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Cathy Erway

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The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island Kindle Edition

by Cathy Erway (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.7 303 ratings

Editors' pick Best Cookbooks, Food & Wine

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The acclaimed food writer offers an insider's look at Taiwanese cooking from home-style dishes to authentic street food in “this appetizing collection” (Publisher Weekly, starred review).

While certain dishes from Taiwan are immensely popular, like steamed buns and bubble tea, much of the cuisine still remains relatively unknown in America. In The Food of Taiwan, Taiwanese-American Cathy Erway, the acclaimed blogger and author of The Art of Eating In, explores the rich culture, history, and culinary traditions of Taiwan—including nearly 100 recipes.

Recipes range from familiar dishes, such as Pork Belly Buns, Three Cup Chicken, and Beef Noodle Soup, to more uncommon fare, like the Stuffed Bitter Melon, Oyster Noodle Soup, and Dried Radish Omelet. Tantalizing food photographs intersperse with beautiful shots of Taiwan’s coasts, mountains, and farms as well as images of bustling city scenes, making this book just as enticing to flip through as it is to cook from.

From the Publisher

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup from The Food of Taiwan

Makes 6 to 8 servings

It’s widely believed that this hallmark of Taiwanese cuisine was created within the military villages set up to accommodate the influx of mainlanders at the middle of the twentieth century. There is nowhere else a noodle soup quite like it, although the dish has conspicuous influences from Sichuan province—chili bean sauce and Sichuan peppercorns. Some call it Taiwan’s 'national dish,' while others argue that Danzai Noodle Soup (see page 138) is more representative of older, more traditional Taiwanese cuisine. Regardless, its deeply savory, delicious broth has made it a popular favorite on the island, and amongst visitors, too.

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add as much of the beef as will fit on the bottom of the pan without too much overlap (you will need to work in batches). Cook, flipping with tongs, until both sides are gently browned, 5 to 6 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more oil as needed. Transfer the meat to a dish and set aside.

Heat another tablespoon of the oil in the same pot until just hot. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, chilies, and tomato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very fragrant and the vegetables are softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the sugar and cook until dissolved and the mixture is bubbling. Return the beef to the pan and stir in the chili bean sauce.

Stir in the rice wine and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot to release any browned bits. Let boil for a minute, then add the light and dark soy sauces, the water, peppercorns, five-spice powder, and star anise. Bring just to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Skim the scum that rises to the top of the pot with a slotted spoon. Cover and cook at a low simmer for at least 2 hours, preferably 3 hours.

For the Noodles and Serving

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Divide among individual serving bowls. Ladle the soup into each bowl with chunks of the beef, top with scallions and the blanched green vegetables, if using, and serve.

Ingredients

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
2 pounds beef stew meat, preferably boneless shank, cut into 2-inch cubes
6 thick slices peeled fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 whole scallions, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 to 3 small fresh red chilies
1 large plum tomato, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon chili bean sauce
1 cup rice wine
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
2 1/2 quarts water
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 star anise
2 pounds Asian wheat noodles (any width)
1 whole scallion, trimmed and thinly sliced
8 small heads gently blanched baby bok choy, or substitute with spinach, sweet potato leaves, or other leafy green vegetable (optional)

WARNING: California’s Proposition 65

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this appetizing collection, Erway (The Art of Eating In), an acclaimed blogger at Not Eating Out in NY, takes readers on a cultural and culinary tour of Taiwan that will engage armchair travelers and foodies alike… From pantry staples such as chili bean sauce, ginger, and rice wine to the vibrant night markets that take over entire streets, she offers an insider’s perspective of the Taiwanese lifestyle and reveals what makes a dish distinctly Taiwanese. In addition to chapters on appetizers, vegetables, meat, and seafood, she explores the lasting culinary influences of military villages, train bento boxes, and Taiwanese tea. Recipes for fried pork chop noodle soup, shredded chicken over rice, and Hakka-style sweet green tea convey cultural insight as well as instruction… Photos of everyday people, the diverse landscape, and alluring dishes complete this engaging and delightful collection." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review “Erway’s cookbook is among the very first to celebrate Taiwanese food and culture in English. It is written with deep affection, and the photographs capture the beauty of Taiwan and its tantalizing cooking. Erway’s charming stories make this book as much a travelogue as an enticing introduction to this little-known cuisine.” —Grace Young, author of Stir-Frying to the Sky’s Edge “A fresh voice, a fascinating new culture (at least for most of us), and bulletproof recipes. Cathy Erway writes as well as she cooks, which is great.” —Peter Kaminsky, author of Culinary Intelligence “Taiwanese is one of the great neglected regional cuisines of China. Why? Because Taiwanese restaurateurs are more likely to open Cantonese, Shanghai, or Sichuan restaurants, and keep their own excellent dishes—like stinky tofu, oyster omelets, beef noodle soup, and meatball mochi—to themselves. In Cathy Erway’s new cookbook The Food of Taiwan, she explicates all these recipes and more, filling a great gap in our knowledge of Chinese cooking, inviting you to mount your own dinner party.” —Robert Sietsema, Eater NY —

About the Author

CATHY ERWAY is the author of The Art of Eating In and has written for publications such as Saveur, PAPER magazine, and Serious Eats. She is the host of Heritage Radio Network’s "Eat Your Words" and co-founded the supper club The Hapa Kitchen.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00LZ7GQTG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (March 24, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 24, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 74.3 MB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 458 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #689,523 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #46 in Taiwan Travel Guides
- #141 in Chinese Cooking
- #249 in Soup & Stew Cooking

Customer Reviews:
4.7 303 ratings

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Cathy Erway

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Born in New York and raised in New Jersey in a multicultural household, Cathy Erway is a lover of food of all kinds. An avid amateur cook, she decided to purge her diet from restaurant or take-out food and began blogging about it on Not Eating Out In New York. In between posting recipes for the busy-but-thrifty, she explored the underbelly of the city's home-cooking culture, visiting urban farms, foraging, trash-diving and hosting cook-offs and supper club dinners. In the end, she came away with a greater conscience about where food comes from, what it takes to produce it, and most importantly, how to have a great time cooking it with others. Her memoir, The Art of Eating In, recounts those discoveries with recipes along the way. It spans three Brooklyn apartments, several job changes, breakups, family tragedy, and some unconventional "dates" outside restaurant walls. Is eating in an art in New York City? If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Cathy writes about food, sustainable farming and green living at The Huffington Post, Saveur.com and Edible Brooklyn, and has written for Brooklyn Based and The L Magazine. She hosts the weekly radio show, Let's Eat In, on Heritage Radio Network on Mondays. She has organized or participated in several fundraisers for Just Food and Slow Food NYC, and co-founded the Hapa Kitchen supper club, which creates local and seasonal food inspired by its members' half-Asian heritage.

Customer reviews

303 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the cookbook excellent and a great resource on Taiwanese cuisine. They appreciate the delicious food and the clear writing style with easy-to-follow directions. The recipes are authentic and motivating, with lovely photographs of well-known landmarks. The historical and cultural information is interesting and well-written, providing a good introduction to the country and its cuisine. Overall, customers describe the book as an amazing and wonderful resource for learning about Taiwanese cuisine and culture.

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Cookbook quality Taste Writing style Recipes History Photos quality Introduction

27 customers mention "Cookbook quality"27 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the quality of the cookbook. They find the recipes excellent, with interesting background information. The book provides good key dishes and is a high-quality resource on Taiwanese cuisine.

"Rest assured, dear reader, this is an excellent cookbook for folks who want to learn some basic, delicious recipes for popular Taiwanese dishes...." Read more

"...am most delighted with the book primarily because of the excellent quality of the recipes...." Read more

"A very nice cookbook with the culture and history of Taiwan. Diverse coverage of types of food and great photos with food prep details...." Read more

"Can't recommend highly enough. Interesting background for recipes, which are generally straightforward enough even for folks (like me) without much..." Read more

27 customers mention "Taste"27 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the food and find it delicious. The recipes are easy to follow and provide a good introduction to Taiwanese cuisine and culture. They appreciate the steamed eggplant method. The photos by Pete Lee capture the beauty of the country and its food.

"...Are the dishes authentic, tasty? Yes and yes!..." Read more

"...The steamed eggplant is a wonderful method for cooking that vegetable...." Read more

"...reminiscent and memorable about the comforts of home cooking and great food...." Read more

"...cooked about a dozen of the recipes so far, the end product has been consistently tasty." Read more

25 customers mention "Writing style"25 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's writing style clear and easy to follow. They appreciate the detailed recipes and introduction. The format is simple and well-presented. Overall, customers find the book a nice read with good pictures and insights.

"...Fortunately, the directions of this book are clearly, simply presented...." Read more

"...While the historical and cultural information is interesting and well written, I am most delighted with the book primarily because of the excellent..." Read more

"...This book was simple and it was written by the author herself, Cathy Erway, a journalist and food writer, who was born in New York, and travelled..." Read more

"...Interesting background for recipes, which are generally straightforward enough even for folks (like me) without much prior experience with East..." Read more

23 customers mention "Recipes"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's recipes authentic and tasty. They mention it's full of great, Taiwanese recipes that you will actually use. The vivid images and recipes motivate them to cook and learn more about Asian cuisine. There is a nice variety of vegetable dishes included and the dishes are authentic and tasty.

"...cookbook for folks who want to learn some basic, delicious recipes for popular Taiwanese dishes. Are the dishes authentic, tasty? Yes and yes!..." Read more

"...They are clearly written, and a nice variety of vegetable dishes are included...." Read more

"...Diverse coverage of types of food and great photos with food prep details. Love it to be a great gift!!!..." Read more

"...photographs about well known landmarks, and was looking for regional recipes from main entrees, snacks and appetizers, desserts, etcetera...." Read more

21 customers mention "History"21 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's historical and cultural information about Taiwan. They find the photos and recipes interwoven in the manuscript informative and motivating to learn more about the country's history and culture.

"...While the historical and cultural information is interesting and well written, I am most delighted with the book primarily because of the excellent..." Read more

"A very nice cookbook with the culture and history of Taiwan. Diverse coverage of types of food and great photos with food prep details...." Read more

"This book is a treasure. This is not just a cook book...." Read more

"I really like this book. It contains some of the history (which I already learned some of it from my mother) but it is great to have some thing else..." Read more

20 customers mention "Photos quality"20 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's photos. They find the photographs lovely and amazing. The book includes photographs about well-known landmarks and regional recipes from Taiwan.

"...Diverse coverage of types of food and great photos with food prep details. Love it to be a great gift!!!..." Read more

"...This is also filled with photographs about well known landmarks, and was looking for regional recipes from main entrees, snacks and appetizers,..." Read more

"...printed on high quality glossy stock, it is full of beautiful color photography of Taiwan and its people...." Read more

"...really captured the essence & uniqueness of Taiwan, from the beautiful landscape to the mouth-watering food to the people of Taiwan...." Read more

3 customers mention "Introduction"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an introduction suitable for beginners. They say it's a good place to start if you are new to food.

"...A good introduction, but not suitable for people looking for advanced and deliciously authentic Taiwanese food." Read more

"Great place to start if you are missing the food your Grandma made for you. Overall it has all the right recipes for you to start...." Read more

"Great for beginner!..." Read more

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EnJay
The recipes are excellent and authentic!
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020
Verified Purchase

Rest assured, dear reader, this is an excellent cookbook for folks who want to learn some basic, delicious recipes for popular Taiwanese dishes. Are the dishes authentic, tasty? Yes and yes! Oh c'mon, Auntie Meihua may have cooked her beef noodles differently, but that doesn't mean that Cathy Erway's recipes may lack authenticity. In fact, there is no such thing as a "standard" way to cook any Taiwanese dish. Each family, each restaurant, will have its own specialty, its own way of preparing things. So when you follow Erway's recipes, you are exploring her family's interpretation of these Taiwanese classics. For this reason, I am grateful for this book. I approach each recipe that Cathy shares gratefully and with humility. For the record, I am not Taiwanese. I am just a White American guy who lived and worked in Taiwan for 15 years, so I have eaten my share of Taiwanese cuisine. Fortunately, the directions of this book are clearly, simply presented. Even if you have limited experience cooking Asian cuisine, you should be able to handle all if the dishes in this volume. Thank you, Cathy, for writing this book. It brings back a lot of warm memories for me.

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18 people found this helpful

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Pat
Excellent and Do-able Recipes from Taiwan
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
After I heard the author talk about the food of Taiwan on an edition of the Splendid Table, I realized that I wanted to try the book to find out more about this aspect of Chinese food. While the historical and cultural information is interesting and well written, I am most delighted with the book primarily because of the excellent quality of the recipes. They are clearly written, and a nice variety of vegetable dishes are included. I read all the way through and now have a long list of things to try. The steamed eggplant is a wonderful method for cooking that vegetable. Any topping would be delicious with the soft creamy texture that results after slices of Asian eggplant are steamed. The book does require access to Chinese ingredients. And a good wok and a steamer might not technically be required but would make working with the recipes easier.

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6 people found this helpful

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Vicky Chen
Fantastic cookbook but defective hardcover
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
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A very nice cookbook with the culture and history of Taiwan. Diverse coverage of types of food and great photos with food prep details. Love it to be a great gift!!! However, coming in with defective cover though :(

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Vicky Chen

Fantastic cookbook but defective hardcover

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2018
A very nice cookbook with the culture and history of Taiwan. Diverse coverage of types of food and great photos with food prep details. Love it to be a great gift!!! However, coming in with defective cover though :(

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One person found this helpful

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EPICurean M.
Food Portrait and eating the uniqueness of Taiwanese Cuisine
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2015
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These are the types of books that I like to read and try out the regional recipes not found in restaurants. Whenever you don't travel as much but wanted to try these recipes at home are food treasures. This is the second book written by the 2nd generation that are trying to discover the heritage and food culture of the parents and grand parents.
This book was simple and it was written by the author herself, Cathy Erway, a journalist and food writer, who was born in New York, and travelled across the United States and went back on trips to Taiwan to discover what is unique about her heritage. This is also filled with photographs about well known landmarks, and was looking for regional recipes from main entrees, snacks and appetizers, desserts, etcetera.
In my opinion, I guess making these recipes at home is more reminiscent and memorable about the comforts of home cooking and great food. You would rarely find these regional treats in a chain restaurant and eat out.
Second, another book that is written by a Fil-Australian lady had the same perspective of writing a food portrait of the dishes ranging from pantry items, sawsawans, meat and fish dishes, desserts, kakanin (rice cakes) and many other desserts and drinks commonly found in the Philippines. But that is another book- you would have to discover and bewilder the uniqueness of food portraits and culture of Filipino cuisine.
It was worth it to buy either in Kindle or paperback formats.

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11 people found this helpful

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Awethintec Rev-yous
Great Cookbook
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
Verified Purchase
Can't recommend highly enough. Interesting background for recipes, which are generally straightforward enough even for folks (like me) without much prior experience with East Asian cooking. Recipes are structured so that someone cooking in the U.S. can actually obtain necessary ingredients (or accessible substitutes). Most importantly, having cooked about a dozen of the recipes so far, the end product has been consistently tasty.

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One person found this helpful

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Timothy J Gallagher
Memories from the Beautiful Island
Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2021
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This book is a treasure. This is not just a cook book. Presented in hard cover, printed on high quality glossy stock, it is full of beautiful color photography of Taiwan and its people. And of course the wonderful food from the Beautiful Island. I just received the book so I haven't had a chance to try any of the recipes yet, but I know I will. (I'm looking forward to the Pai Gu Mian -five spice pork chops). Just reading through this book evokes some many happy memories. If you love Taiwan, as I do, buy this book. If you've never been to Taiwan, buy this book. It will give you a great introduction to a fabulous place.

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5 people found this helpful

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Ellen E
Interesting food!
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
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Great descriptions and easy to follow directions.

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Priscilla L Jevne
Now I know
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2020
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I really like this book. It contains some of the history (which I already learned some of it from my mother) but it is great to have some thing else to refer to. I now know what goes into the foods I grew up seeing my mom eat. Especially the smelly stuff that I never ate. Needless to say she fixed food for herself and other stuff for the rest of the family. I really enjoyed the book.

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3 people found this helpful

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Alex
Beautiful book
Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2021
Verified Purchase

Good quality book with interesting recipes.
Even if I won't be reproducing them exactly it is a good cooking inspiration.
Reading a cook book with well written recipes and good photos is quite relaxing too.

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Christina Putzler
Super Buch
Reviewed in Germany on February 28, 2019
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Tolle Rezepte zusammen mit der Geschichte Taiwans. Leider etwas zu wenig Bilder zu den Rezepten. Ansonsten super

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Bill Medley
Inspiring cookbook.
Reviewed in Australia on October 27, 2023
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Mouthwatering recipes. I have already tried a few, they turned out beautifully.

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Mimi Katan
Excellent cookbook. Enjoyed many of the foods familiar to ...
Reviewed in Canada on April 14, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent cookbook. Enjoyed many of the foods familiar to me having been born in Taiwan and growing up in Canada with a Mom homesick for Chinese food and cooking many of these in my childhood. I hope Cathy develops more recipes based on some of the foods she wrote about, such as the train Bentos with vegetable steamed rice and pork cutlet in the photos. I have purchased a copy for each of my siblings!

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Janick
Great cookbook! Recipes on my weekly rotation.
Reviewed in Canada on January 24, 2021
Verified Purchase
This recipe book is an excellent starting point for making taiwanese dishes. Word of caution though: the pork sauce over rice recipe is too salty, and if you are making it for the first time I definitely recommend that you use chopped pork belly instead of ground pork (both options are suggested in the book) and maybe add some chopped nappa cabbage to give it a more rounded flavor. The pork and shallots pan fried dumplings turned out exactly like the ones I used to get in Taipei near university (NTU). I have already recommended this book to my friends. It is worth buying not only for the recipes but also the pictures and the "stories".

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The Food of Taiwan: Recipes from the Beautiful Island Kindle Edition

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From the Publisher

Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup from The Food of Taiwan

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Directions

For the Noodles and Serving

Ingredients

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About the Author

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About the author

Cathy Erway

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Fantastic cookbook but defective hardcover

Top reviews from the United States

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Fantastic cookbook but defective hardcover

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Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book

4.0 out of 5 stars Super Buch

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring cookbook.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent cookbook. Enjoyed many of the foods familiar to ...

4.0 out of 5 stars Great cookbook! Recipes on my weekly rotation.

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Beautiful book

Super Buch

Inspiring cookbook.

Excellent cookbook. Enjoyed many of the foods familiar to ...

Great cookbook! Recipes on my weekly rotation.