Taoyuan Pork Intestine Vermicelli 桃园大肠面线
Taoyuan Pork Intestine Vermicelli is featured among the local specialties of Taiwan.
Taoyuan Pork Intestine Vermicelli (桃园大肠面线) is a soup of thin vermicelli (面线) topped with braised pork large intestine, a close relative of Taiwan's oyster vermicelli (蚵仔面线). In Taoyuan it is one of the traditional snacks the Taoyuan Tourist Night Market (桃园观光夜市) is best known for; the market is on Beipu Road (北埔路) in Taoyuan District, a short way on from the back of Jingfu Temple (景福宫) on Zhongzheng Road (中正路).
How it is made
The northern Taiwan version, which is the style most shops in Taiwan now follow, uses red vermicelli (红面线) in a stock of pork bone and dried bonito (柴鱼), topped mainly with oysters and intestine, and thickened into a paste-like soup rather than served clear. The intestine is braised (卤) first; how it is braised and how much of it goes into the bowl are what separate a good bowl from a poor one.
Shops thicken the soup with sweet-potato starch, while home cooks use potato starch (太白粉). To save costs, shops often use the water left from blanching oysters, which must be coated in sweet-potato starch first, both as the soup base and to thicken the noodles.
How it is eaten
Sellers usually ask whether you want it spicy, and some stalls are known for their own chilli sauce. Black vinegar (乌醋), minced garlic and coriander can be added at the table. The thickening makes the bowl smoother to eat.