Fried chicken comes in many forms. Southern style fried chicken calls for marinating overnight in butter milk and a whole collection of spices, battered in flour and fried in a skillet where temperature control is paramount. Golden brown, crispy skinned and moist on the inside. I tried to make that a couple times. Sometimes I wished my mother was a southern house wife, so I know from very early age how to make fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, biscuits and gravy and other southern classics. Well, than I wouldn't know how to cook Indonesian or the other things my mother taught me how to cook. You can't win 'em all, I guess.
Anyone who has spend some time in the Carribean also knows their version of fried chicken. Or fried pork, or fried fish for that matter. Best enjoyed with rice&beans and fried plantain outside where you feel the Carribean see breeze coming in. You feel a completely different person when done eating. Primary reason why every Carribean stay is at least a 5 pound vacation for me.
And then there is the Taiwanese version: Yen Su Gi. Typical night market food. Chicken conveniently served in a paper bag, fried together with basil, which gives it a sweet and herby aroma and sprinkled with a special salt, which is only sold by a limited number of suppliers and is not available in any grocery store. Talking about garding a trade, eh?
It is my Taiwan obsession: every trip I beg and I plead until I get my fix. I remember last trip coming down from the Alisan mountain, edgy from driving in thick fog, my nerves could finally settle with a bag full of Yen su gi. Comfort snack food like only fried chicken can.
Most formal sit down dinners I completely forget, but I remember where I had Yen su gi, I remember where I had Beef noodle soup and I also remember where I had oyster omelet. And yes, mostly it is from side walk food cards while driving in the Taiwan countryside, or small eateries in crowed places somewhere in Taipei or Tainan.
Funny how most memories of Taiwan evolve around come type of comforting snack food. But on the other end, what do you expect from this Formosa Island where everybody knows their food, talks about food and consumes it with delight and joy?
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