Taiwanese Chow

Chef Fu-Mao Sun shared a taste of Taiwan with us on November 15 & 16.

GuoHua Salad Inspired by the famous “eating” street in Tainan, Taiwan, my mother would make her sour and sweet version with rice wine vinegar, soy, and herbs. Smoked tofu mixed with tropical fruit, sliced napa cabbage, golden raisins, and crushed roasted peanuts tossed with sesame and herb dressing. Vegan & GF

Scallion Pancake Bread (蔥油煎餅) Whenever my mother had leftover dough from making dumplings, she would make Taiwanese crispy scallion pancakes which we always seem to have room in our stomachs for after a dumpling feast. My version is made with a yeasted dough and glazed with sweet soy. Smoked pork belly with scallion served with soy glaze with kewpie mayo and chili butter. Vegan and GF versions available

Flys Head (蒼蠅頭)  Please don’t be deterred by the name! The fly’s head refers to the fermented black bean in this traditional Taiwanese stir-fry dish. Growing up in my household, meat was never the highlight of any meal, but when available we were told to eat so we could grow “big and strong.” Marinated ground pork, sliced chive bud, fermented black bean, and birdeye chili served with rice. Vegan and GF versions available 

Pea Shoots (蒜蓉炒豆苗) My mother loves to stir-fry watercress with lots of garlic. But when we moved to rural Massachusetts watercress was hard to find, so she would pretty much cook up any leafy green edible vegetable she could find. I like to use pea shoots because they’re delicious and also have the subtle pea flavor with the crunchiness from the stems. Pea shoots sauteed in roasted sesame oil, sliced garlic, and rice wine, topped with fried shallots. Vegan & GF.

Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) My mother would always have a pot of Lu Rou Fan on the stovetop.  She used a “mother” sauce to braise ground pork and belly for hours and then would use the sauce for other noodle or rice dishes. This traditional Taiwanese dish is made with ground pork in the north and sweet diced pork belly in the south. Braised diced pork belly cooked with shiitake mushrooms, pickled daikon and soy sauce egg, served over rice. Vegan and GF versions available 

Dou Hua (豆腐花) This traditional Chinese street food is a dessert made from silken tofu. I had always disliked tofu until I tried  this deliciously sweet dessert version, from a street vendor in Chinatown NYC when I was a teen. Silken soy, peanut butter granola, sweet ginger syrup, and tropical fruit