Monday, January 03, 2022

my kitchen: EASY MOCHI WAFFLES

Easy Mochi Waffles

Makes 4-6 waffles




I love waffles, but I had never made mochi waffles before. New year, new you, right? 

I had some sweet rice flour in the pantry from a visit last year to Siang Khau Lu, so I decided to give this recipe a try (it had the most reviews on google with 442). The result was a chewy, soft waffle that was like some of the round mochi breads or cheese breads I'd pick up at local bakeries. I wished it was slightly crispier on the edges, like this mochi waffle street vendor that I found in Taipei years ago before it was a thing. I should mention I didn't have any white sugar on hand, so I used brown sugar instead of white sugar, which did give it a caramel color and flavor, but did not make it crispy. I'll keep tinkering with this recipe and see if I can adjust it to be crispier. 

EASY MOCHI WAFFLES

Ingredients (makes 4-6 waffles) 

  • 3/4 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1 1/4 cup mochiko flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat waffle iron.

2. In a medium mixing bowl add 3/4 cup milk, 1 egg, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.

3. Add 1 1/4 cup sweet glutinous rice flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until just combined.

4. Add 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the batter to the waffle iron. This will puff up a lot, so I recommend filling it less than half full to prevent overflow and make sure the edges get griddled. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Wednesday, December 01, 2021

western/mediterranean: i strongly recommend TOASTERIA CAFE (YONG KANG)



TOASTERIA CAFE YONG KANG 吐司利亞 永康店

No 200 Xinyi Road, Section 2, Da'an District, Taipei
(02) 2321-0073 

MRT: Dongmen

hours: 9AM- 12AM

$$

Kid friendliness: baby chairs and stairs, but there is first floor seating 

Visit reviewed: 10/2021


[TAIPEI] 

Toasteria has come a long way since its tiny sidewalk cafe selling grilled cheese sandwiches. Now it's a busy 3 story restaurant next to the original Yong Kang Street DTF, with a full menu of mediterranean specialties that are hard to find in Taipei, brunch, pasta and salad options. I've only been a handful of times the past few years, but every time I go it's busy with large groups of all ages. 

I had a lunch date with a friend who asked me where she could find hummus and I suggested Toasteria. Flipping through the menu it seemed even more extensive than my last visit a few years ago with not just one hummus, but 5 different versions. She ended up picking the Hummus Moroccan Lamb which was delicious. The pita bread was presented so nicely with a few pickled olives and there was plenty to go around- it’s such a bummer when you order a dip/spread and there’s not enough pita or bread to go around.  

And even though there’s a handful of places to get hummus these days (which is happily so many more than even 5 years ago), I would come back for that and  the eggplant carpaccio (I wish I had a picture of it, I think we were so hungry we just dug in.)

Just had to post about it because so many people asked me about it or told me they went to Toasteria after seeing my post, because they had also been looking for hummus in Taipei. 











Wednesday, November 24, 2021

chinese/dim sum: i recommend YA GE at MO TAIPEI


YA GE 
at MANDARIN ORIENTAL TAIPEI 
No. 158, DunHua N Rd, Songshan District, Taipei
(02) 2715 6788

hours: 12PM- 2:30PM; 6:30PM - 10PM

$$$

Kid friendliness: environment on quieter side; no high chairs or children spotted

Visit reviewed: 11/2021




[TAIPEI] 🥟Michelin starred dim sum at @mo_tpe . Faves include the honey bbq pork, crispy taro puffs with foie gras, and rice roll with crispy shrimp. I’ve missed eating with a table full of dim sum and Cantonese food. 


Ya Ge is now headed by chef Tommy Cheung Kwok Pong who was previously at Peninsula Hotel in HK for over 10 years with signatures such as birds nest dumpling,  garoupa with chicken and duck au jus, pork ribs with aged vinegar and pear and wok fried rice noodles with crab. 


Thank you Mandarin Oriental for the lovely lunch and hospitality. 


















:)