Dishes
Tube rice cake (tong-zai migao)
筒仔米糕
Also called: tube sticky rice · rice tube · 米糕
Seasoned glutinous rice steamed in small tubes with braised pork, turned out onto a plate and topped with sauce.
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: bryan... from Taipei, Taiwan, CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: The original uploader was Richy at Chinese Wikipedia ., CC BY-SA 3.0What it is
A neat cylinder of sticky, sauce-coated glutinous rice with braised pork or egg at its base, turned out onto a plate. Sweet sauce or minced pork sauce goes on top, with coriander and preserved radish.
Where it comes from
Wikipedia notes a record of a similar dish called 盤游飯 in Su Shi's Song-dynasty notes. In Taiwan, Qingshui in Taichung is known for the dish. A cook there named Wang Ta became famous around 1933 and trained many apprentices.
How it is made
Glutinous rice is stir-fried with shiitake, shallots, soy sauce, salt, wine and oil, packed into small tubes over braised pork or egg, and steamed. When cooked it is turned out onto a plate and sauced.
How to eat it
A soy-braised 'iron egg' goes well alongside, and a bowl of steamed egg custard soup balances the richness.
In Kaohsiung
Bei Gang Tsai in Kaohsiung's Yancheng district, a third-generation business dating to 1956, steams its rice with braised ground pork in metal tubs.
Where to eat it in Kaohsiung
Sources