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THE SHAPE
OFTHINGS
This Taiwanese chef
cuts a fine figure
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FOOD&DRINK
FRUITSOFREASON
Giving lumpy apples
a good name
When it comes to the
world’s supply of strik-
ingly textured fruit,
Southeast Asia got
the lion’s share
(for instance,
compare the
serrated dragon
fruit and hirsute rambutan
with, say, an apple). In Taiwan,
the produce of note is the pine
cone–shaped “Buddha head”
fruit, a pawpaw relative with
sweet, creamy, custard-
like flesh.
Also known
as sugar apple
or sweetsop,
Buddha head
fruit is a popu-
lar offering on
Angry Birds
Taste buds, beware: The fried chicken in Taiwan’s night
markets isn’t as mild as the Colonel’s
Fried chicken might be, literally, the hottest thing in Taiwan right
now. In a place with no shortage of fresh, piping-hot street food,
deep-fried chicken has lately reigned as the king of
xiao chi
, the
Taiwanese incarnation of tapas or finger food that is particularly
popular in night markets. But where fried chicken in the Ameri-
can South tends toward the salty and crisp, this version has scant
breading and a kick like a mule.
To make it
,
stall owners coat wide, thin fillets of white meat in
sweet-potato starch and the five famous spices: fennel
,
clove
,
cin-
namon
,
star anise and mouth-numbing Sichuan pepper. After a
quick dip in the fryer
,
the chicken emerges cereal-crunchy on the
outside and succulent inside. Every bite is sweet
,
salty
,
bitter
,
sour
CHEF CHAO-LIN CHEN
is an artist by any
measure, whether he’s creating
gaojha
,
a spicy Yilanese dish made of chicken,
shrimp, pork and cornstarch, or the intri-
cate carrot dragon he can carve in less
than nine minutes to go with it. Chen’s
gaojha
has been known to draw diners
from as far as the capital city of Taipei
to his little restaurant, Doo Hsiao Yueh,
on Taiwan’s windswept northeast coast—
but it’s his de carving that’s made him
world-famous.
In 2008, Chen and his carving team
brought home a gold medal from the
prestigious Food & Hotel Asia Imperial
Challenge in Singapore. Many of Chen’s
creations were subsequently included
in his book,
Doo Hsiao Yueh I-Lan Feast
Taiwan Cui s ine
, which showcases
both dishes and sculptures from the
restaurant. As Chen flips through the
pages, astounding tableaux are revealed:
A painstakingly detailed carrot phoenix
appears in flight next to a plate of minced
pork cakes; a bamboo-shoot swordsman
does ba lewith a dish of stewed carp. The
ones thatwin awards are evenmore elabo-
rate, like the green winter melon Chen
transformed into a three-dimensional
scene featuring a Chinese junk.
“Winter melons are great for carv-
ing because their shape and size
allows for serious creativity,” Chen
says. “The biggest I ever carved
was 25 kilograms.” And what did
he do with it? “I turned it into a
massive dragon.” —J.S.B.
KOON SUTRA/CREATIVE COMMONS (CHICKEN)
A CUT ABOVE
One of chef
Chao-lin Chen’s
carrot dragons