The well-known City God Temple rice dumpling shop beloved by Anping locals still retains the tradition of using meat broth as a dipping sauce.

Text & Photos /Xiao Sheng

The snack that Xiao Sheng is introducing this time is a local specialty from his hometown, Tainan’s Anping—traditional rice dumplings. Speaking of these traditional rice dumplings, they’ve been around as long as I can remember. My family would occasionally buy them, and whenever we had rice dumplings, it was almost certainly from this shop. So, these traditional rice dumplings are also one of the Anping snacks that grew up with me.

The Anping Traditional Rice Dumplings shop is located right in front of the Anping City God Temple. The temple’s entrance archway is just across from Zhou’s Shrimp Rolls Anping Branch. For those who often visit Anping, this archway should be quite familiar.

The Anping Traditional Rice Dumplings shop only sets up a simple awning in front of the City God Temple to provide some shelter from wind and rain. It’s open only from 06:00 to 12:00 in the morning. However, many locals are so used to eating these dumplings that even though they’ve moved away from Anping, they still come back whenever they can. Each time, you’ll see plenty of Anping folks enjoying their meal here, which also brings back memories of my time living in this small Anping town.

The Anping Dumplings shop offers only two types of rice dumplings—meat dumplings and vegetable dumplings. The price difference is just NT$5. The flavors of the meat and vegetable dumplings are quite different, but we usually go for the vegetable ones. Next, let me explain how the two differ.

Miso Soup (NT$10): Before introducing the rice dumplings, let’s take a look at this miso soup. The first time I saw it, I was amazed by how generous the portion was for just NT$10—the bowl was huge, filled to the brim with scallions and youtiao (fried dough sticks). It looked amazing, but it tasted even better. Despite being just NT$10, the flavor of the miso soup was rich and delicious. For the price, I’d say there’s nothing else quite like it.

Vegetable Dumplings (NT$30): The vegetable dumplings are actually peanut dumplings—they don’t contain any vegetables, but are packed with a lot of peanuts and then sprinkled with peanut powder. They’re served with a sweet and tangy soy sauce paste.

Although most southern-style dumplings are boiled, these traditional rice dumplings don’t end up overly soft or mushy on the outside. The vegetable dumplings are packed with peanuts, so with the first bite, you not only get the soft texture of the dumpling but also the aroma of the peanuts. The sweet, sour, and salty soy sauce paste complements the dumplings perfectly—it’s the same delicious taste I grew up with, and it still tastes just as good today.

Meat Dumplings (NT$35): Unlike the vegetable dumplings, the meat dumplings come with pork and mushrooms, and naturally, the price is NT$5 higher. Instead of the soy sauce paste, they’re served with a specially prepared meat broth. The traditional way of making Tainan-style dumplings is to drizzle meat dumplings with meat broth and vegetable dumplings with soy sauce paste—and this old-school method is still preserved at Anping Traditional Rice Dumplings.

Compared to the vegetable dumplings, the meat dumplings still have a soft texture, but because they contain pork and mushrooms, they feel a bit looser when eaten, and the peanut aroma is less pronounced. The specially made soy sauce isn’t too salty and pairs decently with the meat dumplings. Overall, though, I prefer the vegetable dumplings over the meat ones, which is also why my family always goes for the vegetable version.

The traditional rice dumplings shop in front of the Anping City God Temple has been a part of my memories since I can remember. Even though I’ve left Anping, I still find myself returning every now and then to enjoy that nostalgic flavor. If you ever get the chance to visit Anping, do try these traditional rice dumplings and relive that old-time charm.

[Traditional Rice Dumplings]
Address: No. 3-1, Lane 6, Alley 13, Canal Road, Anping District, Tainan City
Phone: (06)2290018
Business Hours: 06:00–12:00

Xiao Sheng’s Wandering Journeyhttp://rt009211.pixnet.net/blog
Every journey, every trip is a quest. Though I’m not entirely sure what I’m searching for, what I gain in the end always turns out to be more than I imagined. And so, my wandering journey will continue, without end.