Delicious Taiwanese Dessert You Need To Try Once

Taiwan is a culinary epicentre in the region, with a strong foodie culture. Delicious, great-quality food can be found everywhere in restaurants and street stalls. Here are some of our favourite puds with steps on how to make them.

Texture is a priority in Taiwanese cuisine, and it is no different when it comes to desserts. There are all kinds of sweet treats, drinks and cakes to try, and if you are not familiar, then hold on to your taste buds, as you’re in for a foodie adventure of flavour and texture like you’ve never tasted before.

* Taro balls

Taro and sometimes sweet potato are used to make this chewy Taiwanese dessert. They’re usually purple, although the ones made from sweet potato are yellow. They can be eaten very cold or warm, and are often used as toppings for other desserts such as douhua and shaved ice.

* Douhua

Douhua, or tofu pudding, is an old-fashioned Taiwanese dessert that many remember from childhood. It’s made of fresh tofu and served in a pool of brown-sugar or ginger syrup syrup. It can come with various toppings such as peanuts or taro balls, and is sometimes eaten with a peanut syrup. It’s a comforting pudding served warm, but you can eat it cold too. It can take a long time to prepare at home, but it’s worth the effort.

* Grass jelly

Jelly desserts are popular in Taiwan and “xian cao”, or grass jelly, is made using mint extract. This black jelly, with a mild herbaceous taste, is shaped into cubes and served cold with syrup or condensed milk. It can also be added to other desserts such as shaved ice.

* Shaved ice

A block of ice is turned into thin shavings, then served, topped with seasonal fruits, syrup or condensed milk, tapioca, taro balls, among other things. It is eaten all year round, but is especially loved in the heat of the summer. It’s cousin, “snow ice”, is a similar dessert made from thin shavings of frozen milk or cream.

* Mochi

This Japanese import is incredibly popular in Taiwan. They are small, round, gelatinous rice cakes that are chewy and mildly sweet; they come in different flavours such as sesame seed, matcha, taro and, most commonly, peanut. It’s eaten as a snack with tea, or as a sweet ending to a meal.