One of my favourite breakfasts in Taiwan is xian dou jiang - hot, savoury soy milk, lightly curdled with ... make sure it doesn't contain sugar. The dried shrimp should be tiny and delicate ...

Break the dried chillies in half, shake out and discard the seeds, then put the chillies into the pot. Add the soy sauce, rice wine, cinnamon sticks, star anise, sugar, chun pei and 1 tsp of salt ...