Weekend Food Tour: Munching at YangMingShan

I went to Yang Ming Moutain Park to watch Flower Festival, specially the cherry blossom. Along the way, there are some small stalls selling breakfast/snacks. Not to waste my 2 hours walking, I decided to have boiled purple corn and purple sweet potato.

This is not sweet, it was cooked in a big clay like below.

They also have different ways of preparing the sweet potatoes as shown above.

I think deep fried sweet potato taste better, but I prefer without oil :)

Some of Taiwese Snacks, they also have soup, noodles, and the like.

Come and See the Flower Festival, Cheers!

Luscious Saturday

Yummy Sunday

Weekend Food Tour: New Row Mian @ Fushion

Beef Rolled in Chinese Chives Pan Cake

牛肉面 Niu Rou Mian (Mandarin), in English simple as Beef Noodles. Last Monday, My class went for a late lunch near Taipei 101 in this new place called Fushion New Noodle. The ambiance is nice, since it's near the financial district so the price is a bit expensive.

My Japanese classmate and I shared with this three kinds of beef noodles in one order. Along with the beef noodles are some side dish.

Here's one of the beef noodles, with all the flavor, I like the taste that somewhat sweet, sort of LaMian (Cold Noodles) that made it a bit warm.

Here's the place looks like.

Almost weekend, have one!

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Just Beans for Monday

Just a simple meatless dish. I just boiled water, blanched the beans, removed the skin then sauteed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Happy Monday!

My Meatless Monday

MM Meatless Monday

Weekend Food Tour: DaBuTeppanyaki near Shi Da

鐵板燒

I was craving for Teppanyaki last Wednesday and I told my friend Nerie why not just go to a fast food Da Bu (Pu)Teppanyaki near NTNU just in front of Shida Park. She ordered beef, and I had the chicken. What I love teppanyaki is that it's cheap and fresh since the chef cooked the food right in there.

Here's my meal, along with chicken ~ two kinds of vegetables were served.

I also ordered extra egg omelet with green onion and fresh basil leaves.

And my favorite egg tofu in sweet soy sauce. 

 Enjoy! Happy Weekend!

Luscious Saturday

Yummy Sunday

Weekend Food Tour: Glutinous Rice Ball Soup

February 17, ends the celebartion of Chinese New Year. Mostly people here are eating Tang Yuan 湯 圓 or Sweet Round Glutinous Rice Soup with Black/Red Beans on this day. The roundness of the glutinous rice symbolize the 15th day of Lunar New Year , the first full moon, and the family wholeness.

This is not much sweet, which is good!

Another celebration is

Happy Lantern Festival!

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Sweets for Saturday

Japanese Style Beef Spaghetti

Sukiyaki Spaghetti (Noodles), symbolizes long life; to have a son to carry on the family name; prosperity. This I mentioned in my Chinese New Year that I prepared. I really don't know what will I call this dish, since I used most of seasonings in making Sukiyaki, then maybe Sukiyaki Spaghetti or Japanese Style Beef Sphagetti. I also added baby corn instead of mushroom (there's no place to market on Chinese New Year Days).

1/2 kilo beef, sliced sukiyaki style (long, veryt hin0
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons mirin
1/2 cup light soysauce
salt and pepper (optional)
baby corn (or any vegetables)
bunch of onion leeks, sliced into 3cm

pasta/noodles
bonito flakes

Marinate beef with soysauce and mirin, pan-fry in a butter  until cooked. Remove and set aside. Using the same  pan, add water (or beef stock) with bonito flakes,  once the water is boiling remove the bonito flakes. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, add the noodles and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.


I'm a bit busy for my mid-term Chinese Exams this week, so I'm connecting this to:

Tuesdays at the Table

Tasty Tuesday

Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday

Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays

Tuesday Night Supper Club

 What's On the Menu Wednesday

Real Food Wednesday

 What's Cooking Wednesday

Simple Irish Soda Bread

Just for a try, I tried making this Irsih Soda Bread from my cookbook Hmmm Baking... The bread that goes with any soup.

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

almost full cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven for 200 ̊C(400 ̊F). Place a parchment paper in a baking sheet. Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together into a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in most of the buttermilk. Mix well, first with wooden spoon and then with hands. The dough should be soft but not too wet. Add more buttermilk, if necessary. Turn out th dough onto a lightly floured counter and knead lightly and briefly. Shape into a circle. Put the loaf onto a prepared baking sheet and cut a cross on the top with sharp knife. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, serve war.

Happy Valentine's Day!

My Meatless Monday

MM Meatless Monday

Just Another Meatless Monday

Chocolate Light Cheese Cake

I prepared this as one of the desserts on Chinese New Year dinner at home. I admit I have a hard time doing this chocolate cheese cake adapted from Cheese by Alex Goh's Cookbook of Hong Kong. It should be feather light cheesecake, and I didn't follow the ingredients and procedure that's why the come out looks like saggy. I should remove the cake from the pan immediately. Still, it tasted creamy especially after I refrigerated it.

250g fresh milk

20g butter (I always use the stick butter kind equivalent to 100g, then I just divided it)

125g light cream cheese

50g flour

50g sugar (I used brown)

50g chocolate powder (I used unsweetened)

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

little bit of cream of tartar (about 1/8 teaspoon)

pinch of salt

In a pan, cook milk and butter until it boil (set aside). In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese until smooth, add the boiling milk and butter then mix until well blended. Add the flour into the cheese mixture and beat until well blended. Place the cheese mixture  over double-broiler, mix until thickens. Remove from the double broiler.  Add the egg yolks and mix until well blended.

In another bowl,whip the egg whites in until foamy, add cream of tartar, sugar, chocolate powder, and salt. Continue whipping until soft peaks. Add into cheese mixture and keep mixing until  well incorporated. Pour the batter into a prepared pan. Bake in water bath at 160 for 50-60 minutes until the center is set and golden brown. Remove the cake from the pan immediately, let it cool.

Happy Weekend!

Friday Potluck

Foodie Friday

Sweets for Saturday

Yummy Sunday

Chinese New Year 2011 @ Home

I invited my friends to come over on the 2nd Day of Chinese New Year. What I prepared is with somewhat Japanese Taste with a twist to link what food should be eaten on Chinese New Year. Here are some of them and their meaning.

While waiting for others, as a traditional saying I have here different kind of nuts for longevity and having more children (lots of descendants) for the coming new year.

Hot pot is what we have in the center of the table, constant simmering symbolizes continuing financial success for the upcoming new year. Some greens, for lengetivity. Fish balls for family reunion, and also perfection since the shape is round.

Here's an appetizer, egg tofu in sweet sauce symbolizes happiness (fu). I love this!

 Mix of anchovy and peanuts, fish should be larger and it symbolizes plenty of food to go round; peanuts as blessings to give birth soon.

White radish for good omen and cake symbolizes for promotion.  

I just added this cake made of yam and glutinous rice. Mostly the sauce is sweet soy sauce.

Pan-Grilled Miso Chicken (should be a whole chicken), symbolizes a flourishing as a whole family and prosperity.

Sukiyaki Spaghetti (Noodles), symbolizes long life; to have a son to carry on the family name; prosperity.

For our desserts, we have fruits, green tea gelatin, and Chocolate Cheesecake. Tangerine symbolizes auspicious; fortune; luck, etc.

There are more food the Chinese New Year that have lots of meaning. I hope you enjoy what I share with here in my little banquet :)

Food Trip Friday

Food Friday

Fat Camp Friday

Luscious Saturday

Pan Grilled Miso Chicken

I prepared this pan fried miso chicken wings last Chinese New Year, it's just like an ordinary marinated chicken with a little bit variation and adding miso paste.

5 tablespoons light soy sauce

5 tablespoons sake

5 tablespoons mirin

5 tablespoons light miso

5 green onions, crushed

2 tablespoons minced ginger root

3 garlic cloves, minced

24 pieces chicken wings

oil for grilling

Mix soy sauce, sake, mirin, miso, green onions, ginger root, and garlic in a blender. Coat chicken with mixture, marinate for about an hour or overnight. Place a bit of olive oil in a pan, grill pan the chicken until cooked. Add some marinade mixture to the chicken  if needed. Enjoy!

What's Cooking Wednesday

Real Food Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

D is for Do it Yourself

D is for DIY Omusubi or Rice Wrapped in Nori

I bought  DIY Dried Seaweed (Nori) wrapper

I have here fried rice mix with salmon and egg plus greens

(I just made this up, it's not a Japanese rice with vinegar)

Put some rice in the molder (comes with the Nori)

Place the rice into the dried seaweed wrapper

Fold the wrapper in half,

tuck in the sides following the rectangular shape.

Place the sticker to the ends, and this is how it looks.

Just follow the steps to unwrap it.

Here it is, I thought it would be complicated making it,

actually, it's fun Doing it Myself :)

ABC Wednesday - D

Cheesy Bites Scones

After Cheesy Bites Biscuits, I made this cheesy scones adapted from Cindy Harris of Daily Bread. The process is almost the same in making biscuits with only variation and additional ingredients.

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

50g butter, cut in small cube

2/3 cup milk

2 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

In a bowl, toss together flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, and butter until the butter blend in through the flour. Make a well in the middle of the mixed flour, add milk, mustard, and sharp cheddar cheese and mix together. Knead lightly, form a ball or use cutter to shape the dough. Arrange the shaped dough in the prepared cookie sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown in about 200 ̊C(400 ̊F). Remove from the oven and cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Enjoy.

Happy Week Ahead!

Mellow Yellow Monday

Saturday Swap

My Meatless Monday

MM Meatless Mondays

Mouth Watering Monday

Just Another Meatless Monday