What it is
Xi lu rou (西魯肉, se-lóo-bah in Taiwanese) is a thick, starchy stew from Yilan in north-east Taiwan. Despite the name, it is not braised pork. A bed of napa cabbage is covered with a sauce of shredded pork, mushrooms and vegetables, then scattered with golden crumbs of deep-fried egg (蛋酥).
Where it came from
The dish grew out of the open-air feasts that Yilan families laid on for weddings, funerals and other occasions. Villages were poor, so cooks shredded what they had, such as cabbage, mushrooms, carrot and bamboo shoot, and thickened it into one generous-looking dish. The fried egg crumbs have an almost meaty bite and served as a cheap stand-in for meat.
The name is a puzzle. One popular explanation says "xi lu" comes from the Japanese word for soup, making the dish simply soup with meat. It is still a fixture of Yilan holiday tables and a dish locals are proud to serve guests.
How it is made
Napa cabbage is cooked and laid in the bowl first. Shredded pork, shiitake mushrooms, dried shrimp, carrot and bamboo shoots are cooked together and thickened with starch, then ladled over the cabbage. Beaten egg is deep-fried into crisp golden crumbs, and a generous layer goes on top. Some cooks also add fish skin or enoki mushrooms.
How to eat it
In Yilan it appears at holiday meals and banquets as a shared dish. Some restaurants serve it with rice as xi lu rou fan (西魯肉飯), a large portion for two, and locals often stir takeaway portions into rice. Some cooks finish it with coriander and a little pepper.
Around Taiwan
- North
- Yilan counts the dish among its shou lu cai (手路菜), old dishes that show off a cook's skill. One Yilan chef has reworked it with dried scallops and cream in place of the starchy sauce, baked under cheese.
