Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government

Households across the city are preparing the dishes scheduled for the Lunar New Year’s Eve Reunion dinner. During a visit to Kai-ping Vocational School on February 11, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin and his wife shared their private recipe “Hau family-style Lion’s Head” (a form of gigantic meatball) with the students of the culinary class.
The mayor admitted that there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of his culinary skills, especially in the area of shredding pork and using the mixing bowl. He noted that the most challenging aspect of the process is the meshing and mixing of the ingredients, which requires a good “feel” of the balance between the pork and air in the mix to produce tasteful meatballs.
At the request of the media, the mayor placed the meatball into the frying pan. Unfortunately, his method of dropping the food abruptly led to a splash of cooking oil, giving the reporters a good scare.
The students, who helped the couple during the preparation process, noted that the mayor’s special recipe is different from the regular Lion’s Head due the use of ingredients like clam soup, making Hau’s version much more delicious.
Finally, to welcome the Year of the Tiger, the mayor handed out red envelopes to the students and reporters, wishing them a happy Lunar New Year.