Ba wan is the Changhua-origin glutinous rice-flour 'meatball', a translucent dumpling skin around pork, bamboo and mushroom, steamed then deep-fried, served with sweet sauce.
Ba wan was invented in 1898 in Beidou, Changhua, by Fan Wan-Chu, after a flood washed away the family's other ingredients and left only sweet-potato flour and pork. The dumpling spread north to Taipei, where it became a Bib Gourmand-recognised dish at Shilin Night Market and Tonghua. Sometimes called 'big circle' for its shape, the skin is intentionally chewy and translucent, distinct from regular jiaozi.
2 editor picks for Ba wan in Taipei, ranked by editorial score. All Taipei signature dishes · Ba wan across every city.
Shilin Night Market ★ 4.5
shilin · No. 101, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City 111
Shilin Night Market is Taiwan's largest, 500-plus stalls. Hot Star fried chicken, stinky tofu, ai yu jelly and the reopened underground food court.
Tonghua Linjiang Street Night Market ★ 4.4
tonghua · Linjiang Street, Da'an District, Taipei City 106
Tonghua-Linjiang Night Market is the locals' Da'an strip with about 200 stalls in a residential zone, Bib Gourmand listings for stinky tofu and tangyuan.