Limited to the Third Day of the Lunar New Year Only: Luxurious Ash House Cuisine Makes a Comeback

"Pig’s Trotter and Shark Fin" looks like red-braised pig’s trotter on the outside, but opens to reveal a steaming bowl of shark fin soup. (Photo courtesy of Tainan Ching Ying Hotel)

Traditional hand-crafted dish "Chrysanthemum Scallop Soup." (Photo courtesy of Tainan Ching Ying Hotel)

Drawing inspiration from Fucheng cuisine, Tainan Ching Ying Hotel introduces ingeniously creative gourmet offerings to champion a culinary revival movement. With renowned Taiwanese cuisine master Huang Wanling—descended from a prominent Tainan family—serving as culinary advisor, the hotel’s executive chef team led by Executive Chef Lu Weiqiang recreates the grand “Ash House Banquets” of old Fucheng. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, February 18, 2018, they present the “Wuxu Spring Outing Feast: Live Like an Ash House Noble” featuring 16 main dishes and a total of 27 delicacies. Priced at NT$16,800+10% per table of 10 seats, the feast includes captivating performances and live dish introductions, inviting gourmands to savor long-lost dishes such as the Lu Ban Duck (absent for over 60 years), the labor-intensive Cloth Bag Chicken, and signature dishes from historic restaurants.

Once the capital of Taiwan, Fucheng was home to numerous nobles in its heyday. “Ash House Cuisine” refers to the lavish dishes prepared by wealthy families to entertain guests, crafted with premium ingredients and time-consuming techniques. These rare and treasured private recipes have gradually disappeared over generations. Tainan Ching Ying Hotel will showcase 27 sumptuous dishes in one go through the Spring Outing Feast. Classic “grand dishes” such as Vinegar Shrimp, Chrysanthemum Scallop Soup, Rice Cake Rolls with Pork Belly and Salted Egg Four-Treasure Soup will all be served.

Among the highlights is the starter “Invite the Groom (Liver) to Watch the Play (Lung)”—a stir-fry of pork liver and lung. This dish is designed to invite dignitaries to judge whether the banquet’s spread presents a beautiful “feast performance.” The combination of these two historically most expensive and most affordable ingredients also plays on a Hokkien homophone, echoing century-old banquet traditions.

The “Nine-Course Cold Platter” includes nine dishes such as Phoenix Leg under Moonlight, Crispy Fried Ribs, and Fish Ball, making an impressive and bold statement upon presentation. Classic Ash House dishes that layer flavors and ingredients to showcase extravagance—known as “layered dishes”—will also be featured. Among them, the “Cloth Bag Chicken” combines a clear-braised chicken with a red-braised sauce. The chef carefully debones the whole chicken while keeping its shape intact, then stuffs it with sautéed mushrooms, minced meat, bamboo shoots, and shrimp. It is then steamed and enhanced with a traditional “crackling skin” technique to perfect the red-braised sauce. At first glance, it appears to be a tender chicken, but when the server slices it open, the rich filling bursts forth.

“Pig’s Trotter and Shark Fin” is another two-faced dish. It looks like red-braised pig’s trotter, but opens to a steaming bowl of shark fin soup (shark fin has been replaced with vermicelli fin for environmental reasons). The soft and bouncy boneless pig’s trotter also tests the chef’s skill—the meat is tender, and the soup is sweet and savory, making it truly mouthwatering.

There’s also the rarely seen “Lu Ban Duck,” a delicacy lost for nearly 60 years. The duck’s bones are removed while keeping the body intact, then marinated in medicinal seasonings before being deep-fried. Just before serving, it is flash-fried again until crispy and crackling. The meticulous cooking method makes this premium duck even more delicious—you can enjoy the original flavor first, then dip it in sauce for the second taste, and finally soak the entire piece before eating, savoring three distinct and wonderful tastes in one dish.

In addition, the traditional hand-crafted dish “Chrysanthemum Scallop Soup” features thin layers of egg crepes layered with scallops, bamboo shoots, and grass shrimp as filling, then steamed. When served, the ingredients are inverted into a bowl, and the egg crepe is gently slashed in a “rice character” pattern with a knife to unfold into a chrysanthemum shape. Hot broth is then poured in, causing the ingredients to rise buoyantly as if a chrysanthemum were blooming in the bowl. The taste is refreshing with strong visual appeal, and the flavorful soup requires minimal seasoning, making it yet another classic masterpiece.