Oyster Omelet: 蚵仔煎

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Always ask for extra oysters 

Making of a big omelet...or just high cholesterol

Taiwanese food unfortunately gets muddle with Chinese food and to those that have not travelled in Taiwan extensively, it can seem like there is no difference. However that is like saying that Chinese food is all the same from Shanghai to Fuzhou. Taiwanese is has its own distinct style and dishes that are distinctly Taiwanese. The Oyster Omelet is probably the most recognized and distinct Taiwanese food there is.

The Oyster Omelet from a casual observer is a simple dish; it is an Omelet that is made with oysters, what is so hard about that? But like all the foods I talk about, it is obviously more complex than that and something that, and it able to hit so many senses and textures all in one plate. I do not know if it is just Tainan pride but again, all my relatives and people in Tainan will say with scary affirmation, that Tainan is the place to go to get the best oyster omelets. The oysters come from the South and the ones in places like Taipei, get their oysters shipped up there. I know better than to question it, it is like questioning the best barbeque in the South, and you keep your Yankee mouth shut and just agree that wherever you are.

In Tainan there is a street that is just all food stalls and they are some of Tainan and Taiwan’s greatest hits from gua bao, to wa gue and of course the oyster omelet. The omelets are made to order and I was able to take pictures of the whole process but I can guarantee that I can try to replicate it in my kitchen, but there is no way in hell I can make it taste the same. 

Step 1 Oysters

Step 2 Eggs

Step 3 Sprouts

Step 4 Taiwanese Bok Choy and slurry stuff

The omelet making process has a bit of free style action going on. Oysters, Taiwanese bok choy, sprouts get some flat griddle action and then three eggs get throw on top of it. It is not really mixed in; it is just thrown on to make a somewhat circular disk. The difference is that now, like so many other Asian or Taiwanese dishes, a slurry of starch in thrown in. the result is that it creates a pancake like structure and literally glues all the separate components together. It cooks, gets a quick flip, thrown on a plate which by the way, the whole cooking process takes maybe 2-3 minutes tops and dosed in a reddish sauce. The sauce is another great distinction between each place. The sauce like in a simple Bolognese can make or break the dish. It is a combination of sweet, salty and hint of chilies to it and everyone has a different recipe, variations and result color. I do know the majority of them have at least aged soy and ketchup (Asian kind of course) in them. 

Win

The result is an omelet like no other that can be compared to anything found in the West. Jacque Pepin, most likely looks at this with utter confusion. However, the taste is nothing that you would expect. The sweet salty sauce is a great contradiction to the briny oysters and the crunchy bok choy. The egg imparts richness to the dish and the addition of the starch batter gives it lightness as well as a gooey interior but still has bits of crispy bits. The sauce though, is something that is magical. The country is filled with starchy, gooey, jiggly, jelly foods and this sauce makes it all taste awesome.

Eel Noodles in Tainan

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: eating noodles outside always taste better

In Taiwan, my trip itinerary is usually the same, spend a couple of days in Taipei and then take the high speed train down to Tainan. I do not think that there has been a time that after my Aunt picks us up at the train station that we had not gotten food, regardless of what time it is and that first stop is a bowl of eel noodles. 

Eel noodles is a popular dish which though you can get it in Taipei, it is more of a thing down south in Tainan and of course, it taste better down here. Though it is seems something as simple as just a bowl of noodles and eel it is much more than that. The eel is painstakingly deboned and stir fried and the noodles are a special kind of noodles, called yi-mein which is wheat based noodle that is characteristically chewy. The noodles are important in this dish and it is not eel noodles without this kind of noodles. It all swims in “broth” or more like starchy, sweet gravy. For future travelers, everything in Tainan is sweeter, sauces, soups you name it, it is going to be sweet. Noodles after Jump!

Ode to Stinky Tofu

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Wear Laundry day clothes when eating stinky tofu

In Taiwan there are many sights and smells, however there is none like the smell of stinky tofu. It is like a fine bloomy cheese, the smell will straight up kick your ass. It will seep into every pore and the smell will linger in your mouth for the rest of the day. Heck, I had moments the next morning when i burped and I would still taste it. Yet, I will take the chance of smelling like a pair of old sweaty socks and suck it up, like a true fan and order some stinky tofu. What is stinky tofu? Basically, it is tofu that has been fermented and through the magic of fermentation, it gives it a offputting odor to say the least.

One of my favorite stinky tofu vendors is this one on Tainan. You can literally be like Toucan Sam and "follow your nose" to the tofu and with a industrial fan connected to this cart, the smell is just intense. Most vendors rock masks but as you can see, these people mean business, no masks for them and these folks just sell the tofu, that is it.
Stinky tofu is generally fried which not only makes it tasty, I mean, anything fried is good but it also deodorizes the tofu a bit. The tofu is served with a bunch of pickled cabbage on top and hot sauce on the side. Quick tip, Hot sauce is needed and should be abused.

So the question is how does it taste? Texturally, fried tofu is great, it has a great crispy exterior and the tofu is still firm yet yielding. The flavor? It sharp, sour and almost meaty yet the smell does not match its bite. It almost tastes pickled and the mixture of sour sweet pickled cabbage and hot sauce is additive. Surprisingly, it did not really have much of a sulfuric taste to it at all, at least at this vendor which good stinky tofu should not have. For first time eaters, fried stinky tofu should be the way to go and this is a great street snack and after drinking food. Fried and it being tofu, it just soaks up all that alcohol, it was made for an after drinking treat. This is the only food I think that me and vegans can get behind and I am okay with that. Oh and tangent, if you ever decide to become a vegetarian or vegan, Taiwan is the place to go, where they actually have great tasting vegetable dishes that actually taste good. 

Exhaust fan to waft its magical scent

Mochi Making in the Market in Tainan

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: There is always something to eat at the Market

My kind of snack

After I finished running in the morning in Tainan (which i found out is not typical, and quite dangerous) I would wander around and follow random people until I eventually and most likely reached a market. I never get tired at looking at fruit which I will normally buy and the fish and meat options which I can unfortunately not purchase. However if I learned anything from traveling and watching way too much travel television there is always something ready made and good to eat at any market.

Bag o' jelly

At this particular market, there was two floors and the upper level was quieter and had all the ready made foods you could want from a lady selling just jelly, mochi and jello-like substances. There was enough jello to make Bill Cosby start blubbering something. One of the interesting stands was a couple selling wheels of radish cakes and tofu and making fresh mochi.
 

Huge radish cake

Mochi, although a Japanese thing is pretty much everywhere in Asia, we love that chewy, wiggly texture. this wife was facinating as she was pinching, rolling and stuffing balls of mochi to order. A machine could not do it as precisely and artfully as she was turning them out. the mochi was stuffed and coated ground peanuts and stuffed with ground sesame and had a combination crunchy, chewy and supple. The best part is? 10 NT per mochi (1US=33NT).

Step One

Step 2

Step 3

Fin/Get in muy Belly

CoCo Curry

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Japanese Curry goes well with everything

I have been on a short holiday hiatus with work, baking and end of the year garbage has left me updating the blog at the bottom of the priorities list. However, the New Year is over and we are still standing, the Mayans were wrong, I have eaten my weight in gingerbread, it is time to put on the stretchy pants and get back into food blogging and with the weather so cold and actually being winter, I have been on the search for Japanese Curry Omelet rice in the city like the curry omelet rice at CoCo Curry in Taiwan.

Curry is something that is associated often with Indian food and is a turn off for many with the amount of spices that go into curries and the after effects of some curries making the porcelain throne worthy seating to do the morning crossword puzzle. However, Japanese curry is generally a lot milder, sweeter and thicker and has more gravy like consistency. Taiwan is an outlet for Japanese food and one of the more successful chains in Taiwan is CoCo Curry. Unlike chains found in the United States, the quality here is a lot better in service and food. Coco Curry as you can tell by the name specializes in Japanese curries. The curries can be eaten with rice, noodles, soups and you can do the whole build your own curry dish but here, I go straight for the curry omelet rice. 

I like curry but uhhh...Ill try this combo another time...

 Basically, curry omelet rice is a dish that consists of omelet rice that is smothered in curry. Omelet rice or omuraisu if you want to pretend to understand Japanese, is a mound of rice that is covered with a plain egg omelet like a blanket and proving that an egg on top of anything, even plain rice is just plain awesome. During my Taiwan visit, I went to CoCo Curry a couple of times allowing me to get my curry rice fix and try various types and styles.

The classic or the most simple one is the curry omelet rice that is served with either fried pieces of pork or chicken karaage. The combination of curry, rice, egg and tender fried meat makes this a great tasting meal. The curry as I stated, is mild and slightly sweet. Although I order it spicy, the spiciness is not really that strong and will not have you reaching for a glass of water. The egg omelet is cooked as I prefer and call Frenchie-style meaning that there is a slight runniness to it and adds a creaminess and richness to the dish while still maintaining a fluffiness to it. Also, in fulfilling the categories of “crazy shit Asians put in food combinations” I like the addition of cheese. And to shock the foodie Nazis and all, I am pretty sure it is good old American, singles type of cheese. The cheese is sandwiched inbetween the rice and omelet and melts ever so perfectly and there is something comforting about eating spoonfuls of curry and rice and pulling away melty cheese strands. It adds an extra bit of savory goodness. Food after the jump!

Donut Quest: Taiwan Dispatch

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Why does food taste better when shaped as animals?

The Donut Quest has been going and this time, it went abroad. Donuts are not all made equally and thankfully, Dunkin Donuts does not reign all over…yet. One of the chain donut shops in Taiwan that is popular is Mr. Donut. Originally from Japan, I remember back in the late 90s when the first Mr. Donut opened up in Taiwan and remembered the line that snaked out the door. Now there are a number of Mr. Donuts in Taiwan and will mostly likely find on the any mall in Taipei.

Since there is no Thanksgiving in Taiwan, they got started early on the Christmas spirit and they had some Christmas themed donuts, such as their donut holes. 

You have to give it to them for presentation; these things looked like a box of chocolates. The little donut holes are all colorfully decorated and various coatings. One thing to mention is that though they do yeasted and cake donuts, they also do mocha donuts which give them a chewiness and difference in flavor or I at least think it is different. Each of these donut holes were colorfully decorated and had that odd pastel coloring too them and like all things from Asia, they looked cute and I am surprised it had no Sanrio characters donning it. Donuts after the jump!

Uncle Chang Burger

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: I still have no clue who Uncle Chang is, but the dude rocks New Balance Cross Trainers

In Tainan, the streets are filled with these breakfast lunch places that have a variety of sandwiches and such in the morning. As much as people eat congee and other things, sometimes they do not want that early morning starch bomb and just want a sandwich. One of these places, Uncle Chang Burger according to one of my cousins, has opened one or two locations in Tainan and from the times i passed it in the morning, looks busy and usually it seems like a fast food operation and I generally steer clear away from that but look at the man, he looks so happy and why would you not want a burger from Uncle Chang? Also as the signage advertises, there is indeed corn soup which is a great way to wash down a burger.

Thankfully, Uncle Chang does not have food time discrimination and serves a burger all day which is how it should be. They had the usual suspects of Taiwan breakfast foods of egg crepes, soy milk and various teas but I went with the chicken sandwich with eggs and the hamburger.

the chicken I later observed, was not really "chicken" but really smoked deli-like chicken. The egg I thought was going to be a runny egg like egg but it was scrambled eggs, but at least they were fluffy. Dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup and mayonnaise it was a okay sandwich. The deli-like chicken was a bit salty and the roll was soft but sweet, but compound that with the ketchup (ketchup produced in Asian countries, is generally distinctly sweeter) it was actually a bit too sweet for me.

The burger was the size of a dollar menu cheeseburger which I guess to the rest of the world is "normal" sized. It was topped with shredded cabbage, mayonnaise and ketchup. The bun was soft and sweet but it was not warmed or toasted. The burger patty can be best described as with a "huh". It is not cooled to order but upon inspection, you noticed flecks of brown stuff and it has an eerie sheen to it. Upon eating it, I realize that the flecks is actually bits of fried shallots and that the burger patty had a starchy consistency to it. The patty I suspect has probably little beef or no beef at all and it was more like a sausage patty. The patty had meat in it, I just was not sure what kind of meat it was, Upton Sinclair would most likely be all over this thing. The burger again, like most things in Tainan, a too sweet for my taste but the addition of the fried shallots in the patty almost balanced it out.


Though I most likely will not be getting a burger from Uncle Chang again, it is fun to see and try foods that seems atypical to what I used to seeing here, seen in a different light. However, next time I need breakfast, I think I'll stick to an egg crepe...maybe try the corn soup.

Peking Duck Pizza @Tainan Costco

Om Nomz Hero Note to Self: Fact, everyone in the world loves Costco Chicken

I have been behind on posts lately mainly due to the fact that I have been traveling and was in Taiwan so there will be a lot of Taiwan posts! In Taiwan I was in Taipei and Tainan so a lot of interesting stuff.

First up, is a quick post on my visit tot he Costco Tainan that recently opened. I went there with relatives and the place was packed. To answer the question that is burning in your mind is yes, you can buy bulk taquitos...and banana milk.

I of course had something to eat at the food court and besides also having the super deal of a drink and a hotdog thei also had a few other things that you cannot get at your local Costco. Clam Chowder which did not seem like an option in the 75 degree heat, beef bulgogi, a shrimp bake (too big for me to down, given I completed a Thai food chowdown), mango shaved ice and of course pizza. the pizza jumped out at me there was one slice I saw on the menu I needed to get: the Peking Duck Pizza. They had the pepperoni, the Hawaiian, a seafood and the combo but the siren call of the Peking Duck Pizza called my name.

The picture looked better than the slice, the slice looked like....well a dark, wet mess. I guess you can classify this as a New York Neapolitan if you want to play that game but it is like your typical Costco pizza. the Peking Duck Pizza is comprised of duck, hosin/plum sace, scallions and yes cheese. Thankfully, I am happy to report that this is a "white" pie and has no tomato sauce. I have a tough stomach, but I do not think I would be able to eat it if it had tomato sauce on looks alone. The pie, despite on the wet side was actually tasty. There was actual pieces of duck on it and the slice was slightly crispy and chewy that gave it a great texture. In fact, I will go as far to say that the pizza construction here taste better than the Costco I have been to in the US. Underskirt shot in fact shows an actually browning underneath.

I am happy that looks are very deceiving. Sure pizza purists and anybody on the VPN certification board is calling blasphemy on this right now, but hey this is Taiwan they are doing things differently here and if you do not want the pizza when you are here, there is always the clam chowder.