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Chinese Paper Cutting Experience

Mandarin Learning Center @ Chinese Culture University is hosting Chinese Culture Seminars once a month for free. For the month of May is Chinese Paper Cutting using paper cutter. I remember 5 years ago, I attended the same seminar in NTNU but we only used the scissors.
Before the hands on , the facilitator told us the history (handed from generation to generation through oral sayings) of Chinese Paper Cutting. Long time ago, there was a man who lost his wife and he was really, really lonely. A friend gave him a gift, a lady made of paper cutting that sticks to the lamp. When the lamp is on, there’s a huge image of a woman, pretending that’s his wife. From then on, Chinese Paper Cutting became famous.
It was started 2000+ years ago by Chinese, offering it to their ancestors in heaven, or offered to a person who just passed away.
Nowadays, people use paper cutting for giving as a gift any time of the year, use as a decoration for windows or doors, and even accessories for body, umbrella, bags, and  clothes. Artists may now use different colors unlike before, the only color is red!

I learned a lot today! I thought using paper cutter is harder than using scissors. It was a nice experience!

The figure pattern, cutter, and board. The white in the pattern will be removed.

The facilitator, she’s helping me to cut the face… it was difficult for a beginner like me!

My finish product, time to stick it in a colorful background using a spray glue.

Chinese paper cutting is one of the oldest livin arts of the Chinese Culture.

Home-made Beef Dumplings

Living in Taiwan, dumplings are all around. We can buy cooked , frozen, and freshly made. Wrappers (dough) are also available. Around the world, I know there are also Asian Store selling dumplings. But there are people prefer to make by themselves.

Out of curiosity, I made dumplings today! It was really a struggle making the dough and shaping it into a circle. In the beginning, I used dish to cut the edges. I think I made too thick, at the end everything stick to each other. I have to repeat the process by making it a little bit smaller and doing it one at a time. The stuffing inside is a little bit dry, but the  taste is good! Next time I know how to do it better!

200g flour
1 cup cold water
1 cup ground beef
2 scallion (chopped)
25g baby ginger
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
drop of spice oil (I used olive oil)
chili powder (optional)
pepper powder

Chop scallion and ginger.

In a bowl, combine ground beef, scallion, ginger, and seasoning well.

Combine flour and water, knead into smooth, set aside for 10 minutes.

Divide into small pieces, roll each dough into flat.

Place a teaspoonful of stuffing in the middle of the wrapper. Fold it into a dumpling,

or put a loophole at both sides.

In a pan, heat 2 tablespoon of oil and fry the beef dumplings for about 4 minutes

or until both sides golden brown.

Sweet Potato Balls

I saw this recipe in my cookbook “Taiwan Night Market Snacks”, and I thought to give it a try. I couldn’t find sweet potato starch in the supermarket, instead I used tapioca starch. I don’t know if I did it right, the outcome is sort of chewey (knowing tapioca is one of the ingredients in making buble tea).

Here’s the recipe:
sweet potato 500 g (2 pieces)
sweet potato starch 400 g ( I used tapioca)
brown sugar (I used 1 cup)

Cut sweet potato into cubes. Steam until soft and pound it in puree.

Add sugar and sweet potato starch, whisk well to blend. Knead into long cylinder; cut for about 1.5 cm cubes.

Deep fried sweet potato cubes in oil for about 30 seconds; stir rapidly an dpress cubes lightly to make cubes into balls. Tranfer to plate and ready to serve.

Making Soya Milk

I used to buy 1 cup everynight after work! Now that I know how to make, I guess the lady selling soymilk will be missing me! Making soya milk is not that difficult after all! More and more people are drinking soybean milk for health purposes. I read this site giving information about soya milk.

• it contains only vegetable protein
• it contains no lactose
• it contains no hormones
• it reduces cholesterol
• fewer people are allergic to it
• it does not cause insulin dependent diabetes
• it is rich in isoflavones (secondary vegetable substance)

Trying to make the easiest way, here’s what you need:                  

1/2 cup of soybean, wash and soak it in 1 cup of water overnight.

Drain the water and the place the soybeans in a blender.

Add 4 cups of water and blend it into a fine pulp.

Use the muslin bag (or strainer) to filter the soybean mixture,

separating the residue from the soybean milk.

Boil the soya milk fro about 3-5 minutes until it’s cook.

Sweetened with sugar, maybe chocolate or anything desires.

Spicy Egg Tofu with Brocolli

Be creative with the ingredients so we can come out with new dish. One of the famous dishes of tofu is called Ma Po Dou Fu  (麻婆豆腐), or “Pockemarked-Face Lady’s Tofu”. The history is about a poor widow, she put up a small restaurant and became famous because of her stewed spicy tofu with minced meat. To remember her name after she died, Ma Po Tofu has been used.

Mapo Tofu is a combination of sof tofu and minced pork or beef in a spicy bean sauce and fermented black bean. In Taiwan, mostly they use minced pork. I made a twist with the original ingredients, removing the minced meat and fermented black bean. I added brocolli, and it’s a nice combination because the sauce incorporate with it. I fried the tofu first in 2 tablespoon olive oil.

I think even vegetarian will like this dish!

Ingredients:
1 box egg tofu
1 stalk green onion (also known as spring onion or scallion)
1 red chili pepper
2 small slices of ginger
2 tablespoon light l soysauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cooking wine (optional)
1 tablespoon spicy bean paste
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Slice the tofu and fried until golden brown.

Cut into slant the green onion, giger and red chilli pepper.

In a low heat add spicy bean paste and ginger, drizzle with wine and

light soysauce, then add water and let it boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Thicken the gravy with cornstarch mixture; drizzle sesame oil and add

green onion, chili pepper, and brocolli. Simmer and toss for another minute.

Serve mapo tofu with rice

Cute Egg Cake (雞蛋糕)

When I was taking my master in NTNU, our class field trip went to one of the famous night market in Tainan, Taiwan. My classmates and I enjoyed eating Ji Dan Gao (雞蛋糕), literally “egg cake”. Actually, it’s only a sponge cake with different shape and characters cook  in a cast iron. I bought my flower moulder, that’s the only one available. I thought of buying the circle moulder, if ever I want to make “takoyaki” (Japanese Squid Ball).

I didn’t make the batter myself, I used my left over ready made pancake mix. I would just like to find out if I could use the moulder. Next time, I’ll use the Taiwanese Recipe using Ji Dan Gao. Here, sharing with you what I did!

Ingredients:
250 g pancake mix                  
1 egg
2 tablespoon oil
3/4 cup water
In a bowl, beat the egg slightly; add in oil, water, and pancake mix. Slightly stir until lumpy (do not overmix).
Heat the moulder, brush some oil so the batter will not stick to it.

Pour the batter into the mould about hall full. When bubbles seen on top of the batter, dig it out carefully and turn the cake upside down to cook the other side. When the cake is brown, remove immediately to avoid burning.

Here’s the result, it’s difficult in the beginnning but at the end I did it!

You can roll the cake in powder sugar or put some syrup.

( photo taken in Tainan Night Market)

Simple Steamed Fish Fillet

I bought my bamboo steamer and planning a lot of steaming @ home. In a local restaurant here, mostly steam fish is a must and I’m wondering how they cook that. One of the taiwanese told me, the secret there is to make sure the fish is fresh and that would be taste good! Anyways, my very first steam fish is here, I also put a drop lemon juice and rice wine. I think I overdecorated it with scallion!:)
I prepared the following:
2 fillet fish
ginger
scallion
olive oil
lemon juice (optional)
rice wine (optional)
soysauce (or salt) and pepper

Slice the fish, season it with lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Arrange in a plate, I added rice wine, put the ginger strip and some scallion on the top of the fish.

Boil water, place the steamer and steam for about 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, remove the fish, garnish it with scallion.

Add olive oil and light soysauce on top.

Egg Rolled Pancake

Zǎo ān (早安) means Good Morning!
Dan Bing (蛋餅) or Chinese Pancake is a very popular breakfast here in Taiwan.It’a also one of my favorite! Today, I made similar to what they sell nearby. I made it a little bit dry, since I didn’t put much oil as the origingal recipe. I like it that way, and I used extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 eggs

2 stem scallion
Oil for fying

Seasoning (a):
dash of salt
1 tablespoon oil
2 tablespoon boiling water
4 tablespoon cold water

How to make:

Sift flour and mix it with seasoning (a) well to form a dough. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Knead the dough well again and divide it into 2 parts, then roll into pancake.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan, fry the pancake until transparent, set aside.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs, add salt and pepper to taste.

Put half mixture onto the pan, add scallion and fry until become solid.
Put the pancake on top and roll it up with the egg side on the inside.

Serve it with any sauce of your choice!