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Stewed Pork Over Rice / Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
Stewed Pork Over Rice / Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
February 08, 2016

Za Chia Chu Fong 咱家廚房

Stewed Pork Over Rice

Celia Sin-Tien Cheng

Conveniently located across the street from Cathay General Hospital, one of the busiest hospitals in Taipei, is an unsuspecting little eatery called Za Chia Chu Fong (Our Kitchen) that serves the most delicious stewed pork over rice (lu ro fan). Lu ro fan, pork belly stewed for hours in a soy sauce base and drizzled over white rice, is one of the most representative dishes of Taiwanese cuisine. At Za Chia Chu Fong, the pork and its sauce is exceptional because they actually discard the lean meat altogether from the pork belly, so the dish is stewed in pork fat alone, creating a silky richness in texture and flavor. Another key to the success of this dish is that they use high-quality rice, impeccably cooked, yielding a fluffy and moist nest for the stewed pork. I am impressed each time I eat here, because they pay such careful attention to the rice, even though an order of lu ro fan costs just over a dollar (NT$35). I always get an extra spoonful of pork and sauce for an additional 50 cents (NT$15), which is well worth it. Za Chia Chu Fong is busiest during lunchtime, when they are packing countless number of bentos for takeout orders, as well as attending to the line of customers that extends out the door. The three most popular dishes are the pork chops, trotters, and chicken thighs (all served with stewed pork over rice and some vegetable side dishes), but I go straight for the basic. The quality is incredibly high for such reasonable fare, and the food is remarkably well-executed.

Za Chia Chu Fong 咱家廚房

No. 15-1, Lane 300
Section 4, Ren’ai Road, Da’an District
Taipei
Price
$
Neighborhood
Daan