finally learning how to cook <3
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
things have finally started to slow down in light of typhoon bavi gracing me with its presence. life in taiwan has been starting to look a little slower, and i'm realizing that my time here is slowly dwindling. i feel as though i've only started to adapt to this bustling life in taipei, seeing as i've only posted twice on this blog. however, here you go, another blog post! hopefully, if you like cooking, you can take something from it. i don't cook much, but thought that i would partake in something i've never done before with my lovely roommates.
our instructor never showed up so our program coordinator taught us the recipes
recipe #1: stir-friend tomato and eggs
this recipe reminded me of when i was a kid. since i've gotten older, my mom has stopped cooking as much cultural food, and being away from home at madison for over three-quarters of the year doesn't help either. when i was sick, my mom would always make me a warm dish with eggs; something to go down easily, especially when i had a sore throat or didn't feel comfortable keeping anything down. eggs were nourishment, and they were filled with a special kind of love because i knew that these dishes were special and only for me. i think you should try this one out if you're a fellow broke 20-something, because it's cheap, doesn't take much effort, and makes you feel good.
ingredients:
3 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
5 eggs, beaten,
1/6 of an onion, finely diced
chopped scallions (green part)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp ketchup
instructions:
beat the eggs into a bowl.
cut the tomatoes into wedges.
heat some oil in a pan and scramble the eggs until they are around 60-70% cooked. remove them from the pan and set them aside.
in the same pan, sauté the onions until they're fragrant, then add the tomatoes.
season with the salt, sugar, and ketchup
return the eggs to the pan and gently stir everything together before serving
feel free to cut up some scallions and sprinkle them on top
recipe #2: three-cup chicken with king oyster mushrooms
you should really trust me on this one because mia said that my group cooked it the best. anyways, this tasted phenomenal! it made me feel like i could actually cook. i find that in taiwan i've really been starting to miss american food, and while there are not any specific dishes i could name, it's the general heartiness of american food that i miss. taiwanese and chinese dishes tend to be a lot lighter, and while (in my personal opinion) it keeps you feeling better during the day, i think that a lot of american food keeps you feeling more full and emotionally comforted, which is exactly what i've been missing on my busy days at school and my internship.
ingredients:
2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized portions
2 king oyster mushrooms, cut into chunks
sliced ginger
6-8 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed
2 red chilies, sliced
50g thai basil
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 tbsp of toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp of thick soy sauce (soy paste)
ingredients for the three-cup sauce:
4 tbsp of water
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rock sugar (or sugar is fine)
2 tbsp rice wine
instructions:
pan-fry the king oyster mushrooms until lightly browned. then set them aside.
sauté the ginger and garlic until golden and fragrant. then set them aside.
sear the chicken until browned
return the mushrooms, ginger, and garlic to the pan. add the thick soy sauce, sesame oil, toasted sesame oil, and chilies.
pour in the three-cup sauce and simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce is reduced.
add the thai basil and stir-fry for about 5 seconds. splash a little rice wine and toasted sesame oil around the edge of the pan before serving.
recipe #3: flies' head stir-fry
this is a super rich and delicious dish that my roommates will have the pleasure of eating once i'm back home because i might have to cook it once a week (you're welcome bryna and elise). i love how umami this dish is; definitely something that you should cook when you're lazy but you're craving something savory. something i learned is that you can often find this dish at night markets in taiwan, however, the first time i've seen or heard of this dish is when i was cooking. **IMPORTANT: make sure to eat this with rice; the flavor is immense, and you're definitely going to need it.
ingredients:
250g ground pork
250g garlic chives, finely diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 chili, sliced (optional, but you totally should)
1-1 1/2 tbsp fermented black beans
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine
white pepper, to taste
a drizzle of sesame oil
instructions:
stir-fry the ground pork until cooked, then add the rice wine.
add the garlic, chili, and fermented black beans. stir-fry until fragrant.
add 2tbsp of water and let it simmer.
season with soy sauce and white pepper.
turn to high heat and stir-fry the garlic chives for 30 seconds to 1 minute
finish with a drizzle of sesame oil before serving
recipe #4: dragon beard greens with sesame dressing
honestly, not my favorite, but i still encourage you to try it. i'm honestly just not a super huge fan of cold dishes (with an exception to 拍黄瓜). i did like how sweet and crisp the dragon beard greens were, however. this one is pretty simple, and i don't have much to say about it.
ingredients:
300g dragon beard greens
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
instructions:
wash and trim the dragon beard greens
blanch the greens in salted boiling water for about a minute
transfer to ice water, then drain well.
toast the sesame seeds until fragrant, then grind them.
mix the sesame seeds, mayonnaise, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil to make the dressing.
pour the sesame dressing over the greens and serve.
me (left), pinky (middle), spring (right)
i had lots of fun! here's a picture of my roommates and i. aren't we cute? until next time..
sincerely,
celeste
