Taiwanese fish ball soup makes a great breakfast in Tainan

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      In Taiwan, it’s never too early in the morning for fish ball soup. The Yeong Chi Fish ball restaurant in Tainan, on the southwest coast of Taiwan, is famous for its version. Talk about a power breakfast: you get a good dose of omega 3s with every bowl, which costs just over $1.

      The shop makes the fish balls fresh daily from milkfish alone or a combination with shrimp and pork. It opens at 6 a.m. and has a rush of people till about 1:30 p.m.

      Tainan milkfish ball soup. Carolyn Ali photo.

      The shop has been in business for 80 years, and the proprietor, Yeong Shun Liu, is part of the third generation to run it.

      If you order a bowl to take out, they’ll pack the broth separately from the fish balls to maintain the quality of the dumplings. What’s really cool is that they pack the broth in a plastic bag, not a bowl, and tie the whole package with a rubber band. I’ve seen this throughout Asia, and always marvel at how nobody seems to burn their fingers! Here’s Yeong Shun Liu in action.

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      Making fishball soup in Tainan.

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