Fan Tuan 飯糰 (Taiwanese Burrito)
Fan tuan (飯糰) is one of the most beloved breakfast foods in Taiwan. If you grew up in Taiwan, chances are you grew up eating it, whether grabbing one from a neighborhood breakfast shop on the way to work or enjoying it on a busy morning.
At first glance, fan tuan may look simple: warm, sticky rice wrapped around a savory filling. But once you take a bite, you get layers of texture and flavor. It’s the perfect combination of soft and crispy, savory and slightly sweet.
For many Taiwanese people, fan tuan is more than just breakfast. It’s a nostalgic taste of home and a food that brings back memories of childhood, busy mornings, and the familiar breakfast shops found on streets all across Taiwan.
If you’ve never tried fan tuan before, this is one Taiwanese breakfast you definitely shouldn’t miss.
What makes it special?
In Taiwan, fan tuan is the kind of breakfast you grow up with. In the U.S., though, it can feel like discovering a completely new way to think about breakfast. Imagine a breakfast burrito, but instead of a tortilla, you get warm, chewy sticky rice wrapped around a crispy Chinese donut, savory pork floss, pickled mustard greens, and crunchy dried radish. It’s portable, filling, inexpensive, and packed with contrasting textures in every bite.
Note:
- The most important thing is the texture contrast: Soft, warm, slightly chewy rice + crispy youtiao + savory pork floss + salty/pickled filling
- Don’t make the rice too wet, and don’t add wet fillings directly to the rice or the youtiao will become soggy.
Fan Tuan (Taiwanese Burrito)
Ingredients
- Quantity depend on the size of the fan tuan
Rice base (cooked)
- 1 cup Purple Rice
- 1 cup Glutenous Rice
Filings
- 2 tbsp Pickled mustard （酸菜）
- 2 tbsp Pork floss （肉松）
- 2 tbsp Dry radish (萝卜干）
- 1 Chinese donut youtiao, 油条 cut in half
- 1 Fried Eggs
Instructions
Prepare it
- Have all ingredients ready before assembling. The process is similar to making a burrito.
- Rice: Mix 50% purple rice and 50% glutinous rice and cook in a rice cooker. Set aside.
- Chinese donut (Youtiao): Air fry at 350°F for 5 minutes until crispy.
- Pickled mustard greens & dried radish: Dice both into approximately ¼-inch pieces.
Roll it
- Place a large piece of plastic wrap or a bamboo sushi mat on your work surface.
- Spread a layer of hot sticky rice into a rectangle, about ½ inch thick.
- Put the fillings down the center, then use the plastic wrap to fold the rice tightly around the filling.
Shape it
- Compress it firmly into a long oval/cylinder.
- Twist the ends of the plastic wrap to tighten it, then unwrap.
- You can also wrap the finished fan tuan in seaweed which turns into (called Onigiri).
