Taiwan: Part 3

I'm on a roll today and playing catch up with all my posts. Here is Taiwan: Part 3!

We visited one of our favorite restaurants in Taiwan. We've gone to this restaurant since I was a little girl and it's still considered to be one of the best yi-mein restaurants in Taiwan. It serves a specialty Taiwanese noodle dish, that can be served either in broth or with a sweet and savory sauce. But that's not all. You can get a bunch of little dishes that are exquisite and uniquely Taiwanese. We got cow heart, duck liver, shark, roasted pork, green vegetables, and all sorts of other dishes. We also ended the meal with a flan on shaved ice and a red bean dessert with condensed milk. 

 

Next, we traveled to visit one of Taiwan's best restaurants that serves really good beef noodle soup (牛肉麵, pronounced niu rou mian). It had a killer beef broth, super tender strips of beef, and perfectly cooked noodles. We also ordered small dishes of pork belly with seaweed and tofu slices. A perfect meal to end the day.

 

Taiwan: Part 2

It has been a busy, busy month! With the holidays coming up and Tyand I's wedding getting much closer, we are in go, go, go mode. But here is a little more of Taiwan. Here are some more pictures of the cuisine and the city for you.
 
I got to tour one of Taiwan's famous night markets, Shilin night market. It's full of fun foods and great finds. When you go, you have to get the Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎, pronounced oagen). Oagen is a fantastic mix of scrambled eggs, scallions, cabbage, fresh oysters, and gelatinous flour, coated in a beautiful sweet and savory sauce. The stand selling the oagen had dozens and dozens of customers lined up waiting to try a bite, and for good reason. Oagen is one of those dishes that defines Taiwanese cuisine.

Another Taiwanese favorite is stinky tofu and boy is it one of my personal favorites. It's exactly how it's described, it's stinky. But the crispiness of the tofu skin and the soft texture of the tofu itself, mixed with the wonderful pickled cabbage and hot sauce, you've got the perfect bite.

You'll find stands like this everywhere you go in Taiwan. They sell a wonderful mix of tofu, meats, and more meats. It's the perfect snack to go. My favorite thing to get in stands like this are the tofu squares, the fish cakes, and the duck heads! Just don't forget to ask for a little spice when they prepare your snack.

Another specialty dish is pork intestine soup. It's a simple broth with rice and pork intestines. It's not a complex soup, but it's so flavorful, especially with a dash of white pepper. We got ours to go, but here is a snapshot of it being prepared!

The next I want to share with you is a drink that defines Taiwanese culture. Most people would guess bubble tea, but not quite so. This drink has been around for ages. It's the perfect Taiwanese drink that helps cool you down and renews your palette. It's an ice tea, with lime, grass jelly and tapioca. It's super refreshing and a wonderful end to all those snacks we've enjoyed at the night market.

Taiwan: Part I

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!

Taiwan: An Introduction

 

Taichi in the mornings;

Fan tuan (反團 - rice roll), you tiao (油条 - fried dough stick), and dou jiang (豆漿 - soybean milk) for breakfast;

Long naps;

Bargain shopping in Shilin District;

Stops at random CoCo stores to get bubble milk tea;

Snacking on local Taiwanese cuisine at the night food markets;

Exploring the unique creations at bakeries dotting the many streets of Taipei;

And late night talks and singing sessions with my a-ma.

These are only some of the things I love about Taiwan and some of the things I got to do while traveling there these last two weeks. In the next few posts I would like to share with you my stories and experiences in Taiwan, except told through food. It's amazing how food can make and transform memories, bring people together, and tell a story. And that's a story I would love to share with all of you!

Plus, you can count this as a helpful introduction to Taiwanese cuisine. If you ever do decide to go to Taiwan, which I strongly strongly recommend (did I say strongly?), you can use these posts as a reference for some of the speciality Taiwanese dishes you should not miss. Many of these dishes are dishes that I grew up eating and are the heart of Taiwanese cooking. Believe me, you will not want to miss this!

Stay posted! :)

Apple pie

This post is devoted to another fall favorite of mine and Ty's absolute favorite dessert, apple pie! I love how this classic American dessert perfectly marries, yet spotlights the tartness of granny smith apples, the flakiness of a perfectly made pastry crust, and the fragrances of all those fabulous spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. This was actually my first pie and boy was I happy with how it turned out. You will be too! Enjoy!

What you'll need:
1 package of pie crusts (normally comes with two)
5-6 granny smith apples peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 lemon juiced
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cloves
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. of butter

Directions:
1. Prepare pie crust according to directions on package for 1 filled crust pie.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Mix slices apples with lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
4. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in a pan and cook the apple mixture for 5 minutes. Not too long otherwise the apples will turn a bit too mushy.
5. Spoon apple slices into pie crust

 6. Arrange lattice crust on top of apple mixture. It's really easy! For detailed instructions, please see the Simply Recipes website.
7. Bake for 45 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool down!

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Fall is here, fall is here! It's time to pull out those chunky sweaters, patterned scarfs, and cute boots.  It's also time to get ready for some delicious fall flavors. I know I have! I'm already craving those fall-y decadent and creamy soups, heartwarming baked desserts, and roasted vegetables and squashes and meats. To celebrate the coming of fall, I made a spiced pumpkin cheesecake, my first cheesecake in fact! The recipe is an adaptation from Paula Deen's pumpkin cheesecake recipe and I have to say, it's so good and really easy to make. The hardest part is honestly waiting for the cheesecake to set in the fridge! Hope you enjoy!

 What you'll need:
2 pre-made graham cracker crust*
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* If you use pre-made graham cracker crust like I did, the recipe below makes two cheesecakes. Make sure you get two pre-made cracker crusts from the store otherwise you'll have too much filling!  Another thing is I added a lot more cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground cloves than the recipe asked for. Feel free to add as much spice as you want. 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat the cheesecake until it's soft and moldable (enough)
3. Mix the pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, spices, flour, and vanilla until it is fairly well mixed. Mix in blender or food processor for a really good mixing
4. Pour filling into crust. Bake for 1 hour. Some reviewers have said the pie can take longer to cook. Poke the cheesecake with a toothpick after 1 hour and see if the cheesecake is runny. If it is, keep baking and check every 10 minutes. You don't want it to overbake!

 5. Cover cheesecake with plastic liner and refrigerate for at least 4 hours!

Crockpot Beef Bourguignon

Hi, this is Tyler, this is my first guest post!  I've selected Beef Bourguignon, a very tasty dish.  This is the third time I've made it.  This dish originates in Burgundy and brings a deep richness of flavor via red wine.  I first had this dish after a long day of skiing in New Mexico and decided I had to make it myself.  My spin on it is intensely flavorful and relatively simple.

What You'll Need:
2 lbs cubed beef (very easy to find)
1 large yellow onion
1 package baby portobello mushrooms
1/2 bottle inexpensive Pinot Noir or Burgundy
2 shots brandy (optional)
1 small 6 oz can tomato paste (perfect size)
12 oz beef stock or top off crockpot
Salt
Black Pepper
Cayenne Pepper
Garlic Powder
Celery Seed
Thyme
Oregano (I use a lot of seasoning in things)

Directions:
1. Place all the beef in a large frying pan.  Brown the meat on high heat, turning the chunks to brown each side.  Some pink on the inside is ok, it's going to be cooked for a long time in the crockpot.   

2. Dump all the meat into a pasta strainer.  This will drain off most of the drippings and make your final result healthier and less greasy. 

3. Dice the yellow onion and quarter the mushrooms.  Place these in the crockpot with the drained beef.  

4. Turn your crockpot on high as you prepare the liquid portion of the stew.  Pour in the red wine, the stock, the and scrape the tomato paste in.  Optionally add a small amount of brandy for intense flavor.  Stir it all together. 
5. Add all the seasonings.  For me I can never add too much dried oregano but be sure to get your salt level right and be sparing with the cayenne.  Taste the liquid and adjust accordingly, don't be alarmed by the "booziness," the alcohol will cook off. 

 

6. Top off your crockpot and set it to low.  Let it cook overnight or while you're at work, I usually put it in before bed.
7. When you come back to you have a huge batch of stew!  Like any stew it keeps well in the fridge, I get at least 4 servings out of this, if not more. Such a good value.