Taichung I

Hey Guys!  Sorry for the long hiatus.  Life got in the way.  Or more specifically, law school.  But that is winding down now so here are some long overdue posts from my Mom's summer in Taiwan with my Dad and my little Sister, who was in Taichung to teach English to kids.  Our Grandma also stopped by for a bit for a quick vacation.  Hope you all enjoy!

- Darin

~~~~

I promised myself that for the entire duration of my mom's stay with us in Taiwan,  we will not dine in a Western food restaurants but today I broke my promise!  Twice.

         
Since our arrival, we have tried to only patronize the restaurants serving Chinese dishes, if not local Taiwanese food.  And yesterday, in sticking to this rule, I thought we could find something new in one of the popular department stores near our hotel.  When we arrived, I remembered that we had  already been there for the Hong Kong Style "Yum Cha" (different kinds of steamed and fried snacks, usually in bamboo containers).  So instead, we found a very simple and quiet place for lunch.  The menu had not only soups and sandwiches but also couple of pasta and risotto dished, in addition to some gratins and salads with meat.  But what really caught our eye were all the different kinds of ice cream, shakes and beverages displayed.  Seeing that, I was more than happy break my rule.  I love Taiwan but it is very hard to find a place like this to relax or just hang out.

台中廣三SOGO店 (04)2328-1662

台中市中港路一段299號4F (廣三SOGO百貨4F)

http://www.kssogo.com.tw/

It is a cafe and a bistro.  I love what I ordered, Spaghetti with Seafood in Chili Sauce and for dessert, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate & Stracciatella.  And my mom got the Affogato, which is espresso poured over vanilla and hazelnut ice cream.  I was so excited I forgot to take pictures to share!  One other dish, which was very good, was the classic Clam Spaghetti with White Wine Sauce.  Nobody complained!We ordered the set menu so our meals came with soup and salad.  The three of us tried the Pumpkin Soup, Corn Soup and Vegetable Soup.  Very creamy and delicious.

That evening, after my younger daughter heard that we went for pasta, she demanded to have some as well (she was at camp when we went for lunch).   I saw this as another opportunity to seek out another cute shop to eat at.  I decided to go to another department store, knowing that it would also likely have a small cafe like what I had at lunchtime.

Dazzling Café

台中新光三越店
電話：04-2251-8036 (每月16號預約次月定位)
地址：台中市中港路二段111號4樓 (新光三越4樓)
營業時間：一至五 中午11:00 ~ 晚上22:00；六日 中午10:30 ~ 晚上22:00(最後點餐21:00)
官方網站：http://www.dazzlingdazzling.com/

Also one in Taipei:

Dazzling Cafe Pink

地址: 台北市忠孝東路四段205巷7弄11號1樓
電話:             02-8773-9238
統一訂位專線 :             02-8773-9229      
時間:12:00~23:00   (週日~週四)  ;  12:00~24:00  (假日前夕.週五~週六)          

This little cute shop has pasta with big flavor, very much what my daughter is fond of.  We all agreed that the food was better quality than what we had for lunch.  And infinitely better than 20 years ago, when I was growing up here and the few western restaurants available were just so Chinese it wasn't even worth trying.

This place also had a set menu for soup, salad and pasta for 2 for NT$ 699.  I was impressed.  The Chicken Pesto Pasta was the most impressive one.  The dish had two big pieces of chicken breast and after a bowl of soup, and half a salad AND another half of pasta dish with a piece of chicken, we felt more than full. Then I ordered a dessert that I was very excited to see, the Waffle with Mochi filling.  It is quite a marriage between Western and Eastern culture. So sweet! And the ice cream on top completed the union!

 

 

Shrimp Tom Yum Soup with Noodles (ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำกุ้ง)

Tom Yum soup can be both clear broth or broth with coconut milk (Tom Yum Nam Kon) or another milk product such as whole milk, or half & half. In Thailand most people use evaporated milk because it is easier to find, is lower priced, and has a longer shelf life. The caveat is to never ever use any kind of low fat or fat free fresh milk.

But anyways, anytime I eat Tom Yum with any milk product my stomach will feel terrible for the rest of the night.  My mom said Thais did not really use any milk products until foreigners came but no one knows how Tom Yum with milk was first developed.   But if you ever like to change up your appetite to the milky broth, you will need to omit 1/2 cup water and replace with Half & Half.

Another thing that is important to note is that this recipe should really only use less sodium chicken broth.  If you don't feel like noodles, Thai Jasmine Rice or Brown Rice can be the accompaniment instead.  And please, DO NOT use pre-cooked shrimp.

- Daisy

~~~~

If you have never had Tom Yum with milk before, I highly encourage you to try it.  In most Thai restaurants outside of Thailand, this version will be a bit harder to come by so making it yourself is the best alternative.  It might sound weird to add dairy to a sour-ish soup but trust me it works.  I actually prefer Tom Yum Nam Kon to the regular version but I would recommend using coconut milk instead of milk since that is how Thais do it in Thailand.  And it just tastes better. 

This recipe looks a bit scary with having the char the spices and herbs but trust me it's not that complicated and tastes just delicious.

- Darin

~~~~

 Shrimp Tom Yum Soup with Noodles
ก๋วยเตี๋ยวต้มยำกุ้ง

Serves 1

65 g. Dried Thai Rice Noodle, soaked in warm water no more than 20 minutes
1 cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 cup Water
1/4-3/4 cup Mushrooms (a combination of white button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms is best)
4 slices Fresh Galangal, lightly bruised (just pound it with something to get its juices flowing)
4 Dried Red Chili
2 cloves Garlic (leave whole, please!)
4 Shallots (leave whole as well, please!)
1 stalk Lemongrass (cut off the dried tip, then cut into 5 diagonal slices, lightly bruised)
3-4 Fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves, torn in half
1 Lime, cut in wedges
1 tsp Palm Sugar (substitute regular sugar)
1-2 Fresh Bird Eye Chili, cut in half
Cilantro for garnish

1) Put the galangal, dried chili, garlic and shallots in aluminum foil and fold into a pouch.  Place the pouch directly on the stove on low heat.  Keep flipping the foil every minute as to not let the contents burn, approximately five minutes.

 2) Using a wide sauté pan, simmer both the chicken broth and water until a soft boil.  Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal. Let it simmer until a soft boil again.

3) Add mushroom and chili paste into the broth and then the shrimp, making sure the shrimp is spread apart and not on top of another.  Follow with palm sugar, fish sauce, garlic, shallots, dried chili.  Let the flavors meld.

4) Blanch the soaked noodles for a minute and quickly drain the noodles and put in a bowl.

5) Discard the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and galangal from the soup.  Pour the hot soup onto the noodles and serve.

Chinese Style Fried Pork Noodle Soup

Mom made this for me last week.  My comfort food fortification before the storm of finals hit.  Thank you, Mom, you're the best.  

- Darin

~~~~

Chinese Style Fried Pork Noodle Soup

4 Servings

Chinese Style Pork Chop Marinade:
2 Pieces Center Cut Pork Chop, Bone-in approximately 0.5" thick
1 tsp. Shaoxing Wine
1 1/2 tbsp. Chinese Soy Sauce
1tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Rice Vinegar
1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Sesame Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, minced

1) Wash and dry the pork chop well with a paper towel.  Using the back of the clever or a meat tenderizer, pound the meat to thin and flatten it out.

2) In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients together then add it into a ziplock bag along with both pork chops, making sure to rub both sides of pork chops well.  Let the pork chops rest for an least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

Frying Pork Chop:
1 Egg Yolk, beaten
¼ cup Cornstarch
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

1) Get a dredging station ready and be sure to use big enough plates as the pork chops should be fully coated by both the egg yolk and the cornstarch.  Shake off the excess marinade and dip the pork chops into into egg yolk then the cornstarch, shaking off the excess.

2) Heat up the frying pan on medium heat with the vegetable oil.  You can tell the pan is ready when you start seeing small wavy lines in the pan.  Carefully place the pork chop in the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan, so unless you have a big enough pan to fit both chops at the same time, you can do it one by one.  The pork chops should take around 3 minutes per side and DO NOT peek or move it around or you won't get a nice crust.  Just time it, then flip it to the other side.

3) While the chops are frying, prepare a cookie sheet with a rack on top to let the excess oil drip off.  After the pork chops are finished frying, rest the pork chops for 3-4 minutes on the rack before slicing.

Chinese Pickled Mustard Green Topping:
1tbsp. Garlic, minced (about 2-3 cloves)
1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1/4 Package Pickled Mustard Green “Lotus” Brand, very finely chopped
1 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Soy Sauce
2 tsp. Sugar
¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Sesame Oil

1)  Saute the garlic in the vegetable oil.  Once the garlic has softened, but not browned, stir in the pickled mustard and the rest of the seasonings. Stir until combined and set aside.

Soup:
6-8 cups of hot chicken broth, low or no sodium and preferably homemade, split between 4 bowls with the following in EACH bowl:
1 tsp. Soy Sauce
¼ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
¼ tsp. Sesame Oil
1/8 tsp. Salt
Chopped scallion

Noodle:
As for noodle, there are a number of choices but our family prefers the “Chinese Style” flat white (no egg) noodle.  Prepare the noodle per the package instructions.

Now the assembly time…..
After adding the the soup seasoning in the bowl followed by piping hot soup, carefully add the noodles and half of the pickled mustard.  Top with the sliced pork chop and chopped scallion.  You can also put the pork chop on a separate plate if you are afraid of it getting soggy.

Enjoy!

Kanom Jeen Nam Ya (ขนมจีนน้ำยา) / Thai Fish Curry with Noodles

It is almost winter and we have come back to get together again between friends. So when I found turmeric at Whole Foods, I knew I should try to do Kanom Jeen Namya.

Kanom Jeen, despite meaning "Chinese Candy" in Thai, is actually a fresh rice noodle dish in which the noodles are rolled into circles after being boiled. This kind of noodle originated from the Mong people, an ancient tribe in the northern mountains of Thailand but is now very popular throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia with a local variation and specialty in each area of Thailand. In the northeastern they have it with papaya salad, while in the south, the addition of Malay influence to the dish makes for a very spicy and even more savoury Kanom Jeen. The one I'm making here is the traditional Kanom Jeen Nam Ya, which is the most common variation of this dish.

- Daisy

~~~~

So sorry to everyone for the long absence. I've been a little blue since leaving Thailand and with law school, I had to put the blog on the back burner. Whoever said the second year is easier is a dirty liar.  But anyways everyone, my bad.  Mom and I are back!

My favorite variation of Kanom Jeen is the one I tried when I was in southern Thailand on vacation in the breathtaking Krabi. Which is inconvenient for my mother since that apparently is the hardest variation to make since it utilizes almost completely different ingredients, most of which are very hard to find in the US. One of these days though, I'll hunt them down and ask my mother to make it for us. Until then, this widely popular and most common version is a delicious alternative.

- Darin

~~~~ 

Kanom Jeen Nam Ya

ขนมจีนน้ำยา

Thai Fish Curry with Noodles

Serves 4

1 package of Japanese Somen Noodles

1 cup Fresh White Fish (flounder, scrod, halibut , haddock, sole, grouper, etc.)
1/2 cup Maesri Red Curry
3 tbsp Shallots, minced
2 tbsp Garlic, minced
1 tbsp. Galangal Powder
1 tbsp Krachai powder
1/4 cup Thai Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Palm Sugar
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 cup Coconut Milk

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

Optional: Fish meatballs (found in the frozen section of most asian supermarkets)

Served with:
Bean sprouts, fresh or blanched

Green Bean, sliced, fresh or blanched

Chinese Mustard Pickle, sliced

Fresh Thai Basil

Boiled Eggs, quartered

Thai Dried Red Chili, lightly fried

Bitter Melon, sliced and blanched

Shallot, fried or fresh

1) Boil the Somen noodles according to package directions for about 3 minutes. Rinse in cold water to stop the cooking (this type of noodle is very prone to over cooking), and take a handful and use a fork to roll it into circles, much like how you'd eat spaghetti.

2) Heat up a saucepan with vegetable oil and fry the curry for 1 minute then add in the garlic and shallot, sauteing until fragrant.  Approximately 4 minutes.

3) In another pot, on low heat, slowly boil coconut milk and chicken broth together. Put the fish to simmer until done.  The time will depend on how thick is your fish is, but the trick is to lower the heat and poach slowly until done, around 5 minutes.  To check for doneness, the meat will be flaky and easily pull away from the bone. 

4) When the fish is done, use chopsticks to tear off the skin, and then a fork to scratch down the white meat only, discarding the bones, the skin and the fish eggs if there are some.

5) Put the fish meat to the blender and some of the coconut mixture to help out to blend well. Then pour back to the pot. Add on galangal powder, Krachai powder, fish sauce, palm sugar. Let it simmer to boil.  If you are adding fish meatballs as well, which is traditional, add them with the fish to boil according to package directions and then cut in half.  I highly recommend this.  They are delicious.  And no, they do not taste like gefilte fish.  This is WAY better.

4) Add the curry and white whitefish into the broth and stir to combine.  The Nam Ya should be a bit thick, almost like a stew.

5) Assemble the dish.  First put in a couple rolls of noodles, then add the veggies and top it off with the curry.  EAT!

Note: This dish can be eaten either hot or warm or even cold. I recommend it warm. I like to eat with fresh chili and even together with dried chili are fragrant. By then, the heat is on!