a Taiwanese breakfast

caveat: i really don't know if this is TAIWANESE per se, but this is the stuff i ate frequently as a kid so here goes...

酒釀湯圓
jiu niang tang yuen & and dried shredded pork bread.

you can buy canned Taiwanese brand - Kimlan (i've tried a few brands of mainland jiu niang and they tasted pretty foul to me so...) - of jiu niang ala:


the recipe usually calls for tang yuan (glutinous rice balls) and the tang yuan, IMO, should not be filled because the filling (peanut/black sesame/red bean/or taro, etc.) overpowers the sweetness of the jiu niang. alas, in a short notice, all that was available to me (from Richwell Market) was black sesame filled tang yuan:


Ingredients:
1 egg, break yolk
1 bottle (500mg) of Kimlan jiu niang - fermented rice
3 'rice bowls' of water
1-2 packs (10-20 pieces) of tang yuen - glutinous rice balls (filled or unfilled)
2-3 tablespoons of sugar to taste

Preparation is extremely simple:
* place frozen tang yuen into a wee bit over 3 'rice bowls' of boiling water.
* wait til the tang yuen floats, and then cook for 1-2 more min.
* pour entire can of jiu niang into still boiling water
* add sugar, stir & dissolve
* add the egg, and stir briskly, turning egg into 'flowers' ala egg flower soup and turn off stove immediately.

Serve.


The dried shredded pork bun is a simplified version of what's available at local Chinese bakeries (St. Anna's, Golden Horse & the bakery inside Richwell Mkt, etc. all have this). It's just bread with mayo and a layer of shredded dried pork. There are actually 2 varieties of dried pork: 1 is minced, 1 is shredded. i'm a fan of the shredded version since it goes into congee as well.

PS: was just reminded by a fellow countrywoman jiu nian isn't really served for breakfast, but as dessert instead. blame it on my dad?

oooooooooohh. Try to come to ATL within the next few months. A Taiwan place has opened that serves the whole ouevre. Soup Dumplings, salty or sweet soy milk, oil sticks, everything, pastries, a to z. shot my low carb drill to hell yesterday. Four of us (including one born in Taiwan and her Chinese fluent gringo husband who lived there for four years) had these dishes, one better than the next:

Soup Dumplings
Leek (Chive) Pastry
Onion Cake
Tientsin Steamed Dumplings (the bready kind)
Pork and Shrimp / Greens Boiled Dumplings
Mandarin Pork 'cake' (thin, stuffed with pork)
salty soy milk and oil stick

I can't begin to state how terrific this was. IBID. IBID. I am understating.

The chef is the former originating chef at our recently dearly departed favorite Chinese place, Frank Ma's (see past post from Dickson D). Our Taiwanese guests were totally bowled over--they said "Better than any place in Oakland".

Chef Liu's is currently so good--I dare say it: catch a sale airfare and we'll take you there. Can't promise you even half respectable bbq hereabouts, but Taiwan pastry/noodles/dumpling/breakfast are absolute top of the heap.

Chef Liu's
Pinetree Plaza, Buford Hwy
Atlanta GA

Its a little spin site bldg, Can't begin to imagine its street address. Not so sure I want to let this out on other food boards, at least not quite yet. So this is kind of back dooring the news; and for once, we've got the drop on the bounty that is Chicago.

Inspired by Tony's post, I bought a jar of jiu niang... I have never had it since the first time I heard of it was when an old lady pulled a big bowl out from under her bed, and uncovered it... Yes... homemade jiu niang can be a big turn off... =)

But I am trusting that these jiu niang factories are not filled with old ladies and their beds...

I will attempt to try this recipe this week... Wish me luck...
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Ok... Tried it... twice actually... Just in case the first time was afluke... Not my cup of tea. The smell of the fermented rice made me gag, and I thought that maybe after diluting it with water, it might be ok... Nope... Hmmm. I ended up fishing my rice balls up, rinsing them with hot water, and having it the old fashion way: in sugar water.