Koa-chhâ-pán

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Koa-chhâ-pán or coffin board is a type of Taiwanese bread bowl with a very unusual name. It dates back to the 1940s and has since become a popular street food item in the country. The dish consists of a thick slab of white bread that is toasted or fried and then filled with creamy soup. The typical filling consists of a combination of chicken meat and gizzards, carrots, green peas, and corn kernels, combined with béchamel sauce. Nowadays, the fillings can vary and include anything from curries and different types of meat and seafood to a combination of vegetables and mushrooms, or even some exotic ingredients such as pineapples, mangos, bananas, or other types of fruit. To add the filling, before the slab of bread is toasted or fried, a square piece of bread is cut out carefully from the top, then a large cavity is made on the inside, and once the cavity is filled with the creamy mixture, the top is placed back: a creation that resembles a coffin, hence the name.