Sunday fancy Taiwanese cooking

So, how do they eat in the little-talked-about country of Taiwan? That little blip on the map is home to some excellent fresh food...similar to Chinese, but with its own flare.
Last weekend, my friends were amazing enough to spend a few hours slaving over the stove to show us how to turn some marinated tofu, twisty mushrooms, and obscure greens into a good solid Taiwanese meal. Although the Asian way of cooking tends to be...throw a bunch of things into a pan until it looks right, I tried to turn a few of our creations into recipes (All are eaten over sticky rice, by the way). Here they are (Photo credits go to my awesome photographer roommate ;)

Tofu Appetizer:

This recipe uses this kind of tofu:


Boil tofu for one minute or so
Slice into strips
Arrange it nice and fancy on a platter and drizzle with sesame oil. Garnish with ginger, cilantro, and Asian hot sauce.




Squash with Thai Basil:

Cube and steam hard winter squash until it is just starting to soften
In a separate pan, sauté garlic, 1tsp brown sugar, and salt to taste in vegetable oil
Add steamed squash, 3 tbsp oyster mushroom sauce, and a little water
After a couple minutes, add about 3/4 cup fresh chopped basil















Tofu and Mushrooms in Brown Sauce:

Soak dried black mushrooms in hot water until soft
Sauté garlic, 1 tsp brown sugar, soy sauce, and the mushrooms in vegetable oil
Remove mushrooms from pan and place in a bowl
In bowl of mushrooms, add ½ c water, 1 tsp sweet potato starch, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp sugar
Sauté cubed firm tofu in pan (add more oil) until golden
Add mushroom mixture to pan with tofu and cook until heated through















Greens..Taiwanese Style:

You can use all kinds, including bok choy, yam leaves, cabbage, spinach, or any other sautee-able greens.

There's lots of variation for cooking…but generally sauté them in veg oil and salt (You can also add a little brown sugar, garlic, or fresh ginger)
At the end, you can add sesame oil or oyster mushroom sauce

Here's the Resulting Feast!