, the Nationalist Army set up a field theater and a designated tea house here to cater to the recreational needs of the soldiers.

It even once developed into a bustling shopping street. However, in recent years, due to the disbandment of the division headquarters and the implementation of the military streamlining program, the number of soldiers has greatly decreased. The families who once moved in because of the area’s prosperity have gradually left. Now, only residential homes and a few shops remain open.

However, the designated tea house has been turned into a memorial museum, open to the public to learn about this part of history. Our destination today was to find this grocery store called 【Hetian Budget Center】, because that’s where the egg dog and egg aroma are served. But as we parked the car and walked toward the grocery store, we did indeed pass by what used to be a shopping street. Most of the iron doors are now shut, with rust etched onto their surfaces—apart from a sense of desolation, there’s no trace of the former bustle. Nowadays, most guided tours bring visitors here mainly to see the national third-grade historic site, Qiu Lianggong’s Tomb.

【Hetian Budget Center】 is like the old-school convenience stores we used to buy snacks from as kids, except most of those have since been replaced by modern convenience stores. Without a local to guide you, you’d probably never find this hidden little shop—even though there’s already plenty of information online about it.

There’s no comfortable dining space here, and don’t expect fans or air conditioning on a hot day. At best, there’s the shade under a big banyan tree in front of the shop, with tables and chairs set up. You can enjoy your meal with the sounds of summer cicadas in the background.

Every now and then, residents or soldiers pass by, making the place fairly quiet, aside from the radio advertisements playing inside the shop.

The grocery store sells instant noodles, snacks, and simple drinks. Back in the day when we were in the military, having these kinds of snacks felt like a real treat.

Even Pang, the host of “Food Hunter,” once visited this store for a feature. These days, it’s probably not such a hidden gem anymore, but after all that talk—when is the food coming already XD? Since only an elderly lady is preparing the food, you’ll need to wait patiently XD.

【Egg Aroma / 60 TWD+ / Egg Dog / 60 TWD】
After waiting ten minutes, the moment the food was served, I smiled. That’s when the question that had been on my mind for two days in Kinmen was finally answered. So this is what egg aroma and egg dog really look like. The ingredients are scallion pancakes + egg + sausage or hot dog, then each serving is split in half, wrapped in a paper bag, and ready to eat on the go.

But actually, the taste is different from Taiwan’s scallion pancakes. It’s pan-fried to an incredibly crispy and fragrant texture, so the chewiness is great, but without any greasy feeling. A bit of simple pepper is added inside. There’s also a generous amount of egg—it’s thick and I suspect they might use two eggs. I squeezed in some chili sauce, and the overall flavor is aromatic, crispy, and simply delicious. Though I’m not too fond of the slightly sweet taste of the sausage. I wouldn’t say it’s mind-blowingly amazing, but it’s quite tasty—definitely worth trying if you’re in Kinmen and want to sample this local military snack.

【Kinmen Fried Instant Noodles / 80 TWD】
Fried instant noodles are a snack born out of necessity on this military island of Kinmen. The original shop isn’t this grocery store, of course. It started because soldiers were hungry, but the shop didn’t have regular noodle ingredients, so they used instant noodles instead. As far as I know, the version that first became popular in Taiwan is the one from Fort Brother’s Fried Instant Noodles on Fuzhong Street in Tainan—they used President’s Pork Floss Instant Noodles, and it wasn’t really stir-fried either. They just boiled the noodles and added their oden ingredients along with the seasoning packet. As for the Fried Instant Noodles in Fengjia, Taichung—I’ll just say, if you’ve tried the ones from this shop in Kinmen, you’ll think the ones in Fengjia are just a joke. Hetian’s version uses Wei Lih brand Fried Sauce Noodles, but besides the fried sauce packet, the elderly lady adds her own seasonings. Some other locals told me they felt the flavor wasn’t strong enough, but I thought it was already pretty bold and well-seasoned. Plus, the ingredients she adds are very diverse: aside from a bit of water spinach, cabbage, and scallions, there are also fish cakes, meatballs, sausages, and scrambled eggs. The portion is hearty and solid, and the taste is fantastic. Compared to the egg aroma and egg dog, I’d actually be more willing to come back just for these fried noodles. I think they’re even better than Wei Mei’s version.

Probably because I’m a big fan of noodles, I can hardly find any noodles in Kinmen that I don’t like. I wonder if the noodle culture here is influenced by the diet of the veterans who retreated to Kinmen back in the day? Because even in Taiwan’s military dependents' villages, the noodles always had a special flavor and were especially delicious. Unfortunately, most of those villages have been demolished by now. But from a tourist’s perspective, I really enjoy the flavors of Kinmen’s food. If you’re traveling to Kinmen, make sure to stop by Hetian Grocery Store next to Qiu Lianggong’s Tomb for a satisfying meal after your visit.

【Hetian Budget Center】
Address: No. 63, Xiaojing Village, Jinhu Township, Kinmen County
Phone: 082-332-908
Business Hours: 6:00 PM – 12:00 AM
Note: Open from 4:00 PM on Fridays to Sundays, limited seating

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