A-gei


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.

Culture

The a-gei was reportedly created in 1965 by Yang-Zheng Jinwen, who combined various food items sold at her Zhenli street 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, and then steamed to completion. The dish incorporates several techniques from other dishes including, the stuffing of aburrage in the manner of inarizushi, the capping of tofu with surimi to make Yong Tau Foo, and the used of cellophane noodles as a filling for many stuffed pastries.
The individual a-gei 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.

Vendors

Well known vendors of a-gei in Tamsui include: