A-gei
Encyclopedia
A-gei are a speciality food originating from Tamsui District of New Taipei City and consists of a piece of fried tofu
, stuffed with cooked Cellophane noodles
, and sealed with surimi
, which is widely sold by vendors in the district. The name a-gei was derived from aburaage , a fried and stewed Japanese tofu packet from which the a-gei is made. The individual a-gei are steamed to completion and served with either a plain soy-based or a sweet chili sauce. A-gei is commonly eaten with a bowl of stuffed fish ball
soup in the winter and a glass of cold soy milk
in the summer.
The a-gei was reportedly create in 1965 by Yang-Zheng Jinwen (楊鄭錦文), who combined various food items sold at her Zhenli street (真理街) food stall to sell as a new food item. This original a-gei consisted of fried tofu that has been emptied of its center, stuffed with cellophane noodles cooked in stewed ground pork, its opening sealed and covered with a carrot
and surimi mixture.
Tofu
is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks. It is part of East Asian and Southeast Asian cuisine such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, and others. There are many different varieties of tofu, including fresh tofu and tofu...
, stuffed with cooked Cellophane noodles
Cellophane noodles
Cellophane noodles are a type of transparent noodle made from starch , and water.They are generally sold in dried form, boiled to reconstitute, then used in soups, stir fried dishes,...
, and sealed with surimi
Surimi
Surimi is a Japanese loan word referring to a fish-based food product that has been pulverized to a thick paste and has the property of a dense and rubbery food item when cooked...
, which is widely sold by vendors in the district. The name a-gei was derived from aburaage , a fried and stewed Japanese tofu packet from which the a-gei is made. The individual a-gei are steamed to completion and served with either a plain soy-based or a sweet chili sauce. A-gei is commonly eaten with a bowl of stuffed fish ball
Fish ball
Fish balls are a common food in southern China and overseas Chinese communities made from surimi . They are also common in Scandinavia, where they are usually made from cod or haddock.-Terminology:...
soup in the winter and a glass of cold soy milk
Soy milk
Soy milk and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage is a beverage made from soybeans. A stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein, it is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water...
in the summer.
The a-gei was reportedly create in 1965 by Yang-Zheng Jinwen (楊鄭錦文), who combined various food items sold at her Zhenli street (真理街) food stall to sell as a new food item. This original a-gei consisted of fried tofu that has been emptied of its center, stuffed with cellophane noodles cooked in stewed ground pork, its opening sealed and covered with a carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
and surimi mixture.
Vendors
Well known vendors of a-gei in Tamsui include:- Original store a-gei (老店阿給)
- Three sisters a-gei (三姊妹阿給)
- Wenhua a-gei (文化阿給)