Hualien's soy sauce trio! Bitter gourd leaves a sweet aftertaste, maqaw is richly layered, and the pure-brewed sauce is fragrant and deep

Made by brewing bitter gourd together with local soybeans, this soy sauce has no bitterness at all - its sweet, refreshing aftertaste is stunning! Hualien is the largest production area for domestically grown organic soybeans, reaching as much as 200 hectares. The Hualien District Agricultural Research and Extension Station (abbreviated as Hualien DARES) has teamed up with a long-established local soy sauce shop to make three soy sauces using Hualien's distinctive soybeans along with bitter gourd, maqaw and other ingredients, creating unique flavors that astonished both the brewers and the chefs.

"The bitter gourd soy sauce is unexpectedly delicious! The maqaw soy sauce has the richest layers of flavor - it starts with soy sauce and finishes with a fresh lemon aroma; and the aroma of soy sauce brewed from local soybeans lasts longer than that of imported ones," said Hsu Huan-hsun, the third-generation heir of Shin Wei Soy Sauce, excitedly. Chuang Yu-hsien, head chef of the Taiwanese restaurant Ming Shih Fu, said that pure-brewed soy sauce is suitable as a soup base, dipping sauce or braising liquid; the bitter gourd soy sauce works to enhance freshness and can be paired with vegetables or seafood, while the maqaw soy sauce is suited to red meat. All three have their own distinctive character.

Hualien soybeans have a high milk yield, bitter gourd is rich in vitamins, and maqaw has a better aroma than that grown in western Taiwan

"Hualien is not the largest production area for domestic soybeans, but it grows the most organic soybeans." Hualien DARES director Tu Li-hua said that the national annual soybean output has already reached 4,403.5 metric tons, and Hualien's annual soybean output is as high as 335 metric tons. The area under organic soybean cultivation alone is 200 hectares, mainly produced in Fenglin Township, Guangfu Township and Yuli Township.

Hualien DARES used its own bred Hualien No. 1 and No. 2 soybeans, along with Hualien No. 2 bitter gourd and Hongye Village maqaw as ingredients, and collaborated with Shin Wei Soy Sauce, which has 95 years of brewing experience, to develop three distinctive soy sauces. "The technical threshold for brewing is relatively high, and the added value is correspondingly high as well." Hualien DARES assistant researcher Tsai Ping-yun stressed that the ingredients of all three soy sauces are organic, eco-friendly crops.

Tsai Ping-yun explained that Hualien No. 1 is a variety with larger seeds, while Hualien No. 2 has a higher yield; both beans have a high milk yield. Hualien No. 2 bitter gourd is rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and folate. Maqaw is a traditional spice of the indigenous peoples. This time they specifically chose maqaw from Hongye Village in Wanrong Township because the village sits at an average altitude of about 300-700 m, where the temperature and humidity are very suitable for maqaw growth, and in past aroma evaluations it far outperformed maqaw grown in western Taiwan.