Jellied Cocoa Pudding

Many Taiwanese meals conclude with a thin custard or jelly, as it is called. The texture is very light, and the taste is pleasing, not heavy or overly sweet. Jellied Cocoa Pudding is especially cool and refreshing on a hot August night!

Makes 4 servings

4 candied cherries
1 can (15 ounces) sliced peaches
1 cup shelled raw peanuts
1 cup shelled raw almonds
6 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup raw or white sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Place a candied cherry in each of 4 teacups. Top each cherry with a cut-up peach slice. Process the peanuts, almonds, and 3 cups water in a blender until liquefied. Strain the juice, discarding the pulp. Combine the cornstarch with 6 tablespoons water. Heat the juice, sugar, and cornstarch mixture over high heat, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. When mixture comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring constantly. Ladle ½ cup of the custard mixture into each cup, covering the fruit.

Whisk the cocoa powder into the remaining custard mixture. Blend thoroughly then distribute evenly among the 4 cups, carefully spooning the cocoa mixture over the other ingredients. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, or until the custard has set.

Invert the cups onto a shallow serving platter, so that the cherries are on the top. Garnish with the remaining peach slices. If desired, spoon several tablespoons of the peach juice over all.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Stir-Fried Crab with Bamboo Shoots

Serves 4

½ cup chopped pork
½ cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup (8-ounce can) thinly sliced bamboo shoots
2 green onions, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup sesame oil
1 cup fish or vegetable stock
¼ teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
1 cup crabmeat, cooked
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (see above)
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten

Preheat the oven to 475º. Stir-fry the pork, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, green onions, and garlic in the oil for 6 minutes, or until the pork is thoroughly cooked and the vegetables are tender. Add the stock to the vegetables. Combine the cornstarch and water and stir into the mixture. Allow it to come to a boil then lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Carefully pick over the crabmeat, discarding any bits of shell. Add the crabmeat and oyster sauce and heat through. Pour the mixture into a large serving bowl. Mound the egg whites in the center, spooning several tablespoons of the sauce over all. Place in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the egg whites are golden brown.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Zucchini and Loofah

When young and tender, loofah is a delectable vegetable that resembles squash in both texture and taste. However, when dried, it is the same vegetable that is used as a bath sponge. When purchasing loofah, select firm, unblemished vegetables. The outer skin should have a dark green color, similar to that of a cucumber.

Makes 4 servings.

½ pound zucchini
½ pound loofah (available at Asian markets), or summer squash
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce, or to taste
¼ cup water


Rinse the vegetables thoroughly. Score the zucchini with a fork and slice diagonally into ½-inch slices. Peel the loofah and cut diagonally into ½-inch slices. Combine with the oil and garlic and stir-fry over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and water. Cover and steam for 2 minutes, or until vegetable slices are tender but still crisp.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Oyster Sauce

Commercial oyster sauce is a concentrated, brown sauce made of ground oysters, soy sauce, and brine. It is used as commonly in Taiwan as ketchup is in the United States. Also available in a vegetarian variety, oyster sauce enhances any dish, bringing out the various flavors of the other ingredients.

Makes 1½ cups sauce.

1 can (3¾ ounces) smoked oysters
½ cup rice wine
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon raw or brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste

Finely mince the oysters or, using a blender’s pulse mode, pulverize the oysters in their liquid. Add all ingredients to a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain, cool, cover, and refrigerate. Will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Wilted Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Chinese Broccoli is not like common broccoli. Instead of the familiar bluish-green florets, it is the leaves of this delicate vegetable that are steamed or stir-fried and eaten.

Makes 4 servings.

1 pound fresh Chinese broccoli (available at Asian markets)
1 quart salted, boiling water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce (see tomorrow's entry)

Slice off the tough bottoms of the Chinese broccoli stalks. Discard any wilted leaves. Rinse thoroughly under cool running water and slice into 4-inch long pieces. Carefully add the broccoli to the boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the broccoli carefully with a slotted spoon. Drain well. Top with oyster sauce and serve immediately.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Garlic Sesame Sauce

Makes ¼ cup sauce.

1 clove garlic, minced
1½ tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Stir-fry the garlic in the sesame oil for 1 minute. Whisk in the soy sauce. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame seeds. Serve in a rice bowl as a dipping sauce or drizzle over the hot asparagus.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Steamed Asparagus

Check asparagus carefully before purchasing. The tips should be compact, not flowery. The stalks should be firm, fresh, with a deep green color, not yellow or pale. The bottoms should be brittle, with an inch or two of woody base, which must be trimmed before cooking.

Makes 4 servings.

2 pounds fresh asparagus, or 6 to 8 stalks per person
Salted boiling water


Break off (do not cut) the woody base from each asparagus stalk. The woody base will snap off from the tender portion. Wash stalks thoroughly under running cold water.

Tie the stalks in serving-size bunches. Stand upright in a deep saucepan, which contains an inch of salted, boiling water. Cover and allow to steam for 15 minutes, or until the asparagus is tender but still crisp. Serve with Garlic Sesame Sauce (directions in tomorrow's post).

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Five-Colored Pork and Shrimp Rolls

To-gan is a dried variety of tofu that has been steeped in various spices and seasonings. Having absorbed those flavors, to-gan then imparts them to any dish to which it is added.

Serves 4.

½ pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
12 freshwater shrimp
1 quart salted, boiling water
2 tablespoons raw or light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups mung bean sprouts
1 large cucumber
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ pound dried tofu (to-gan)
½ teaspoon sesame oil
10 (3-inch round) wonton wrappers (available at Asian markets)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons peanut powder (available at Asian markets), or peanut butter
Fresh parsley sprigs
3 green tomatoes, sliced

Bring the pork tenderloin and shrimp to a gentle boil in the salted water. Cook for 6 minutes or until the pork and shrimp are done. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon. When the pork and shrimp are cool enough to handle, finely chop the pork tenderloin and shell the shrimp. Mix with the sugar and soy sauce.

Blanch the bean sprouts in the boiling water. Remove and drain thoroughly. Slice the cucumber into pencil-sized strips. Salt and allow strips to drain for 5 minutes on paper towels. Slice the dried tofu into pencil-sized strips.

Oil the wonton wrappers sparingly. Working with one wrapper at a time, place it on a plate. Spread one-tenth each of the pork, shrimp, and bean sprouts on the wrapper. Add a cucumber slice, 2 tofu strips (arranged lengthwise), chopped parsley, and peanut powder. Roll tightly, slightly dampening the wonton ends to adhere. Slice in half width-wise. Arrange on a platter and garnish with fresh parsley sprigs and tomato slices. Continue until all the ingredients are used.

Picture courtesy of Karen Hulene Bartell. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Chicken Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Carrots

Serves 4.

½ cup finely sliced chicken
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon rice wine (available at Asian markets)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
½ cup thinly sliced carrots

Dredge the sliced chicken in the salt, pepper, and cornstarch. Stir-fry in a wok with the rice wine and sesame oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, mushrooms, and carrots, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked and vegetables are tender.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Chinese Father's Day menu series.

Ba-Ba’s (Father’s) Day

Treat your father twice this year! This week sees the last in our series of three Taiwanese holiday menus from Karen Hulene Bartell, with a special menu for China's Father's Day. Says Karen:

Father’s Day in Taiwan comes in August, not June. It’s known as Ba-ba Day or Double-Eight because it falls on the eighth day of the eighth month. The Mandarin Chinese word for eight is ba, so the eighth day of the eighth month is ba-ba. Ba-ba also happens to be the Mandarin word for papa or father, so it’s a natural progression for that date to be Father’s Day in Taiwan.

Ba-Ba’s Day Dinner

Chicken Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Carrots
Five-Colored Pork and Shrimp Rolls
Steamed Asparagus with Garlic Sesame Sauce
Wilted Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce
Zucchini and Loofah
Stir-Fried Crab with Bamboo Shoots
Watermelon Slices
Jellied Cocoa Pudding

Photo courtesy of Karen Hulene Bartell.

Straw Mushrooms and Snow Peas

Snow peas, also known as pea pods or Chinese peas, are flat green pods that are collected before the peas have fully matured. There is no need to shell these immature peas. Only trim off the ends and the stringy substance along the tops. Snow peas add bright green color, a crunchy texture, and a delicate flavor to any Chinese dish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

1 pound fresh snow peas
¼ cup peanut or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 pound straw mushrooms, rinsed and drained
½ cup water
¼ cup oyster sauce (available at Asian markets)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon raw or white sugar

Remove the ends and strings from the snow peas. Add the snow peas, oil, and salt to a wok. Stir-fry the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the peas are tender-crisp. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until mushrooms and peas are tender. Serve immediately.

Picture courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. This post is a member of the Hungry Ghost Week menu series.