Taipei restaurant – ChangJi Street Pigs Blood Soup 昌吉街豬血湯

 

This restaurant is a firm favourite of mine to get my fill of pig’s blood soup (豬血湯 zhū xiě tāng) and gravy rice (滷肉飯 lǔ ròu fàn). When I say ‘gravy’, its not like those Northerners drinking it by the cup full, its a Taiwanese ‘gravy’ that is basically stewed salty meats. If you haven’t had it, you need to, now! 

 

We were pretty hungry…

 

1. 豬血湯 zhū xiě tāng Pig’s blood soup $50

2. 咖哩豬血湯 kā lǐ zhū xiě tāng Pigs blood soup with curry (removed from current menu)

3. 滷肉飯 lǔ ròu fàn Gravy rice (L) $50

4. 滷肉飯 lǔ ròu fàn Gravy rice (S) $40

5. 滷筍干 lǔ sǔn gān Stewed Bamboo $50

6.  油豆腐 yóu dòu fǔ Tofu $30

7. 涼拌脆腸 liáng bàn cuì cháng Cold Intestines $110

 

Let’s set the record straight: Pig’s blood soup doesn’t just mean a soup made of the blood, where when you finish your bowl you’re already well on your way to being Dracula’s number one fan, no. We are talking about semi-solidified chunks of pigs blood, in a soup broth. The plain one has intestines in, and the curry one has a curry sauce put into it. 

 

1. 豬血湯 zhū xiě tāng Pig’s blood soup

It’s a firm favourite of mine. There isn’t a strong taste of blood, but the taste is there. The soup is light, and if you order the less oily version, then it can be quite healthy and filling! You get a very large amount of the pig’s blood in these soups, so I would suggest not ordering as many plates as we did…

 

2. 咖哩豬血湯 kā lǐ zhū xiě tāng Pig’s blood soup with curry sauce 

I probably won’t order this again, as for my taste it was a little greasy. The taste was good, it wasn’t necessarily a spicy curry, but it had a good curry flavour. 

 

3 + 4. 滷肉飯 lǔ ròu fàn Gravy Rice 

This is a weekend staple (only on the weekend, as it is salty and fatty, but too good to resist). Usually the gravy will be cooked for hours and hours, using a variety of different meats. The fat within the meat renders down to almost nothing but a silky texture of loveliness. Usually just a spoonful of this over your rice is ample! Almost all of the 小吃店 (small plate) restaurants that you will find in Taipei, will have this. It really is an indulgent addition to the normal white rice you find everywhere.

 

5. 滷筍干 lǔ sǔn gān Stewed Bamboo 

Who doesn’t like a healthy plate of stewed, air dried bamboo to accompany their salty rice? I find bamboo to have a nice crunch, yet still be nice and soft. The taste is a little earthy, but also a little sweet, too, which can counteract the saltiness of the ‘gravy’ on the rice – Its a winner!

 

6. Tofu 油豆腐 yóu dòu fǔ  Oily tofu (literal translation – don’t let it put you off! Please read)

OK, so it may be called Oily Tofu, but it isn’t really THAT oily. Tofu is a staple in Asian cuisine, and can be prepared in a multitude of differing ways. This is just one of those different ways. The outside skin of the tofu is slightly resistant, and covers the spongy inside of the tofu. It is often braised, and can be a little watery if not cooked properly. However, if cooked properly (as this one is), it can be delicious. Have it with some thick soy sauce, and you’re loving life.

 

7. 涼拌脆腸 liáng bàn cuì cháng Cold Intestines 

Looks nasty, sounds nasty, tastes good. Cold intestines aren’t something I’m usually first in line for, but these ones are actually pretty damn good. The intestines themselves are a little hard, and a little chewy, but they have a nice intestine flavour, yet are not overpowering. They sit within a slightly aniseed based sauce, with scallions. As it was a scorching day outside, this dish was actually remarkably refreshing. 

 

 

 

Best dish: Toss up between 1 and 3/4.

Won’t order again: 2 (too oily)

 

Overall, really good. I’ve been here a bunch of times now, and I definitely will call back if I am ever in the area again. It is a short walk from YuanShan MRT station, which holds a farmers market on the weekends (don’t know if it is every weekend, but worth going for a look).