At the table
Eat hot with a spoon, taking the broth and cuttlefish together. Try the soup before adding extra vinegar or chili. Ask what is in the fish paste and stock if you avoid pork or other animal ingredients.
Contains cuttlefish, a mollusc; the common coated version also contains fish. It is not vegetarian or vegan. Fish paste or stock may contain pork, and some versions contain egg. Soy sauce or seasoned vinegar may add soy and wheat; sesame oil adds sesame. Rice wine may be used. Check the actual recipe for allergies or dietary restrictions; starch-thickened does not mean gluten-free.
Some cooks mix chopped cuttlefish into fish paste; others use uncoated slices in a stir-fried version. Bamboo shoots, vegetables, egg, stock and starch differ. Fish paste can contain pork fat, and the soup may use pork stock or lard. Rice wine, sesame oil and sauces also vary.
GET TO KNOW THE DISH
What goes into it?
Explore some key ingredients below. Preparations may use additional seasonings and ingredients.
Some cooks mix chopped cuttlefish into fish paste; others use uncoated slices in a stir-fried version. Bamboo shoots, vegetables, egg, stock and starch differ. Fish paste can contain pork fat, and the soup may use pork stock or lard. Rice wine, sesame oil and sauces also vary.
Typical ingredients
In some versions
Recipes vary by restaurant.
How does it taste?
Seafood savoriness with a little sweetness, garlic and white pepper; Taiwanese seasoned black vinegar adds tang. Chili is an optional addition, rather than an essential part of the soup.
- Chili heat
- Texture
- Firm, springy cuttlefish contrasts with a soft fish-paste coating and silky, starch-thickened broth. Bamboo shoots add a gentle crunch.
- How it’s made
- Cleaned cuttlefish is cut, lightly coated with seasoned fish paste and simmered. Stock and bamboo shoots are seasoned and thickened with a starch slurry, then finished with the cooked seafood, fried garlic, coriander, vinegar and sesame oil. Preparation varies by cook.
Some cooks mix chopped cuttlefish into fish paste; others use uncoated slices in a stir-fried version. Bamboo shoots, vegetables, egg, stock and starch differ. Fish paste can contain pork fat, and the soup may use pork stock or lard. Rice wine, sesame oil and sauces also vary.
A CONNECTION TO PLACE
Origin & regional roots
Associated with Taiwan.
About this regional connection
Taiwan: Taiwan national and New Taipei tourism document this snack.
Ask if they have it first
请问你们有花枝羹吗？
Do you have this item?
A LITTLE SOMETHING TO READ
Story & history
A familiar Taiwanese market soup
Huazhi geng appears among Taiwan’s night-market snacks. Its name identifies cuttlefish, while geng describes a thickened soup. The seafood may be coated in fish paste or served as slices, so bowls can differ noticeably between cooks.