Old Military Village Delicacies in Taichung！ Crispy Pan-Fried Dumplings & Juicy Pork Buns

Photos & Text /San Gao Eats Han

This time in Taichung, I stayed at the great-value windowless room at FOTEL Orange again. Right across from the hotel is a YouBike station at Taichung Park, which was very convenient. The next morning, I rode my bike out to grab a bite. Nearby is a military dependents' village called Futai New Village, which has a spot called Futai Pan-Fried Dumplings — apparently, the business is doing well. On the way back, I also picked up some pork buns and flower rolls from Shanghai Snacks on Freedom Road.

Futai New Village gave me a sense of familiarity. It wasn’t until later that I remembered there’s also a Futai New Village in Tainan. A few years ago, I ate some nameless milkfish at Kaiyuan Road there. Turns out this military village is scattered in several locations around Taiwan, each with its own history. As for Futai Pan-Fried Dumplings, it’s just a small stall set up right in front of someone’s home. When I first arrived, they had just sold out and were making a new batch.

There were only two metal tables under the arcade for dine-in. I noticed the owner packed takeout in lidless paper boxes, wrapped directly in plastic bags to maintain the crispiness.

The new batch didn’t take long to cook. Turns out these pan-fried dumplings are a bit smaller (each just 3 NT), so they didn’t take long to cook through. They’re wrapped tightly and don’t fall apart, with a golden, crispy bottom that just looks delicious.

The dough wrapper was softer than I expected — not particularly chewy — but the bottom was indeed fragrant and delightfully crispy. On the side of the plate were soy paste and a chili sauce similar to Dongquan (Yuanmei) brand. You can dip or not, as you like.

When you bite into the thin skin, you get cabbage and a little bit of chives. The cabbage adds sweetness while the chives give off their signature aroma. Ten pieces really isn’t a lot — they’re not big or super filling. I figured the main appeal is the crispy bottom and the savory filling. All in all, it was pretty good.

On the way back, I passed by Shanghai Snacks on Freedom Road — also a very popular spot. Its old location was on Lianwu Road. With over 30 years of history, they serve simple fare: noodles, soups, and snacks. If it weren’t almost lunchtime, I would’ve gotten a bowl of fried tofu with vermicelli before leaving.

Even just buying a few buns requires waiting a bit, because there are quite a few people who come just for the buns. Go too late and they’ll be sold out. I heard the owner once trained at Taipei’s 369 (a famous eatery). There are several places called 369 in Taipei, but I’m not sure if it’s the one I visited recently in Guting — the old-school 369 Shanghai Buns.

The pork buns at Shanghai Snacks are a popular item. I peeled a bit of the skin to try it — layered and fragrant, with a delicate texture. The filling is packed into tight meatballs, and it looks quite generous, with seasoned sauce flavor between the filling and the bun.

Although the flavor of the scallion-pork filling isn’t anything particularly unique, the texture is soft, moist, and has a slight chew. Paired with the bun, it’s really tasty — not greasy at all, which is a win.

I also got a red bean bun. Compared to the already small pork bun, this one was even more petite. The red bean filling is dense, almost reminiscent of the date paste filling you get in mooncakes.

The flower rolls are just simple wheat aroma with a salty touch. Each piece has a bit of bounce to it — very unpretentious and still quite tasty. They’d go really well with a bowl of soup.

Futai Pan-Fried Dumplings
Address: No. 106, Furen St., East Dist., Taichung City
Business Hours: 6:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Shanghai Snacks
Address: No. 85, Sec. 3, Freedom Rd., East Dist., Taichung City
Business Hours: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Closed Mondays)

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