Red oil glistening with joy—founder of "Fly's Head" dish, "Imperial City Mom," sells fragrant and spicy New Year’s dishes

The pot of 〈Supreme Pork Knuckle〉 also "hides" tender yet crispy dried bamboo shoots that have absorbed the red oil sauce, making it extremely satisfying to eat. (Photo / Yao Shun)

A fish dish is essential on the reunion dinner table during the New Year. The takeout New Year dish 〈Sichuan Peppercorn Fish〉 from 〈Imperial City Mom〉 highlights the numbing and spicy flavor of Sichuan green peppercorns. (Photo / Yao Shun)

"Nile Red Fish" is an improved breed of tilapia with thick and solid flesh. Coated in the fragrant and numbing Sichuan peppercorn sauce, it stimulates the taste buds and whets the appetite. (Photo / Yao Shun)

The 〈Clay Pot Fish Head〉 from 〈Imperial City Mom〉 not only contains a fish head but also clams, white shrimp, fish balls, cod-shrimp balls, taro meatballs, frozen tofu, and soaked squid. It’s very “substantial,” and thanks to the squid, it even carries the taste of the Taiwanese banquet dish 〈Squid and Snail Meat with Garlic〉. (Photo / Yao Shun)

〈Stir-fried Shredded Pork with Winter Bamboo Shoots and Tofu〉 is also an exclusive dish from 〈Imperial City Mom〉. The tender tofu is stir-fried until fully flavored, while the shredded winter bamboo shoots add variety to the texture. (Photo / Yao Shun)

The texture of 〈Spicy Sheep’s Stomach Shreds〉 is crisp, with a sour, spicy, and numbing flavor that has a hint of sweetness. If you mix in the included “spicy residue,” it becomes even more delicious. (Photo / Yao Shun)

The 〈Poached Chicken〉 from 〈Imperial City Mom〉 is made using free-range chicken from Luye, Taitung. These chickens are raised on corn, resulting in golden, oily, and aromatic skin. (Photo / Yao Shun)

Zheng Wenqiang (left), who enjoys researching dishes, developed 〈Fly's Head〉 and 〈Tender Meat with Tough Skin〉 back in the day. Now, together with the restaurant’s head chef Ren Wenzong, he has created the numbing, spicy, and flavorful 〈Supreme Pork Knuckle〉 to satisfy the cravings of spice-loving gourmets and foodies. (Photo / Yao Shun)

During the New Year’s reunion dinner, the table is never without meaty dishes. Among them, 〈Braised Pork Knuckle〉 or the whole plate of 〈Braised Pork Belly〉 can be considered the “representatives of big meat.” But have you ever heard of, seen, or tasted a “pork knuckle soaked in spicy sauce and surrounded by chili peppers”?

To offer a unique option for New Year’s reunion dinners, 〈Imperial City Mom〉, the founder of 〈Fly's Head〉 and located behind CTS in Yanji Street, Taipei, decided to use beef, lamb, chicken, and pork ingredients to create Sichuan-style New Year dishes that are hard to find in the market. Among them, 〈Supreme Pork Knuckle〉 is an unprecedented Sichuan-style pork knuckle in the market. This pork knuckle, soaked in a fragrant, spicy, and numbing sauce, not only challenges the palate with its intense flavors but also, with its glistening red oil appearance, perfectly matches the festive and joyous atmosphere of the New Year.

Opened in the 77th year of the Republic of China (1988), 〈Imperial City Mom〉 specializes in “authentic Sichuan home-style cuisine.” The so-called “home-style cuisine” refers not only to the classic Sichuan dishes that Zheng Wenqiang learns from his hometown in Sichuan during his regular trips but also includes the “Sichuan-style dishes” he innovates through extensive research and creativity.

Back in the day, in order to avoid waste, he casually used fermented black beans from the kitchen, chopped leeks, a little minced meat, and a bit of chili. He stir-fried them over high heat to create 〈Fly's Head〉 as a staff meal. Later, because it paired so well with rice, he simply added it to the restaurant menu. The result was immense popularity—not only did many people think it was an authentic Sichuan “classic dish,” but it was also adopted by restaurants of all cuisines across Taiwan, becoming a “cross-cuisine signature dish” even found in Taiwanese hot pot restaurants or buffets. Later, Zheng Wenqiang also invented 〈Tough Skin with Tender Meat〉 by pan-frying soft tofu, which was then “very seriously and intensely learned” by peers and became another iconic dish.

〈Supreme Pork Knuckle〉 is also a Sichuan-style pork knuckle developed by Zheng Wenqiang. This grand meat dish is, in essence, a combination of 〈Braised Pork Knuckle〉 and 〈Boiled Fish in Chili Oil〉. A pork knuckle weighing over one jin (500g) is cleaned, deep-fried to set its shape, and then braised. The braising liquid is made from soy sauce with added rock sugar, star anise, Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, as well as chili peppers, star anise, and cardamom. After the large pork knuckle is braised for two hours to absorb the flavors, it is then stewed in a red broth made with two-spice chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorn oil, and broth, along with dried bamboo shoots. When served, the pork knuckle looks like a “small island rising from a sea of red,” with a glossy, translucent skin that is highly eye-catching.

The texture of 〈Supreme Pork Knuckle〉 is no less impressive than that of 〈Braised Pork Knuckle〉, but after absorbing the rich red oil sauce, the taste is incredibly flavorful and numbingly spicy. The dried bamboo shoots soaked in the red broth are slightly crunchy with a faint sweet-and-sour taste that helps cut through the spiciness and richness—a clever touch by Zheng Wenqiang.

Sichuan peppercorn is a commonly used spice by Sichuan chefs to “enhance flavor, aroma, and numbness.” There are many varieties of Sichuan peppercorns in Sichuan, broadly categorized into red peppercorns and green peppercorns. Red peppercorns are suitable for meat dishes, while green peppercorns pair best with seafood. The fish dish introduced by 〈Imperial City Mom〉 for the New Year is 〈Sichuan Peppercorn Fish〉, which Zheng Wenqiang brought back from Sichuan. This Sichuan peppercorn is a type of green peppercorn.

To prepare 〈Sichuan Peppercorn Fish〉, the Nile Red Fish is processed and then cooked in a Sichuan peppercorn sauce. This sauce is made from broth with added cooking wine, salt, sugar, stir-fried Sichuan peppercorn granules, and ground Sichuan peppercorn powder. When the fish is almost cooked, concentrated Sichuan peppercorn juice and Sichuan peppercorn oil are added to the pot, along with a bit of cornstarch to thicken before serving. The thick and solid flesh of the Nile Red Fish absorbs the fragrant and numbing Sichuan peppercorn sauce, resulting in a very satisfying bite. The accompanying broccoli, coated in the Sichuan peppercorn sauce, offers a crisp and numbingly refreshing taste that’s especially palatable.

〈Stir-fried Shredded Pork with Winter Bamboo Shoots and Tofu〉 is an “upgraded version” of 〈Stir-fried Tofu with Pork〉. The tofu is first dry-fried until fragrant, then combined with shredded pork, shredded winter bamboo shoots, and seasonings such as bird’s eye chilies, rice wine, soy sauce, and pepper, all stir-fried over high heat. A drizzle of sesame oil is added before serving. The tofu shreds are extremely tender, the winter bamboo shoots have a nice crunch, and when stir-fried with the pork, they create a diverse texture—something no other restaurant in the market had done before.

Similarly numbing, spicy, and flavorful, 〈Spicy Sheep’s Stomach Shreds⟩ can serve as a cold dish for the reunion dinner. This dish comes with “spicy residue” for dipping the sheep’s stomach shreds, which isn’t unbearably spicy but strongly enhances the aroma—it’s definitely worth a try. The 〈Clay Pot Fish Head〉 is the “centerpiece” of the New Year reunion hotpot. The soup base uses two types of broth. In addition to the fish head, the pot also contains clams, fish balls, tofu skin, cod-shrimp balls, taro meatballs, frozen tofu, glass noodles, and soaked squid. The abundance of ingredients makes it very rich. Because the soaked squid is also cooked in the pot, the broth also carries a hint of the taste of the Taiwanese banquet dish 〈Squid and Snail Meat with Garlic〉.

(Commercial)