Friday 13 October 2017

Chaiyi Night Market

Almost 2 weeks ago I embarked on my travels around Taiwan. For the majority of my stay I lived, explored and ate in either Taipei or Hsinchu and Taoyuan, Miaoli and Taichung on the weekends. Basically, the north/ west coast. So come the 2nd October it was time to see the rest. First stop, Chaiyi.
Night markets are an incredibly budget friendly and tasty way of trying lots of treats that are on offer. With each night market offering different things to the other there is a wealth of foods on offer. Typically the larger night markets are to be found in Taipei. I wanted to buck the trend and let you know what I enjoyed about the not so familiar ones. 
Honey Aiyu
First up let's start with dessert. This quick refresher was one of my favourites. I could have easily knocked back a few more bowls given the chance. A delicious aiyu, finely crushed ice, fresh local honey (was to die for), and a gentle squeeze of lemon. Perfectly light and cold with subtle flavours. 
Above is the aiyu. It's made from the seeds of a specific type of fig, which happen to be found mainly in Taiwan. The best way to tell if you have a good natural aiyu is that water from the jelly will seep out slowly over the course of a few days, as in the picture you can see that happening.   
If you get the chance to come to Taiwan be sure to give this a try. Costing just 30NTD/ £0.75 it's a no-brainer. 
Duck Wraps
Wherever you go duck wraps are likely to be popular. Chaiyi night market it is no different. Delicious duck, cucumber, pickles, sauce, crispy skin all bound together in a light wrap, it's hard to go wrong with these. Using a wrap skin similar in style to a gua bao, it gave the whole affair a much lighter and softer feel. 
Once again only setting you back 50NTD / £1.25 they are an absolute steal. If only night markets were open during the day I could devour some for lunch as well.  
Sweet Potato Cake - Cheese or Pepper
Time for something related to a vegetable. In an effort to try and eat a balanced diet... Who am I kidding? That's not what this trip is about! These sweet potato cakes are wonderful. Light, seasoned crushed potato, with either cheese or pepper, encased in crisp bread shell before being topped with sesame seeds. 
I can't vouch for the pepper cake as by this point I was getting rather full, bearing in mind these are not in the order of eating. The key to these I think is to order the most golden one you can, the flavour was so much somewhat increased from the bread. Costing 45NTD / £1.10 I just had to go for 2.
Oreo Imagawayaki
These aren't exactly a traditional night market food in the sense, more an up to date cutsie version. Who can resist an Oreo filled cats paw? Imagawayaki is a delicious Japanese treat I've covered before and a general favourite of mine. 
Being an Oreo lover, Imagawayaki fan and having a collection of the "sweet tooth", I thought these would be right up my street. Sadly, not so much. Personally, I think these need a wet filling or at least some moisture. They were a little on the dry side, not in a completely overcooked way, more a sense of the cakeyness draws all the moisture from your mouth kinda way. Like a marketing ploy to get you to buy a drink as well. 
Luckily my partner was quick to swoop in and take them for herself. Not to be disheartened they sell lots of other flavours as well and for 4 cutsie cats paws the price of 50NTD / £1.25 it's something sure worth trying out.
Chicken Kebab Bun
Last on the food agenda was these scrummy buns. Walking back to where we were staying you'd get wafts of meats and sweet treats. This one happened to cut through the rest. It would have almost felt like a crime not to try one.  Juicy chicken, crisp cabbage, ketchup- of a kind, a heavy sprinkle of curry powder, a couple of slices of "fake cheese", crammed into a toasted bun. 
Full of flavour and perfect for the short walk back to the hotel. The joys of choosing your hotel based on being close to the night market. Truth be told I can't remember how much it cost, I was more interested in chowing down on it. All I know is I paid in change. Probably around the 50-60 NTD mark. / £1.25 - £1.50. Rarely does anything exceed that.
In need of a drink? Like the majority of Taiwan, Chiayi is littered with tea shops, whether it be chain or independent. There are various stalls amongst the food selling papaya milk, soy milk drinks or even star fruit juice. All of which are sublime! My partner's favourite shop - Dayung's. Fresh fruit juices, teas, blends almost any combination you can think of. If you find one give it a try.
Here are some extra pictures I didn't delete or not, not use.

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Tuesday 10 October 2017

Spiced Walnut Scones

It's crazy to think that just two weeks ago I was trying to use up everything in the store cupboard before I left to travel around Taiwan. These scones were part of that attempt. They are a great way to use up spare milk or flour.

Scones are nothing new or revolutionary by far but they will always be a quick and easy bake that you can make at home. These shouldn't take you any longer than 20-30 minutes, which in baking terms is rather fast for anything. Deliciously studded with walnuts, fruits and possibly even a hint of mixed spice if you have some, make these the perfect autumn treat.

Just the smell of these as they are almost baked gives off a rich, warm aroma you'd imagine would come from some pretentious candle. All the wintery spices, toasted nuts and sweet fruits are all salivating, leaving you longing for one oven fresh. Smoother with thick clotted cream, a dowsing of strawberry jam or even cranberry jam or marmalade, as it's autumn after all. Making these a welcomed sight to any dinner table.

Recipe

Ingredients:

200g self-raising flour
10g baking powder
1tsp mixed spice (optional)
50g butter
50g caster sugar
120g milk
50g walnuts, crushed or chopped
50g dried fruit - raisins or sultanas work well
1 small egg, beaten

Method:

  • Sieve the flour, baking powder and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. To this add the butter and rub into the flour. Rub until all combined. 
  • Add the sugar to the mix and stir through. Start to add the milk, mixing with one hand until you form a soft dough. (You may not need all the milk so refrain from adding all at once).
  • Add the fruit and nuts. Give the nuts a crush or chop before adding though.
  • Mix well till evenly distributed and place onto a floured surface.
  • Roll out the scone mix until around 2cm thick. All depends on how high you'd like the finished article.
  • Cut out the scones using a cutter. I went for a straight edged 6cm ring but feel free to choose otherwise. You could even cut with a knife into shapes.
  • Place onto a baking tray with baking parchment. Brush with the beaten egg onto the tops of all the scones. 
  • Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes. Once golden brown remove from the oven and leave to cool before serving. 
  • I enjoyed mine with some lovely clotted cream and strawberry jam.

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Friday 6 October 2017

Banoffee Chocolate Truffles


If you love banoffee pies, these banoffee chocolate truffles are likely to blow your mind! Packed full of flavour and textures, you may not be willing to share.

Anything banoffee will catch the eye of most people. Sweet nutty toffee, a hint of an oaty biscuit all held with banana. Let's be honest, "it's the closest fruit to not being a fruit"- NCIS.

With a caramel chocolate truffle base, a mixture of milk and dark chocolate really does help to balance the sweetness. If you're using banana liqueur you'll be in for a treat. It works so well with chocolates. Add to that a centre filled with toffee sauce and mouths begin to water.

Recipe

Ingredients:                                                                                                            (Makes 28-32 truffles)

Ganache
125g caster sugar
1 tbsp glucose
200ml cream
60g salted butter
90g milk chocolate
90g dark chocolate
1 shot banana liqueur (optional)
2 bananas, small to medium sized, chopped up
6 digestive biscuits, crushed
50ml toffee sauce

Coating
125g milk chocolate

Method:
  • Gently bring the sugar and glucose to a caramel in a heavy based saucepan.
  • Once there's a deep caramel colour, deglaze with the cream and butter. 
  • Cook out until the caramel has fully dissolved into the cream mixture. 
  • Pour over the two types of chocolate and whisk until smooth. Leave to cool completely before continuing. 
  • Once cooled fully give the ganache a beat with the chopped banana to loosen the mixture and puree the banana into the mix. Stir in the banana liqueur if using. 
  • Add the crushed biscuits to the ganache and stir until fully combined. Leave to cool and firm up once more.
  • Portion into sized balls. Make a dent in the centre almost all the way through and add a dollop of toffee sauce.
  • Gently smooth over the sides to fully en capsule the sauce in the centre. Leave to cool in the fridge once more until set.
  • Melt the chocolate for coating over a bain marie. Dip the truffles one by one until they are fully coated. Leave to set on a piece of baking parchment. 
  • Garnish if and how you please.


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Tuesday 3 October 2017

Calamansi Marmalade

Calamansi marmalade sure sounds interesting, looks lovely and has a wonderful flavour profile. Calamansi is a small green/yellow fruit, a cross between a kumquat and a mandarin. With less of a sour hit than you'd get from a kumquat and fresher orangey notes, they are a wonderful fruit to try if you can get your hands on them.

This recipe will also work perfectly using kumquats instead. Simply swap the same quantity of kumquats for calamansi and voila. You can enjoy this marmalade on your toast, in a cake or any other way you enjoy traditional marmalade. You will love this version! It's tangy bitter-sweet goodness, a wonderful helping of calamansi bits to chew on and can all be made in less than an hour. Perfection!

If you have any leftover calamansis', why not freeze them and use them as ice cubes in drinks? They release their delicious flavours subtly and are just the right size. Do remember you can eat the whole fruit, including skin, the same as you would with a kumquat. Well... minus the seeds.

Be sure to look out for some more recipes using this delicious fruit in the future.

Recipe

Ingredients:

200g caster sugar
100g orange juice
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
200g calamansi, stoned, sliced thinly

Method:

  • In heavy-based pan caramelise the sugar over a medium heat. Shake the pan to move the sugar. (Don't stir)
  • When the caramel is a deep golden colour deglaze with the orange juice and vinegar.
  • Give it a good stir to dissolve all the caramel. 
  • Add the thinly sliced calamansi to the liquid. 
  • Leave to cook on a low-medium heat for at least 5-10 minutes until it starts to thicken a little. Stir regularly.
  • Pour the marmalade into sterilised jars, seal and leave to cool. 
  • Store in a cool dry place. Once open keep in the fridge. 

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