Taiwanese Spring Rolls anyone? Qing Ming Festival occurs on the first day of the fifth solar term of the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. The festival is also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English and is a traditional Chinese festival celebrated by the Taiwanese as a celebration of spring. It is observed on the 15th day following the Spring Equinox, which will usually fall on either the 4th, 5th, or 6th of April. Families go to their relatives’ graves to clean the gravesites and give ritual offerings to their ancestors during the festival.
Traditional food that predominates this festival is green-sweetened dumplings or spring rolls, and they are often coupled with the burning of joss sticks and paper. The important reason behind eating spring rolls during this festival is that you shouldn’t consume hot food. So food such as these rolls are served cold, and are easily enjoyed on the go.
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This article will feature the spring roll (潤餅 rùn bǐng, also known as popiah) from this spot 莿桐潤餅大王 in Yonghe, which is only a very short walk from Dingxi MRT station. But, you’ll tend to find that most of these restaurant/street stalls all offer up very similar rolls. It’s one of the classic Taiwanese street food.
The menu
So it’s up to you whether you want to get one that you can eat right there and then, or if you want to only buy the spring pancake itself so that you can assemble your own at home. If you go for the pancake itself, then you’ll have to ring ahead to check availability, and you’ll pay $120 for a huge stack of pancakes.
However, right there and then, you can get an original flavoured roll ($50), or a roll with added tuna ($60). (since April 2024, the prices are raised $5 dollars more per spring roll)
In addition to the rolls themselves, here you can order the soup in many varieties, such as adding an egg – Jiā dàn ($15), tofu – Jiā dòu fu ($10), meatballs Jiā Gòng wán ($15), or fish meatballs Jiā Yú wán ($15)
How to order
- 一個原味 – One original
- yī ge yuán wèi
- 一個加鮪魚 – One with tuna
- yī ge jiā wěi yú
- 加辣 – Add spice
- jiā là
- 不要辣 – No spice
- bú yào là
If you need help reading menus, then you should go check out my other post all about how to become a pro at reading the Taiwanese restaurant menu.
These spring rolls strike me as one of those things that you always think look really simple to make, but would invariably turn out a complete mess if you tried it yourself. Leave it to the pros.
The paste is made with glutinous rice flour and water, and kind of looks like a flubber-like substance as it gets smeared onto the hot plate, and picked up in a big lump, thereafter the imperfections are dib-dabbed on with the remaining lump of the mixture.
It’s left to cook for a minute or so, then removed for the process to start from the beginning. They really must make a lot of these each and every day, with like 6 hot plates constantly running.
The pancakes themselves are thinner than paper, to the point where you can see through them. Usually when serving, they will use 2 of these pancakes per roll, which is probably just as well, otherwise, it would likely all leak out.
The mesmerizing mechanical action starts with a smear of their chilli sauce, followed by a huge dollop of the vegetables that each store uses. Here it is cabbage and beansprout mix that is mounded on top of your pancake, followed by a sprinkling of firm tofu, pickled radish, fried pork, and peanut sugar.
Surely something that simple can’t be that tasty, though?
The thin skin manages to encase all of the fillings without ripping or seeping through. The skin itself is chewy and springy than tight and brittle, which certainly helps in that department.
Served cold, the spring roll is complete! It tastes healthy with the sheer amount of vegetables that you find inside, and you could pick it up as a light lunch or simply just a snack, depending on how hungry you are.
The spring roll for Qing Ming Festival is simple, yet delicious. Don’t just wait until tomb sweeping day, though, get it any day of the year in many different forms. See below for more great spring roll offerings!
Other possible 潤餅 spring rolls
The bottom line
Seldom will you go wrong with a Taiwanese spring roll, especially during the traditional time to eat them – tomb sweeping day/Qing Ming Festival festival. They’re packed full of vegetables and fit just as easily in your hand as a burrito or a Subway, yet they are so much healthier and way more delicious!