A List of Ingredients for a Taiwanese Dinner

Specialty Ingredients: Chinese 5-Spice Powder, Chinese Pickled Cabbage, Cayenne Pepper, Sesame Oil, Chinese Black Mushrooms, Cloud Ear Mushrooms, Bamboo Shoots, Water Chestnuts, Rice Wine, Rice Wine Vinegar, Chili Paste, Black Bean Sauce or Paste, Panko Bread Crumbs, Pickled Radish

Fresh Ingredients: Ginger Root, Onion, Scalliions, Tofu, Whole White Fish, Shrimp (2 lbs), Garlic, Ham, Bok Choy, Celery, Basil, Parsley or Cilantro, Pineapple , Green Peas, Carrots

Basics: White Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Chicken Broth, Cooking Oil, Corn Starch, Eggs, Sugar, Rice

12:02 AM PDT Permalink |

Deciding on the Dishes for MyTaiwanese Dinner

Appetizer: Deep Fried Shrimp Balls
Soup: Hot & Sour Soup
Main Course: Whole Fish with Spicy Sauce, Spicy Stir-Fried Shrimp, Shreded Pork with Vegetables, Chicken San Pei, and Taiwan Fried Rice
Dessert: Lychees and Fresh Fruits in Season

12:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Designing the Menu for a Taiwanese Dinner
Last month's buffet style dinner was such a pleasure to prepare and enjoy that I've decided to do something similar this month. I'm thinking of serving everything 'Chinese restaurant style' in covered serving dishes. Which means that I will be deviating from my standard 'appetizer, soup, salad, main course and dessert' format. All the dishes include fresh vegetables among the ingredients, so there's no need to prepare a separate vegetable side dish. I think I still want to include a soup, and I've found a recipe that I think might be categorized as an appetizer. Nevertheless, I'm going to serve everything family-style in communal dishes, rather than on individiual plates. For dessert, I have some lychee fruits in the freezer that came from a grove in Florida sent to me by the orchard owner when I interviewed him a few months back. Last time I checked, they were still in perfect shape. I also saw lychees on display at Safeway last week, although this seems awfully late in the year for them to still be on sale.
01:41 PM PDT Permalink |

Getting Acquainted with the Cuisine
In my research of regional Chinese cuisine on the island of Taiwan, I learned that the flavors tend to be milder than those of Sechuan, Hunan and even Mandarin and Cantonese, although some of the recipes I found called for chili paste or hot peppers. However, most are flavored with garlic, ginger, soy sauce and fermented black beans. As an island province, Taiwan relies heavily on seafood for its daily sustenance, so many of the recipes are made with fish, shrimp and shellfish. Oysters are a particular favorite. Rice, of course, is a primary staple, as are an abundance of fresh vegetables, as well as an array of steamed buns and dumplings. Everyday fare also includes quite a few rustic stews and soups. For my 'Eat Drink Man Woman' dinner, I will be using several recipes that I think will give us a sampling of typical Taiwanese dishes.
12:03 AM PDT Permalink |

My Cookbooks
Well...as predicted, there will be no cookbooks this time. Not one of my cookbooks offers any genuine Taiwanese recipes, and I even checked the public library database for Taiwanese cookbooks, but no luck. So, I went surfing the Internet today in search of recipes and information about the cuisine of Taiwan. And I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the number of tasty-looking dishes I discovered. Within a couple of hours, I'd narrowed my results to several dishes that I think will adequately represent Taiwanese cuisine. Of course, there are lots of dishes that I was hesitant to choose for a first attempt, things like deep fried foods (which never turn out very well for me), dumplings and meat-filled steamed buns, both of which I'm guessing are rather labor intensive. I'd rather save those types of recipes for a time when I can focus all my attention on a single item, rather than trying to make a perfect batch of them while I have five other dishes coming off the stove.
01:59 AM PDT Permalink |

Looking for Taiwanese Recipes
I've already forayed into the cookbooks on my kitchen shelves and, as expected, not one of them contains a single recipe unique to Taiwan. Which means that I will be relying solely on what I can find on the Internet. But not to worry, the Internet offers such an abundance of recipes and websites devoted exclusively to food, that it's a wonder anyone bothers to publish a cookbook anymore. So, I'll be spending the next couple of days on the Internet learning all I can about the regional cuisine of Taiwan.
12:17 AM PDT Permalink |

My Taiwanese Cooking Experience
Although I cook Chinese-style meals at least one day out of every week, sometimes more, and have eaten hundreds of meals in Chinese restaurants (not to mention all the take-out I've consumed over the years), I have never used a recipe from a Chinese cookbook, and have certainly never focused specifically on the cuisine of island of Taiwan. When I cook Chinese style, I just make sure to include all the basic elements, such as soy sauce, ginger root, garlic, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, etc. Obviously I have a lot to learn. And I definitely want to stray off the beaten path and include a couple of unusual dishes. I've never visited Taiwan, so I have no firsthand experience upon which to base the menu for my Eat Drink Man Woman Taiwanese dinner. So although I have a good grasp of the basics of Chinese cooking, when it comes to preparing an authentic Taiwanese dinner, the learning curve may be a little steep this time. No doubt, I will rise to the challenge, and learn a lot in the process.
12:01 AM PDT Permalink |

Dinner & a Movie for the Month of October
Long before I was done with my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie, I had already chosen this month's film and related cuisine. It's one I've seen on the video store shelves and have always been curious to see it. It's a Taiwanese film called Eat Drink Man Woman, co-written and directed by Ang Lee. Amid the romantic escapades of a father and his three daughters, food appears to figure largely in the story. And in the process of researching the recipes, I will get to learn the subtleties that distinguish the cuisine of Taiwan from that of Mainland China. The experience should be a pleasant but challenging one, since I've been wanting to watch the film for years, but finding recipes specific and unique to Taiwan may require some extensive research. I'm definitely looking forward to the experience of both the food and the film.
01:35 AM PDT Permalink |

The Recipes and Photos for My Suriyothai Dinner
My Suriyotrhai Dinner & a Movie was a delicious success. Thai Spring Rolls, Beef & Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Thai Noodle Soup, Coconut Shrimp, Spring Vegetable Medley, Coconut Rice, and for dessert, Banana Fritters.

Here is a link to the Recipes .

12:05 AM PDT Permalink |

Film Review: The Legend of Suriyothai
Despite the misgivings of many critics, I thoroughly enjoyed The Legend of Suriyothai. Although the plot was a little complex and confusing, I thought it was a beautiful film with many redeeming qualities, especially with regard to its depiction of ancient Thai culture.

Here is a link to my review of The Legend of Suriyothai.

02:27 PM PDT Permalink |

A Tally of the Cost of the Dinner (in U.S.$)
The cost of the ingredients for my Suriyothai Dinner are listed below. Keep in mind that the prices are based on buying everything new rather than using ingredients that I already had in my pantry. Of course there were lots of things left over for future meals, so the actual cost of the dinner based on the quantities of the ingredients used to make the dishes will be much lower than the grand total of stocking a pantry from scratch for preparing Thai cuisine.

Specialty Ingredients:

Nam Pla Fish Sauce - 3.49
Thai Curry Paste 2.49
Dried Shrimp - 1.59
Coconut Milk - 2.58
Jasmine Rice - 3.29
Cellophane Noodles - 1.59
Soy Sauce - 1.99
Sesame Oil - 2.49

Fresh Ingredients:

Limes - .99
Jalapeno Peppers - .24
Shallots -.84
Garlic - .59
Cumin - .99
Corriander - .99
Peanut Butter - 1.99
Curry Powder - 2.49
Mint - 1.39
Baby Greens - 2.10
Radishes - .79
Cucumber - 1.29
Cole Slaw -1.69
Ginger Root -.44
Large Shrimp - 7.55
Bay Shrimp - 2.50
Scallions -.79
Tofu - 1.59
Bean Sprouts -.46
Peanuts - 2.39
Carrots - .49
Green Beans - 1.41
Red Pepper - 1.92
Mushrooms - 1.45
Green Pepper - .89
Bok Choy -1.87
Bananas -1.15
Shreded Coconut - 2.49
Corona Beer - 7.99
Orange Soda - .99

Basics:

Brown Sugar - .99
Vegetable Oil- 2.49
Corn Starch - 1.69
Eggs - 1.85
Butter - 2.50

Total - $83.28 U.S.
02:24 AM PDT Permalink |

All About the Dinner: How Everything Turned Out
Last night's dinner was a real feast. Despite my best efforts at moderation, as usual, I made way too much food. Not to worry, it definitely won't go to waste. While I was putting the finishing touches on all the dishes, we snacked on shrimp chips and roasted peanuts.

Next we enjoyed the spring rolls, half of which I served cold, the other half I baked in the oven until they were crispy. However, I made the mistake of putting lime zest in the dipping sauce and salad dressing, so it turned out a little bitter. I liked it, but Will and Rene didn't share my taste for it.

The grilled skewers of Beef and Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce were definitely the star of the show. I grilled them right at the table on my little electric grill and served them one at a time as they got done.

Next came the Pad Thai Noodles, a new experience for me. The bundles of dry cellophane noodles were nearly impossible to separate into individual servings, even with a large pair of kitchen shears. Somehow, I did manage to divide them in half to create smaller portions. I had a pot of seafood broth simmering in a crockpot at the table. So as we got ready to enjoy them, we chose from among a variety of toppings, including shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, scrambled eggs and scallions. A few minutes in the simmering broth and the dish was ready to serve up into individual bowls.

The Coconut Shrimp with Coconut Rice was a tasty treat for the main course, but by the time we'd enjoyed all the dishes that came before, we were too full to do it justice. So it will make an encore appearance at tomorrow night's dinner table.

Needless to say, there was no room for the Banana Fritters I'd planned for dessert, so those will have to wait for another meal as well. Over the next couple of days, I will be enjoying all the leftovers and revisiting the dishes that got passed over on the first go-round. No doubt, I'll be dining in style for a few days yet.

The fllm Suriyothai was a true epic...a visually stunning and illuminating account of Thai history and culture. Check back in a couple of days for a more detailed review.
02:52 AM PDT Permalink |

Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie Has Come and Gone
I've just finished tidying up the kitchen after my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie and have declared it another culinary success. The buffet-style presentation was definitely the way to go. It made the preparation and serving of the meal so much more relaxed and enjoyable. I don't know that it would be appropriate for every Asian meal, but I will definitely keep it in mind for future dinners.

It's late, and after seven hours on my feet today, I'm spent. So I'm going to leave the dishes and the details for tomorrow.
06:58 PM PDT Permalink |

Shopping for Fresh Ingredients and Prepping Dishes Ahead
This afternoon, I went shopping at my favorite gourmet grocery story for all my fresh ingredients. I bought bushels of fresh produce, along with several specialty items like coconut milk, cellophane noodles, roasted peanuts, and fresh shrimp. When I got home with the groceries, I took photos of all the lovely produce, washed and trimmed all the vegetables, peeled and deveined the shrimp, and prepared the satay skewers for grilling. That's a pretty good head start for tomorrow evening's Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie. And since I'm serving everything buffet style, the dinner preparation should be much more relaxed than my usual flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants production trying to get everything to come off the stove at once.

An Interesting Aside:

I had an amusing experience while I was shopping for my fresh ingredients. A few weeks ago, I was on my way into our neighborhood Safeway to buy groceries when I spotted a pair of tiny baby birds that had gotten out of the nest before they could fly. The mama and papa birds were on the roof of the store watching over them but were helpless to get them back into the nest, which was built in the rafters of the store's facade. So I corralled a handsome young bagboy into getting a ladder, and with a piece of cardboard we scooped them up and put them back in the nest. I went on about my shopping and never did find out how the whole incident turned out. Then on Friday, I was shopping at Valergas, another grocery store across town, and in the produce department, I spotted that same handsome young man stacking bananas. So I wheeled my cart over and said, "Do you have a twin, or do you work at Safeway too?" To which he replied, "I have a twin brother."
12:10 AM PDT Permalink |

Preparing the Kitchen & Assembling Cooking Utensils
I began preparations for my Suriyothai Dinner & a Movie today. I wanted to tie up all the loose ends so that I can devote my undivided attention to preparing a delicious Thai meal. So I cleaned my kitchen (including the fridge), finished up with the laundry, and took care of all the last minute details for some other projects I'm working on (as my second career, I also do graphic design and publication layout for several local clients, and wanted to make sure I had met my deadlines.)

I also got out all my cookware and serving dishes. Tomorrow evening, while my son Will is at Tae Kwon Do class, I will shop for my fresh ingredients, and when I get home with the groceries, I will do most of the prep work on the vegetables and sauces. I've been so busy with celebrating Rene's birthday and working on my graphics projects that I haven't had time to obsess over this month's Dinner & a Movie, but now that the eve of the occasion is upon me, I'm eager and excited as always.
12:09 AM PDT Permalink |