What it is
Fen guo (粉粿) is a wobbly, chewy jelly made mainly from sweet potato starch, sometimes with cassava starch added. It has little flavour of its own and is only mildly sweet. The common kind is bright yellow, tinted with gardenia (黃梔子). A darker brown sugar version (黑糖粉粿) takes its colour from the sugar.
Where it came from
The second character, guo (粿), is the word used in Chaoshan, Fujian and Taiwan for cakes made from rice flour, wheat flour or sweet potato starch. A chewy starch cake called fen guo is also made around Zhangzhou in Fujian. Taiwan usually eats it as a sweet, with syrup or ice. Several Guangdong foods share the name, among them a savoury Chaozhou snack, but they are different dishes.
How it is made
Sweet potato starch and water are mixed into a batter. The old way is to cook it in a hot pot, stirring until it thickens, which can leave it uneven; some makers steam the batter instead for a more even texture. Gardenia gives the usual yellow. One Taiwanese ice maker also colours batches with red yeast rice, matcha, brown sugar and almond.
How to eat it
A summer sweet. Eat it on its own with sugar syrup, or as a topping on shaved ice (剉冰), where it adds chew. At ice shops, ask for 粉粿 among your toppings. Markets also sell slabs of plain fen guo with a small packet of brown sugar syrup to take home.
Around Taiwan
- Tainan
- Chang Ying Seafood House (長盈海味屋) in Beimen, a milkfish restaurant, serves sweet potato jelly with brown sugar it fries by hand. Michelin's inspectors suggest a bowl after the meal.
