Double Happiness

It’s always exciting going to a wedding reception – having a blast with the newly weds and enjoying the food and wine. Recently I’ve been to one wedding reception held at Ambassador Hotel in Taipei.  The hotel is well-known for its exquisite Cantonese cuisine, including my favourite suckling pig.  There were 12 courses, and many…

D-Place to Dine

D-Place – It’s a cozy space with homey decor, a comfy zone where you can enjoy gourmet food and wine with friends. This private kitchen made its debut in an old neighbourhood in Taipei on June 22.  Featuring modern French style fine dining with Asian twists, the owner/chef Dana simply wants to share her creativity…

Re-creating Dad’s Cooking – Take 1

Dad was a great cook, and he loved to eat, cook, and share. When I was little dad used to make crunchy and crispy shrimp pancakes.  Well, back in those days there was no fancy culinary jargon to describe dad’s cooking, and my sister and I simply called it “yummy deep-fried shrimp cake”. Dad used…

Duck Blood – The beginning and the final touch

Many Taiwanese people love mala hotpot, and they can have it all year round. One essential ingredient for mala hotpot is duck blood. Oh yes duck blood 🙂 🙂 🙂  Soft and jello-like duck blood cooked in hot and spicy broth until it’s packed with flavour. Duck blood usually is a good indicator to determine…

Hot and Spicy

The other day I had a chilli sauce at a local restaurant which has brought me back to my childhood memory. It was mainly made of red hot chilli and fermented black soybeans. The heat from the chilli and the saltiness with a hint of fermented sweet flavour from the black soybean really create a…

See you next year!

The Duan Wu long weekend is finally over. This year I have tried to constrain myself from eating too much Zong Zi, aka rice dumpling, as it is very easy to have one too many. My buddy has brought me some Jianshui Zong made by his mother.  I like this kind of Zong Zi with…

Szechuan Red Oil Wonton

Szechuan red oil wonton, aka “Hong Yo Chao Shou”, is originated from Szechuan province of China, where it is well known for its rich and bold, pungent and spicy favour from lavish use of chilli, garlic, and szechuan peppercorn. Sounds hot and spicy? Oh yeah! I love hot and spicy food, and yes I very…

Prawn Noodle

  When I was in Singapore last summer, I had an opportunity to discover more street food in the city, and one of my favs was prawn noodle. A very simple dish with full of flavour.

Minced Pork Rice, Braised Pork Rice, Lu Rou Fan, or Rou Zao Fan?

In terms of Taiwanese food, the names vary depending on which region you are in Taiwan, but they all mean the same thing – A bowl of steamed rice topped with delicious dark amber colour pork sauce. It is one of the most common street food in Taiwan. There are dozens of recipes online, but…

What makes stinky tofu stinky?

Well, I’ve been asked this question by my guests very often. For lots of tourist who are visiting Taiwan, stinky tofu is probably the most challenging, most intimidating, and most daring food to try. Simply put, stinky tofu is tofu fermentated in brine. Ha! Is it really stinky? Not really. The deep fry process neutralizes…