Dishes
Angelica duck noodle soup
當歸鴨
Also called: 當歸鴨麵線 · dang gui duck · angelica duck
Duck simmered in a dark herbal broth flavoured with dang gui (Chinese angelica root), usually eaten with noodles.
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0What it is
A bowl of duck in a herbal broth, usually with noodles. Chinese angelica root (dang gui) gives the soup a rounded flavour with a slight bitterness and a long aftertaste. It counts as a tonic (進補) soup in Taiwan.
Where it comes from
Angelica duck is a herbal tonic soup eaten all over Taiwan. The Michelin Guide says Tainan's best-known shop, San Hao Yi Kung Tao, started around 1949 as a hawker stall at the Dongmen traffic circle and moved to its present site in the 1960s.
How it is made
Duck is simmered with Chinese medicinal herbs. Besides angelica, recipes can include chuanxiong, cooked rehmannia, cinnamon twig, astragalus, codonopsis, liquorice, red dates and goji berries, seasoned with old ginger, rice wine and salt.
How to eat it
With noodles, it is a one-bowl meal. In Kaohsiung, Hou Chi Duck Rice serves angelica duck soup with noodles alongside its duck rice.
In Kaohsiung
Now run by the second generation, San Hao Yi Kung Tao in Tainan pairs freshly slaughtered duck with noodles cooked al dente.
Where to eat it in Kaohsiung
Sources