Ba-wan (Taiwanese meatball)

       Ba-wan (肉圓, literally means "meat circle"), gets its name due to its ball-like appearance and pork filling inside. Or you can also call it directly "Taiwanese meatball". With chewy and firm skin, and sweet and savory sauce, ba-wan always ranks in the top 10 of the best-loved Taiwanese cuisine. 

Li's ba-wan, Caotun (草屯 肉圓李)

photo credits to: 0492320330.tw.tranews.com/

        It is said that ba-wan was first invented in 1898 by Fan Wan-ju (范萬居), who served as a psychic translator (文筆生) of a temple in Beidou, Changhua. At that time, a heavy flood struck the region, so the deity instructed Mr. Fan to prepare some food for disaster relief. He came up with an idea to prepare dumpling that was suitable for mass production: ground dried sweet potatoes into starch, bunch it up into dough, fill it with cabbage, then cook it into the shape of pastry. This was the prototype of ba-wan. As the recipe was passed down to Mr. Fan's offspring, Beidou ba-wan has become the "standard" style and also developed into the modern version -- the stuffing had been replaced by pork, and the skin had been blended with rice flour or cornstarch. Interestingly, you may see some pinch marks remaining on the skin of the Beidou ba-wan because it is dug out by hand from the bowl!

Fan's ba-wan, Beidou (北斗 范氏肉圓生)

photo credits to: www.web66.com.tw/CW7/

        Later, ba-wan was spread island-wide and the practice varies widely according to different areas. Almost every township has its well-known ba-wan vendor. Although ba-wan is initially cooked by steaming to form the glutinous skin, poaching in oil or deep frying are also common cooking methods, making the skin crispy and crumbly. In central Taiwan, fried ba-wan is in the mainstream, while steamed ba-wan prevails in southern Taiwan. As for the stuffing, it is usually a mixture of lean meat, and bamboo shoots; shiitake mushrooms, red yeast, shrimps, and scallions are optional. Here is an introduction to special ba-wans all over Taiwan!

A-wen's ba-wan, Qingshui (清水 阿文肉圓)

photo credits to: mystore.tranews.com

        When I was a child, I did not like to eat ba-wan, because I thought its skin is too sticky to swallow and its stuffing is too less to bring me satisfaction. Now I realize the gelatinous texture is its most distinguishing feature. Besides, serving with some sweet chili sauce and cilantro (Chinese parsley, 香菜) will greatly enhance its taste. I am still exploring delicious ba-wan all over Taiwan. In my opinion, Achang ba-wan (阿璋肉圓) in Changhua City and Fuji ba-wan (福記肉圓) in Tainan City are worthy of trying!

        Wanna have some ba-wan in your kitchen? The video below will teach you how to make one: