What it is
Gao zha (糕渣) is a fried snack from Yilan County on Taiwan's north-east coast. The golden, square pieces look a little like fried tofu. Under the crust is a soft, savoury set stock of meat and shrimp, as tender as egg tofu and creamy when hot. Night markets such as Luodong sell it, and so do restaurants serving Yilan food.
Where it came from
Its beginnings are unclear. One theory holds that cooks devised it to use up stock left over from banquets, a sign of Yilan thrift. Another links it to Fuzhou cooking. Some see it as a cousin of gwo zaa (戈渣), the Cantonese fried savoury custard, which is thought to come from guo zha (鍋炸), a sweet fried dessert from northern China.
Gao zha has been served to foreign guests at a state banquet at the Presidential Office. In 2018 it appeared, paired with Penghu cuttlefish balls, at the welcome dinner of the Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum. Locals like to compare it to Yilan people: cool on the outside, warm within.
How it is made
Chicken, pork and shrimp are chopped to a paste. This is stirred into stock simmered for five or six hours, for example from an old hen, along with a starch such as cornflour, and cooked for about 20 minutes into a thick batter. The batter is poured into a tray, left to cool and set, then cut into blocks. Each block is coated in flour and deep-fried until golden, so the outside crisps while the centre stays soft.
How to eat it
It is served hot, sometimes with pepper salt (胡椒鹽) for dipping. The crust can feel only warm while the filling is still scalding, so take a small bite first. Restaurants may list it beside other Yilan dishes such as xilu rou (西魯肉), a thick stew of shredded cabbage and mushroom topped with crisp fried egg.
Around Taiwan
- North
- Yilan is its home. Kouhsiangting (口香亭), a restaurant within walking distance of Yilan station, makes it from gelatinous chicken soup. Outside Yilan, restaurants serving Yilan home cooking, such as some in New Taipei, also offer it.
