‘What Taiwanese food really is’: cookbook writer on a return to her roots to explore the island’s complex cuisine and unique culture

To understand Taiwanese cuisine, however, it is vital to understand the island’s history. During much of the 17th century, Taiwan was partly ruled by the Dutch, before the Europeans were driven out.

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This was a group that brought with them their love of seafood, rice and pork, which we see reflected in Taiwanese cuisine today.

“Taiwanese cuisine is similar to Chinese cuisine in that we steam and braise a lot,” says Wei. But it was the 50-year Japanese occupation that shaped Taiwan’s core pantry of condiments today.

It was during this time that the Japanese government focused on growing Taiwan’s sugar industry until it became the “sugar bowl” for the mother country – which helps to explain Taiwanese food’s tendency towards a sweeter flavour profile.

Other main condiments such as soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil in Taiwan also resemble the Japanese style more than the Chinese style, says Wei.

For example, she explains that Taiwan, like Japan, uses toasted wheat to make soy sauce, whereas China uses wheat flour. Rice wine, which is a central ingredient in Asian cooking, is also different in Taiwan.

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Aside from Chinese and Japanese influences, Taiwanese cuisine has also been shaped by the United States.

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“A lot of the conversation around Taiwanese food is framed through the eyes of the diaspora and you have to use your family as a lens to see Taiwan,” says Wei.

“But as someone living in Taiwan, it’s very different from how it was in the ’90s, or even the early 2000s. It’s constantly changing. I saw that there was a need for a book like this, or a conversation to be had about what Taiwanese food really is.”

Food remains an integral part of modern Taiwan’s culture, but instead of reinventing classics, a new wave of young chefs are trying to understand what Taiwanese food is by tapping into indigenous ingredients.

“[Fine-dining chefs are trying to figure out] what ingredients are native to Taiwan and how to incorporate that in their cuisine,” Wei says.

To bring Made in Taiwan to life, Wei assembled an all-Taiwanese team. From her recipe developer, Ivy Chen, and food stylist, Yen Wei, to photographer, Ryan Chen, and researcher, Xin-Yun Wu, her entire team was home-grown.

Wei, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, was the only exception, although she always had a connection to her ancestral roots.

“I grew up in a majority-Taiwanese town called Arcadia. My high school was something like 70 per cent Taiwanese, and all my friends were Taiwanese-American or Taiwanese. And so I didn’t feel like I was that far away from Taiwan,” she says.

“Every year during winter break, my parents would take me and my brother back to Tainan, which is in the southern part of Taiwan and the food capital of the island, and we would eat non-stop for two weeks.”

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In adulthood, Wei continued to learn about her family’s origins. “I would go back to Taiwan and work as a freelance writer. Through work, I would find the dishes that I grew up with and I got to know a lot of these classics on a more deep and intimate level.”

In 2018, Wei moved from LA to Hong Kong and worked at the South China Morning Post. In 2020, she packed her bags and headed to Taiwan. Currently, Wei lives in the capital, Taipei.

“[Tainan is] where street food is still alive and bustling,” says Wei. “It’s also where you’ll find these multi-generation vendors still slugging out the same dish they have been doing for centuries.”

However, much like Taipei, Tainan is slowly becoming gentrified. “A lot of these vendors that I grew up with are no longer there, or their kids have sort of changed it. So the taste isn’t the same,” she says.

“But it’s much more like the original than some of the stalls you see now in Taipei.

“It’s understandable. You can’t expect a country that is constantly progressing to be stuck selling US$1 noodles forever. As time goes by a lot of these dishes will start to fade away. That’s just an inevitable part of life. But Tainan is still one of those places where you can experience the old school street food of Taiwan.”

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Reading Made in Taiwan, it is obvious how much research Wei has put into telling the history of Taiwanese cuisine and its influences. This writing style has been a common theme in much of Wei’s journalism as well.

“I’ve always wanted to be a journalist and tell the story of the human condi­tion,” she says. “And what has interested me about food is that it’s a much more approachable way to talk about culture, politics or the people of a place without being so direct. It feels more welcoming and warm.

“To me, food is a much more interesting way to tell stories.”

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Made in Taiwan will be published on September 19 by Simon Element.

Three-Cup Chicken

From Made in Taiwan; serves 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup (60 ml) Taiwanese rice wine or cooking sake

• 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp soy sauce

• 2 tbsp water

• 1 tbsp coarse raw sugar, such as demerara

• ¼ tsp ground white pepper

• 1 tbsp lard or canola or soybean oil

• 6 garlic cloves, smashed

• 2-inch piece fresh ginger (20g), unpeeled and cut into ¼-inch (1.5mm) slices

• 2 pounds (900g) skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, chopped into pieces 2 inches (5cm) thick

• 2 cups (40g) fresh Thai basil

• 1 red jalapeño pepper or any fresh medium chilli, deseeded and sliced into thin rings (optional)

• 1 to 2 tbsp black sesame oil

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Method

1. In a small bowl, make the sauce by mixing together the rice wine, soy sauce, water, sugar, and white pepper.

2. In a wok, heat the lard over medium heat. When it begins to shimmer, add the garlic and ginger, and cook until they are lightly brown and the edges of the ginger begin to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic and ginger, reserving the oil in the wok. Set the garlic and ginger to the side.

3. Increase the heat to high and add the chicken. Sear until the chicken is well browned on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the sauce, bring to a boil, and return the ginger to the wok. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a treacly, sticky glaze, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Uncover the wok and increase the heat to high so the sauce begins to bubble vigorously. Return the garlic to the wok, and quickly toss in the basil and jalapeño pepper, if using. Mix to combine, and drizzle the black sesame oil over the chicken. Turn off the heat, and transfer to a clean plate. Enjoy immediately.