Taiwan Food Atlas

Huwei Mushroom Pork Thick Soup

Dried flounder broth base, hand-formed pork slices and Taiwanese mushrooms — everyday fare at the Huwei Roundabout
📍 Yunlin · Huwei Roundabout, Huwei Township🗂️ Collectible · Soup🔖 Dried flounder broth · Hand-formed pork pieces · Roundabout everyday eating

Huwei Mushroom Pork Thick Soup is a signature thick-soup dish of Huwei Township, Yunlin County, made from a dried-flounder broth base with hand-formed pork pieces and mushrooms. The long-running local shop Ashi Mushroom Pork Soup was founded in the 1960s and has operated for more than sixty years, making it one of the most representative everyday snacks around the Huwei Roundabout commercial district. The broth is clean and sweet rather than murky, the pork is hand-shaped from pork shoulder, and Puli-grown mushrooms add fragrance — a hometown flavor Huwei locals have eaten since the morning-market era.

Huwei Township is the second most populous township in Yunlin County after the county seat, Douliu City, with a population of roughly 70,000, and is nicknamed the 'Sugar Capital' for its historic sugar factory industry. The long-running local shop Ashi Mushroom Pork Soup was founded in the 1960s by an owner surnamed Zheng, known as 'Ashi,' using Puli-grown mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, pork shoulder, and squid in its broth. It is located at No. 1, Lane 31, Huanan Road, Huwei Township, near the Huwei Roundabout, and has been operating for more than sixty years.

What is Huwei Mushroom Pork Thick Soup

For the pork pieces, the hind leg is hand-scraped into thin strips, seasoned, then formed into elongated chunks with a small amount of fish paste — without relying on excessive starch to bulk them up, which preserves the natural fibrous texture of the pork. The broth is made from dried flounder (bian-yu, a type of dried flatfish), producing a clean sweetness without any fishiness — lighter in body than pork rib or bone broth. The mushrooms are locally cultivated Taiwanese shiitake, with a pronounced mushroom aroma that further deepens the overall savory sweetness of the soup. The soup can be served with white rice or rice noodles — both work well.

Huwei Township is the second-largest town in Yunlin County, historically known for its sugar factory, and today a mid-sized town balancing agriculture with local commerce. The Huwei Roundabout commercial area has retained its traditional street-food vendor culture, catering not to tourists but to local office workers and students. A Huwei food guide in Travel Map (旅行圖中) has confirmed Ashi Mushroom Pork Soup as a perennial local favorite, and multiple Google reviews reflect its character as a place for everyday eating.

How to eat it like a local

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Rice noodles make it lighterPairing the thick soup with rice noodles rather than white rice lets the clean sweetness of the dried flounder broth come through more clearly. The noodles glide down smoothly once they've absorbed the soup — a common midday combination in the area.
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Don't pick out the mushroomsTaiwanese shiitake simmered in the soup fully absorbs the flounder broth's savory juices. The mushrooms become springy and sweet — they are the most rewarding supporting player in the whole bowl.
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Mid-afternoon is the best windowAs the lunch rush at the Huwei Roundabout commercial area subsides, the 12:30-to-1 p.m. window typically sees shorter wait times.
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Combine with a visit to Huwei Sugar FactoryHuwei Sugar Factory (home to the puppet show museum, among other attractions) is within walking distance of the roundabout. A half-day itinerary — pork soup followed by a cultural stop — works well.

Local knowledge

Verified sources

  • A Huwei food guide in Travel Map (旅行圖中) has confirmed Ashi Mushroom Pork Soup as a perennial local favorite, with consistent documentation over multiple years.
  • Dried flounder broth paired with hand-formed pork pieces and Taiwanese shiitake makes this the standard afternoon offering at the Huwei Roundabout commercial area — strongly local, everyday in character.
  • Multiple local Google reviews corroborate its non-tourist, local dining status.

Practical tips

  • Parking at the Huwei Roundabout is limited. Consider parking in a nearby lot and walking, or taking the bus to the Huwei stop.
  • Some pork soup stalls operate on a midday schedule; arriving between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. is the most reliable window.
  • Huwei Township has several other pork soup stalls. If Ashi is sold out or not open, there are alternatives around the roundabout.

Sources: Travel Map (旅行圖中) Huwei Food Guide, Google local reviews. Photos pending Dio's on-site photography.

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ashi Mushroom Pork Soup founded?

It was founded in the 1960s by an owner surnamed Zheng, nicknamed 'Ashi,' and has been operating for more than sixty years.

How does Huwei Township rank by population in Yunlin County?

Huwei has a population of roughly 70,000, making it the second most populous township in Yunlin after the county seat, Douliu City; it was historically known as the 'Sugar Capital' for its sugar factory.

What is the broth base for Huwei Mushroom Pork Soup made from?

It is built on a dried-flounder stock that is clean and sweet without any fishiness, paired with hand-formed pork shoulder pieces and Puli-grown mushrooms.

Sources

🗺️ View on the map ← All Yunlin dishes