Dong Pu Rou

This is another one of Taiwanese dish that reminds me of a Filipino dish--Asado. The Taiwanese love to eat this fatty dish. They cook it long enough so that it melts in your mouth when you eat it.

Ingredients:

1 kg pork belly (skin removed)
8 cloves garlic
5 slices of ginger
4 stalks of spring onion
1 tbs black peppercorn

Sauce

1 tbs tea leaves
1 c water
4 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine
1/2 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs corn starch (dissolved in 1 tbs water)

1. Rinse tea leaves in boiling water. Steep the leaves for 3 minutes, remove and put aside.

2. Cover and simmer pork for 30 minutes.

3. Put sauce ingredients in wok. Heat and mix well. Add pork and cook on two sides for 5 minutes each.

4. Boil another pot of water. Add pork, tea leaves and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer pork to a steamer, add the spring onions and steam for two hours, turning pork after 1 hour. Remove pork to a serving dish. Reheat sauce, adding corn starch to thicken. Pour over pork and serve.

San Bei Ji (Three Cup Chicken)

This dish is one of Taiwanese traditional dish and very similar to the Philippine Adobo except for the Basil and sesame oil used.

Ingredients:

1 sm chicken (cut in bite size)
6 cloves of garlic (crushed)
10 slices ginger
1 c sesame oil
1 c rice wine
1 c soy sauce
4 stalks fresh basil (optional)

Using a little of the sesame oil, brown the chicken. Just before the chicken is done, add the garlic and ginger and the rest of the sesame oil, rice wine and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the basil and cook for another 2 minutes.

Taiwan Onion Cake

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c all purpose flour
3/4 c self-rising flour
1 c boiling water
2 tsp oil
2 stalks spring onion (minced)

1. In a mixing bowl, combine all purpose flour and self-rising flour. Slowly add the boiling water into the flour and stir until it forms a rough dough. Add the oil and stir for another minute or so. Cover dough with wet cloth and let sit for about 1 hour.

2. On a floured surface, knead dough briefly and then cut into thirds and continue kneading until dough is smooth and elastic. Roll each of the three sections of dough out into a flat piece approximately 1/2 cm or 1/4 inch thick. Brush the pancake with a bit of oil and sprinkle with spring onion. Roll up the pancake and cut into 8-10 pieces. Use the palm of your hand to flatten each piece. Roll out again.

3. Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet. Fry pancakes until both sides are golden brown. Serve whole or cut into wedges (similar to a pizza).