Macarons.

If you ever visit Paris, these are the best macarons I've ever had. A co-worker brought them into the office after his trip there.

Laduree

If you find yourself in Toronto instead, check out Ruelo Patisserie for super yummy macarons. 

In Taipei, I have not had a decent macaron. Though there are plenty of macaron shops, they all turn out to be sugary gel sandwiches. One reason for this might be because of the Taiwanese macaron, a traditional dessert which looks practically identical to it's French cousin, but however, is a completely different thing altogether. Perhaps this affects how the Taiwanese consumer expects the taste and texture of the French macaron to be. 

Anyhow, since macarons are expensive in any part of the world, I recommend staying away from macarons in Taipei, unless they are of the Taiwanese variety.

On a bizarre side note, I saw Uniqlo selling Laduree T-Shirts. I guess if you can't make it to Paris, and can't get any decent macrons in Taipei, you can still wear a Laduree macaron.

Papaya Soup

A Classic Cantonese Soup. 

For those of us who are dummies in the kitchen, this dumb-ed down version is simple but still just as yummy.

Ingredients

2 pounds papaya
2 pieces of Chicken Breasts or Pig Tendon Meat (aka 豬腱肉 - a Cantonese Soup Staple)
A handful of raw peanuts

Instructions

1. heat a pot of water enough to cover the meat
2. wash and soak peanuts for 15 mins
3. wash meat
4. scoop all the seeds from the papaya and peel away the skin
5. cut the papaya into chunks
6. when the water boils, throw the meat into the pot and remove it when the water reboils
7. dump all the ingredients into a new pot of cold water which covers everything approx 1~2 inches
8. cook on medium heat for about 1.5 hours but no more than 2 hours, or until the soup turn it's standard orangy colour, then it's ready.

Soup Tips:

• if you find the water boiling away too quickly before the soup is ready, you can turn the heat lower or add more water to adjust as necessary
• never cook the soup for more than 2 hours
• in the case of leftovers, only reboil the portion you are going to drink, never reboil the original pot
• I usually never keep soup more than 3 days if i can't finish it, use your discretion

Banana Bread

Today, the world's most fluffy, most moist, most scrumptious banana cake was calling out to me at the cafe!!

I was so tempted to buy it before I thought, why not just make my own at home? ;-p

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 1 teaspoon baking soda
 1/2 cup butter (melted)
 1 cup brown sugar (can substitute white sugar, can reduce to 3/4 cups if less sweet preferred)
 2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or powder (optional)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (optional)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 teaspoon baking powder (optional)
2 ~4 ripe bananas
1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). 
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda/powder and salt. 
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and  sugar. 
4. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. 
5. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. (don't stir too much or outcome will be too dry or dense)
6. Add vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon
7. Lightly grease approximately 9x5 inch equivalent loaf pan.
8. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
9. Bake in preheated oven for approx. 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. 
10. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
11. Keeps well refrigerated.

Ukulele Enlightenment

Last week, I attended a Jake Shimabukuro ukulele concert at the ATT Show Box in Taipei.  Previously not even able to spell ‘ukulele’correctly, I had no expectations, but Shimabukuro, a native of Hawaii and accomplished ukulele player (ukulele-ist? ukulele-r?) delivered a first impression of the highest magnitude.

The night started with an upbeat number, containing harmonics you would have thought a ukulele might produce, that is, similar to a guitar but still within a ukulele’s natural limits. I found myself subconsciously settling into how I thought the night’s offering was going to play out.  However, all that was about to change with Shimabukuro’s opening follow-up, a rendition of Adele’s ‘Rolling In The Deep’. It was during this piece that the music starting taking on a life of its own, with Shimabukuro in the background, throwing his whole body into making music with the ukulele in every way fathomable. There was drum beating, string twisting, foot stomping, you name it, all coming from the petite framed Asian with a miniature guitar in his hand.

In one set, with the song ‘Dragon’, Shimabukuro played a tribute to his Rock n’ Roll heroes. This song which was born from his experimentation with Rock and Heavy Metal, showcased how, with some ingenuity, the ukulele can be used to produce so many different types of music. Heck, at one point, the ukulele even transformed into a samisen, delighting the audience with traditional Japanese tunes.

The possibilities on four strings and two octaves seem limitless with Shimabukuro. From a newbie perspective, the traditional sounds coming from a ukulele mostly fail to convey depth of feeling. However, Shimabukuro’s songs are rich and full, and at no point do you want for more in the delivery. Where there might be some gaps, Shimabukuro makes up for it with creative arrangements that play to the ukulele’s strengths. Shimabukuro’s magnificence lies in his ability to use this entirely different medium and method to deliver songs that still capture the essence of the originals, and which are in no way instrumental copies delivered on a ukulele.

In another set, Shimabukuro performed his song ‘Missing 3’, his accidental composition of only three strings (missing the third string). It was thoroughly enjoyable, though the main thing I got from this song was that the third string is really important. 

Another thing that strikes you about the music is that so many notes are being played at the same time. Eyes closed, you would think there were three ukuleles on the stage. At times I saw Shimabukuro flexing his arms on stage, and boy, you bet he needed to, with the way he was playing that thing. If he had broken his ukulele in half during a song, fingers bleeding and cramping a la Rafael Nadal at the US Open, I would not have thought it odd.

At other times Shimabukuro appears entranced in his own world.  The ecstasy Shimabukuro appears to feel when his fingers come off the strings pushes him further and further into a sophistication that sometimes produces melodies bordering on art form. Unfortunately for the audience, and especially for the casual listener, this is a place they cannot follow. Luckily though, once the ukulele prodigy had captured everybody’s imagination and had their undivided attention, he offered some lighter fare, pleasant melodies like a ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ cover and his original ‘Blue Roses Falling’. All that seemed missing was some Spanish flavour, and when that was served, my palette was so content that I felt fine drifting to wherever the music wanted to take me. Soon it dawned on me that Shimabukuro‘s ukulele can be oh just so sublimely comfortable. It is music that could make the creative juices flow and coo one into slumber simultaneous.

But before the idea of me running to buy my very own ukulele fully formed, it was all over. Loitering about afterwards, I noticed many youngsters in the audience carrying ukuleles, many in groups, probably from high school ukulele clubs. I was witnessing the ukulele subculture firsthand. Why did they bring their ukuleles? Did they want to challenge the master’s superiority in a ukulele battle on stage? Or perhaps play along from the audience? Was it show of pride and solidarity for the Ukulele Community? Or more possibly, maybe Shimabukuro held a ukulele autograph session before the show? Anyhow, regardless of the reason, it was still a sight to behold.

The whole experience for me was a journey of ukulele enlightenment, one that has left me a wiser person. On the downside, I have become a more spoilt wise person because, how can I EVER listen to another ukulele with satisfaction again after THAT? 

Okay, self-indulgences aside, in the greater scheme of things, at least I will be more inclined to listen to a ukulele from now on thanks to Shimabukuro, and that is a win for the Ukulele Community.  With the prowess he possesses on strings, Shimabukuro could be a pro of any stringed instrument, but so evident his content in his current medium, Jake Shimabukuro is the poster boy for the modern day ukulele, and I’m sure the Ukulele Community couldn't agree more.

Stir Fry Green Beans

Crunchy, Simple, Delicious!

There are so many different types of green beans. Some have seeds, some don't. Some aren't even green. 

But they all work for this simple recipe!

Ingredients

•  Green Beans/String Beans (in Chinese 四季豆) 
• garlic, about cloves for one handful of beans
• salt or Knorr's 鮮味炒手 (Xiān wèi chǎo shǒu) which is type of salt substitute vegetable seasoning
• cooking oil

Instructions

1. wash the beans and cut them into the size of choice
2. remove the skin from the garlic and squish it up a bit, or mash it if you like
3. In a fry pan or wok, turn the heat on to medium or high
4. add the cooking oil
5. when the oil starts to bubble around the spatula when it touches the pan,add the garlic
6. which the garlic favour is in the air, add the beans
7. stir-fry until the beans are almost all cooked (dark green), then add the salt or seasoning
8. stir-fry a big more until you feel it's ready

Side notes from a cooking newbie:

1. In Taiwan, I learnt that many people like to wash their vegetables earlier and soak then in water for a while, or keep a stream of water running into the bowl of vegetables by            keeping the water running a tad. The continuous stream of water cleans the vegetables further. I think if you are not eating the vegetables raw it's not necessary but if you're washing romaine lettuce for salad then it's not a bad idea. See how much your water cost if you want to do this....
2. If you don't put the garlic into the oil right as soon as it's ready in step 5, it's gonna be too hot and burn.

Insomnia leads to poetry (attempt).

You know those nights. When you are just staring at the street light and irritating your partner all night being awake. This can lead to arguments in the morning but luckily there IS something positive that can be got from all this non-sleeping.

Recently I read some news about something called the "second sleep". There are many references to this "second sleep" in literature. Perhaps intrigued by this mysterious reference, researchers studying sleeping patterns interestingly found that the study subjects often woke up in the middle of the night, quite awake and aware, staying up for a few hours before drifting back into a "second sleep". 

It seems that this type of sleeping patterns could be more natural for the body than the traditional 8-hr night that we now follow. And during this awake period is when creative ideas and clear thinking comes out, because our brain has had an opportunity to absorb and filter all the information and feelings from the previous day. Apparently, this time is a most productive time, for things like sex (right, of course), writing, and solving problems. This is a super positive. We don't have to feel bad awake laying awake at night anymore, instead we can just get up do whatever our heart desires.

If you are intrigued by the subject, here are two related books (which I have not read):

1. Evening's Empire by Craig Koslofsky
2. Day's Close: Night in Times Past by A. Roger Ekirch

So, on this particular sleepless night, I was inspired to write. Poetry. A surely peculiar thing, because, I work in tech, so you can imagine how creative I am usually. Could it be related to this idea of "second sleep"? What do you think?

My Companion

The wet night frowns

At the rash, on my skin,

painted by the scorching heat of day.

On the canvas, I brush,

where I lie

frantic strokes of ointment

my attempt,

to cheer up the night.

But my artistry, in vain.

The oily glean

determinedly concealed.

in darkness, a faint scent of mint

finally the cool front hits

burning heat extinguished,

like the rain soothed the night.

We are both content.

In this summer rain,

the night is my loyal companion

while others lay asleep