Winter calls for nourishment: 20 types of Chinese herbal pork rib and sesame oil chicken stews in Taichung

Text and photos by /Orange Dog Loves Candy

When it comes to warming up against the winter cold, hot pot and stewed soups are likely the most popular choices—especially herbal pork rib stew. After all, you can’t always gather a big group of friends for a hotpot dinner, so having herbal pork rib stew on your own is both convenient and satisfying. The most famous one in Taichung is probably Kang Bao in the North District, but there’s also a great option in the East District: 【Kang Fu Shi Quan Herbal Pork Rib Stew】.

Although they’re all tonic stews, each place uses different ratios of herbs and has its own unique flavor, so you’ll have to try them to know for sure. Just head in the direction of Taiping, and you’ll easily spot its large signboard and storefront on Jingwu East Road—it’s very easy to find. (And right across the street is the very noticeable McDonald’s; as for parking, you might be able to squeeze in just a bit in front of the shop.)

This stretch of Jingwu East Road is quite a bustling area, lined with all kinds of restaurants and packed with people. But 【Kang Fu Shi Quan Herbal Pork Rib Stew】 is still pretty easy to find because the storefront is quite large, with an open kitchen right at the front. In front of it is a whole row of steaming clay pots filled with various herbal stew ingredients—that’s a must-have setup for any herbal pork rib stew shop.

As a kid, I was actually really scared of taking medicine—not just Western medicine, but even the bitterness of traditional Chinese herbal soup left a deep shadow in my heart. So the first time I saw herbal pork rib stew at a night market, I thought to myself, “How can something this bitter have so many people lining up to eat it?” Even when I drank my mom’s homemade herbal chicken soup at home, I’d hold my nose while drinking it. I was truly a clueless kid back then.

In my mind, I always categorized it as ‘adult food.’ After all, it’s such a dark, medicinal-looking stew. That perception stuck until university, when I accidentally tried my first bowl of herbal pork rib stew—and from then on, I fell in love with this nourishing dish. But clean, bright herbal stew shops like this are actually quite rare, and you can tell a lot of care went into the cleanliness and setup.

Plus, the air conditioning makes the whole space feel very spacious and comfortable. The tables aren’t huge, but they’re spaced out nicely—not too cramped—so there’s none of that greasy feeling you sometimes get in traditional herbal pork rib stew shops. It’s a very clean and family-friendly restaurant.

But speaking of cleanliness, I noticed the chopsticks in the condiment area—they avoid hygiene concerns by individually wrapping each pair in a chopstick sleeve every day, so there’s no risk of everyone touching the same chopsticks from a communal jar. I imagine wrapping all those chopsticks takes quite a bit of time. Honestly, not many small eateries are this meticulous about hygiene.

Also, at the entrance, there are several charity donation boxes supporting multiple causes, which is pretty impressive for a restaurant to offer such a variety.

Each pot of herbal stew base is made by simmering over twenty types of Chinese herbs for several hours, then stewing it with pork ribs. Of course, the types and proportions of herbs are the shop’s secret recipe. There are ten main types of soups here, which is quite a diverse selection.

And they’re very generous with the portions—seeing how full each bowl is, I can’t help but wonder if they’re even trying to make a profit. It’s not just the flavors that are rich, but the ingredients are packed in too. The prices aren’t exactly low, but you definitely leave feeling satisfied, which is totally worth it. (Though the menu has recently had some minor price and item adjustments, so it’s best to check what’s available in person.) And besides the herbal soups, there are plenty of tasty side dishes worth trying—more on those below.

【Soup │ Herbal Pork Knuckle Soup │ NT$100】
Three large chunks of pork knuckle—most people usually have it braised, but I’ve never tried the herbal stew version before. The knuckles have to be hand-plucked of hairs and blanched first, and even after blanching, there’s another round of hair removal, so the process is quite labor-intensive. But you still get three chunks of meaty knuckle in the stew, and I love the Q-textured, slightly fatty feel. Don’t worry though—it’s not greasy at all.

If you like fatty meat, then pork knuckle is definitely the way to go. I’m not sure if you can choose specific cuts like with regular braised knuckle though. The dark broth doesn’t have any of the bitter herbal taste you might worry about—in fact, it’s mostly the sweet, pleasant flavor of licorice root, which is quite likable. For most people, it’s a very approachable broth that isn’t oily at all, making it a great choice for those who prefer a cooling tonic.

【Soup │ Herbal Pork Rib Bone Soup │ NT$100 │ Must-Try Favorite】
I’m introducing the rib bone soup before the regular pork rib soup because it’s really hearty, super popular, and easy to eat. In the past, the rib bones I’ve had were big, whole ribs that looked impressive in the bowl but were a bit messy to eat. This shop has them specially processed by the pork vendor—each bone comes with meat and is sized just right for picking up and gnawing on with your fingers.

The pork is tender and soft—you can practically bite right into it. And the portion is so generous that you get the full satisfaction of meat and broth in every bite. No need to gnaw on bones (though even if you don’t, the meat separates easily from the bone with chopsticks), and a lot of young people really love this dish.

It also pairs perfectly with ‘vermicelli’—most shops would call it ‘sesame oil vermicelli,’ but this one doesn’t use sesame oil. Instead, they toss it in peanut oil, skip the scallions, and the result is vermicelli with a really nice chewy texture and unique flavor.

【Soup │ Herbal Pork Rib Soup │ NT$90】
The herbal stew base is generally the same, but maybe my bowl came with extra-large portions? The pork ribs are huge—big bones too. If you like gnawing on bones or prefer the classic flavor, go for the ribs. But there’s still plenty of meat, and the owner is really committed to quality—they make sure customers leave full, not hungry. It’s one of the most sincere pork rib stews I’ve seen.

Pair it with a bowl of ‘braised pork rice’ for the perfect combo. Their minced pork rice has that authentic Tainan flavor—glistening pork cubes piled high, rich but not greasy, with a touch of stickiness and slight sweetness. Take a big mouthful of rice, and the savory-sweet mix with the grains is so satisfying, you’ll polish off the whole bowl.

【Soup │ Herbal Pig Tail Bone Soup │ NT$110】
This cut of pork is less common—there are only three pieces per pig, located near the base of the tail. I’ve never tried it before either. The meat on this part is very tender, the bones are small, and the fat has a slightly Q-textured feel with some tendon, but the fat-to-lean ratio is about 60-40.

The texture is actually quite varied—if you want a bit of fat without going overboard, I think this cut is a good choice.

【Soup │ Herbal Pig Heart Soup │ NT$90】
The bowl comes filled with a whole pig heart—which is actually pretty common in Tainan, where I’ve tried a few famous pig heart glass noodle shops. The prices aren’t cheap, but the amount of pig heart you get is really just a small taste. But at Kang Fu, the portion of pig heart is very generous—you can easily fill your mouth with each chopstickful.

Or you can just order a simple blanched pig heart sliced plate—it’s delicious too, and they do a great job with the cooking doneness of the pig heart.

【Soup │ Medicinal Lamb Soup │ NT$100 (Winter Limited)】
Lamb is rich in protein, fat, vitamins, calcium, iron, and other nutrients. It also has the effects of warming the body and enriching the blood, making lamb hot pot especially suitable for winter. Aside from warming you up, its meat is actually more tender than pork. However, the distinct flavor of lamb isn’t for everyone. Kang Fu’s medicinal lamb has a very subtle ‘lamb’ taste.

It’s not overly strong, but every slice of lamb is of decent thickness—not just thin slices to fill the bowl—and there’s plenty of it. The freshness, tenderness, and natural sweetness when chewing are excellent. I’d say the quality of the lamb meat itself is really quite good here.

【Soup │ Fushi Sesame Oil Chicken Soup │ NT$120 (Winter Limited)】
Their sesame oil chicken soup is also quite generous in portion—containing large chicken wings, thigh meat, rice blood cake, and red dates. The sesame oil aroma is pretty decent. I personally prefer a stronger, more traditional flavor, but the main components, the chicken wings and thighs, are both tender and meaty.

Especially with the use of large chicken wings—it shows real commitment. The shop says sesame oil chicken is their winter bestseller and a must-try item.

【Soup │ Lion City Bak Kut Teh │ NT$120】
Bak Kut Teh comes in several varieties. Kang Fu serves a version that leans more toward the Teochew-style popular in Singapore. It differs from the Malaysian style—the broth is lighter in color but uses plenty of pepper for flavor. The pork ribs are also generously portioned, almost floating in the soup, and they’re delicious too.

The broth is relatively lighter and more refreshing compared to the above tonic soups or sesame oil soups, but the peppery spice is quite bold and appetite-stimulating.

【Side Dish │ Braised Boneless Milkfish Belly │ NT$100 (Personal Recommendation)】
Making this dish taste really good isn’t easy. Although I usually prefer milkfish belly pan-fried dry, the color here shows it’s well-braised. The fish is plump, not shriveled, and the braising sauce has a slight sweetness, which pairs very well.

Especially when eating the fish along with the belly, the texture is soft yet rich and aromatic. Almost everyone loved this dish that day.

【Side Dish │ Blanched One-Bite Fish Belly │ NT$90】
This is another side dish from our Taiwanese street food repertoire, specifically from Tainan. It features specially trimmed small milkfish bellies, which look very nice and are completely free of fishy smell. Just dip them in wasabi soy sauce, and it’s delicious—salty with the tenderness and sweetness of the fish, plus a subtle spicy kick from the wasabi.

【Side Dish │ Braised Pork Intestines │ NT$100】
Normally, a plate of sliced pork intestines costs about the same, but the portion is rarely this generous. Each piece is rich, plump, very cleanly prepared, and well-braised—chewy, sweet, and super tasty.

Also, the “partition meat” you often find at street snack stalls is equally substantial in portion. Just ordering any one side dish will be more than enough to fill you up.

【Side Dish │ Cabbage or Sweet Potato Leaves │ NT$30】
No extra sauces like soy paste, fried shallots, or minced garlic are added—just simply blanched and served to highlight the original flavors.

Today there were quite a lot of dishes on offer. Just the braised soups alone came in eight varieties, with each type of pork rib cut offering its own unique characteristics and flavors. Unless you’re out with several friends like we were today, it’s hard to order all of them and try everything in one go—you’ll need to come back multiple times. Some say it’s similar in spirit to Kangbao, but I feel the broth flavors are slightly different. That said, the sincerity in the ingredients is definitely there, and it’s very filling. I highly recommend anyone interested to come try it in the East District. Their business hours are quite long—from noon until 1:30 AM—so whether it’s lunch, dinner, or a late-night snack, you can warm up your tummy here.

Kang Fu Ten-Ingredient Medicinal Braised Pork Ribs – Jingwu East Road │ East District
Address: No. 186, Jingwu East Road, East District, Taichung City (Opposite McDonald’s)
Phone: 04-22155678
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 1:30 AM
Note: Open every day, ideal for family gatherings on holidays

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