Guotie, Corn Chowder and Soy Sauce...Aaaahhh Guotie! |
If you've spent anytime reading this blog then you probably already
realize that I love to eat. I like
Mexican food, I like American food, I can eat Indian and Thai food, but I
absolutely love to eat Chinese Food, especially the Taiwanese versions of
Chinese food. One of my all-time favorites,
at least at this writing is Guotie, or for my Mandarin challenged friends…Pot
Stickers.
My first encounter with these took place at my sister, Lori’s
house. I watched her wrap the meat in what
looked like Won Ton wrappers and make little hat shapes then cook them in the
frying pan. Her remembrance of this
event may be a little different than mine, but I think that’s what she
did. In fact, I may be way off the mark
here, because it must have been a long, long time ago, because this is a very
vague memory. She may think that none
of this is even remotely accurate. If
that is the case, then remember I grew up in the sixties and well…some of you,
the older ones know, how it was.
Gather From All Directions Restaurant |
I was reintroduced to them after I arrived in Taiwan. About two years ago a friend came to Taiwan
to preach a revival for me. One of the
couples in the church went with us to lunch.
They knew this little restaurant and they said the food was great, and
inexpensive.
This little restaurant is called, 不妨雲集, or in
English, “Gather From Every Direction.”
I like that the name of the restaurant tells you exactly what to do. I
know a place that sells, Milk tea and Pearl tea, that’s called, 來買 or in English,
“Come Buy” I like that, there’s no beating around the bush. Who knows, the direct approach seems to
work. At Gather From Every Direction,
(henceforth known in this post as GFED,) they specialize in Guotie. They have Pot Stickers of every kind.
Guotie prices each |
A Pot Sticker, for the uninitiated is really a fried dumpling. They take the same filling as in 水餃, steamed
dumplings and wrap it in the same type of dough, but instead of boiling it
three times they fry it in a mixture of water and oil. They serve Guotie that’s made with curry,
some with shrimp, some with Korean spice and other varieties. The Guotie are homemade, right there in the
restaurant.
When we arrived four women were happily chatting and filling the
wrappers. They were delighted to see us
taking an interest in what they were doing and allowed us to take their
pictures.
The food is delicious and indeed inexpensive. W had a completely filling meal for NT $125 (approx. US
$4.00). The meal included 20 Guotie and
a bowl of delicious Corn Chowder. My
wife loves the Corn Chowder; I’m not really all that into it. It’s not that it’s not tasty; I just don’t
like sweet soup all that much.
If you’re in Taoyuan City there are two locations. One is on Zhong Shan Road (中山路) the other is
on Zhong Hua Road, (中華路). They are both delicious and
the service friendly.
I promised them this picture. The Giggling Guotie Girls! |
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