After a long flight to Taiwan, 24 hours in all, I was ecstatic to find a bowl of Oyster Vermicelli (阿宗面线 pronounced oh ah mee suah) waiting for me at my a-ma's house. This dish is the heart of Taiwan cuisine and can be found at food stalls at every night market you explore in Taiwan. It's richness comes from the oysters, chunks of pig's large intenstine, and mushrooms. While the ingredients may sound intimidating and a bit strange, it's what makes this dish so unique and flavorful. It's well worth the "risk"!
I slept in the next day; thank goodness I did since I didn't sleep one bit on the plane. After I awoke and got ready for the day, we went over to my uncle and aunt's house and found another fantastic meal waiting: sesame oil chicken soup (麻油雞湯 known as ma you ji tang) and bok choy (小白菜 known as xiao bai cai) with a wonderful chili shallot sauce. The soup is so simple, with only a few ingredients, but a spoonful of it will change everything you thought about Chinese food, in a very good way. The broth is a beautiful marriage of sesame oil, ginger, and rice wine.When coupled with soft rice noodles, you have the perfect soup. And of course you can't forget about the bok choy. The crunch of the bok choy, the savory richness of the shallots, and the spicy kick of the chili oil makes it so easy to eat your vegetables.
The next day, we took a ride to the city where my mom grew up to explore all the small stores lining the streets and to visit old friends and family. While visiting my great uncle, we were treated with a delicious sweet peanut soup (花生糊 known as hua sheng tang). The beauty of this sweet soup is that it allows the nuttiness of the peanuts to shine. The peanuts are boiled for hours and hours until it reaches that perfect softness and the sweetness of the peanuts fill the soup.
This post is to be continued!
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