February 28, 2023

Taichung Travel: Tai'an Police Station Cherry Blossom 2023


This year, the cherry blossoms at Tai'an Police Station (臺中市政府警察局大甲分局泰安派出所) seem to be fewer compared to previous years. Several trees have been trimmed down, resulting in fewer flowers. Additionally, since you visited at the end of the season in late February, the flowers may not have looked as vibrant as they did earlier in the blooming period. It appears that the cherry blossoms bloomed earlier than usual this year in various locations.

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Address:

421台中市后里區安眉路1號

February 13, 2023

Tainan Travel: 2023 Yuejin Lantern Festival

Yuejingang Riverside Park (月津港親水公園)

This year, the biggest Lantern Festival was organized in Taipei, but many cities also had their own smaller-scale festivals. One famous place to visit is Yanshui in Tainan.

We went to Tainan for my husband's dentist appointment, so we also had a chance to stop by Yuejin Riverside Park in Yanshui. The weather in Tainan was great, warm, and sunny. We could even wear short sleeves. Miaoli, on the other hand, was completely different. When we left home in the morning, it was still cloudy and not very warm. We have to wear winter jackets every day here. The temperature difference between these two places is about 15 degrees.

The Yuejin Lantern Festival had the theme of "Moonlight in Town." We visited on the last weekend of the festival (Feb 11-12). Qiaonan Old Street was really crowded, with plenty of street food stalls around. If you visit this place on a normal day, not during a holiday, it's completely empty! We only walked along the river as it was getting late, so this time we didn't visit the town itself. It's always a happy feeling to come back to Tainan, even if it's just for a few hours.

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Address:

737台南市鹽水區康樂路

February 8, 2023

[Recipe] What's Nian Gao? Lunar New Year Sticky Rice Cake

What's Nian Gao (年糕)?

Nian gao (年糕), a Chinese New Year's cake, is a food made from glutinous rice flour. It is considered good luck to eat nian gao during this time of the year because nian gao sounds like "higher year" or "grow every year" (年高) in Chinese, symbolizing a wish for a prosperous year. The traditional nian gao is round in shape with an auspicious decoration such as the character for prosperity (福) on top.
This sticky sweet snack was believed to be an offering to the Kitchen God, with the intention of sticking his mouth with the cake so that he would not badmouth the human family in front of the Jade Emperor.

There are several types of nian gao: Guangdong, Fujian/Hokkien, Jiangnan/Shanghainese, and Northern. Similar cakes can also be found in different countries such as Burma, Cambodia, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, and Indonesia.

In Guangdong, sweet nian gao is dipped in egg and pan-fried. It's usually sweetened with brown sugar, resulting in a distinct dark yellow color. The batter is poured into a cake pan and steamed until it solidifies. Once heated, the nian gao becomes stretchy and extremely sticky.
In the southern region of Fujian, nian gao is mainly used for New Year rituals and gifts. It is made of glutinous rice and taro, sliced and cooked before eating. It can also be wrapped in egg or cornstarch and fried.
Shanghai-style savory fried nian gao is made by mixing rice with glutinous rice powder. The softer version has a higher proportion of glutinous rice. Cooking methods include steaming, frying, slicing and frying, or using it in soup. The Shanghai style keeps the nian gao white, which is its distinct feature. When served as a dish, the most common method is stir-frying. There are three general types: savory with ingredients like scallions, beef, pork, cabbage, and Chinese cabbage; sweet using standard white sugar; and almost tasteless but enjoyed for its chewy texture.
Northern nian gao can be steamed or fried and is mainly sweet in taste. Beijing versions include jujube with either glutinous rice or yellow rice. Shanxi makes nian gao using yellow rice and fillings such as red bean paste or jujube paste. Hebei uses jujube, small red beans, and green beans to make steamed nian gao. Shandong nian gao is made of red dates and yellow rice, while the Northeast type is made of beans on sticky sorghum.

Steamed Nian Gao Recipe

Typically, in Taiwan, Guangdong-style Nian Gao is commonly eaten.

Ingredients:
300g glutinous rice powder
1200g dark brown sugar
220g water
Egg (for coating)
Oil (for pan-frying)

Instructions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice powder, dark brown sugar, and warm water. 
2. Mix well until you achieve a smooth, lump-free batter.
3. Line a cake tin with parchment paper to prevent sticking. 
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin.
5. Place the cake tin in a steamer.
6. Steam the mixture for 1 to 1.5 hours until it solidifies. 
7. Allow the steamed cake to cool to room temperature. For best results, refrigerate overnight to let it harden.
8. Once the cake has hardened, remove it from the cake tin and slice it into your desired pieces.
9. Beat an egg in a bowl.
10. Dip each slice of the rice cake into the beaten egg
11. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
12. Place the egg-coated rice cake slices into the pan, cooking each side until golden brown and crispy.
13. Serve your pan-fried glutinous rice cakes warm.

I also have a video tutorial on my YouTube channel that you can check out for reference.

Baked Nian Gao Recipe

I also prepared another version of Nian Gao, which is not traditional but similar to Hawaiian Mochi Cake. Instead of steaming, it is baked, but it is still very easy to prepare.
Freshly baked, this cake boasts a delightful gooey texture. For the best experience, I recommend consuming it within the first three days. Refrigeration, while possible, may lead to a firmer texture as the cake continues to set. Enjoy the gooey goodness while it's at its prime!

Ingredients:
140g glutinous rice flour
80g brown sugar
200g milk
50g oil
2 eggs
4g baking powder
40g chopped walnuts (for topping)

Preparation:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine glutinous rice powder, oil, eggs, dark brown sugar, and warm milk. 
2. Thoroughly mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.
3. Line a rectangular or square baking tin with parchment paper. 
4. Pour the prepared mixture into the lined baking tin
5. Sprinkle a generous amount of chopped walnuts evenly over the top of the mixture in the tin. The walnuts will add a delightful crunch and flavor to the cake.
6. Place the baking tin in the preheated oven [180°C (356°F)] and bake the sticky rice cake for approximately 45 minutes or until it is fully set. 7. Once the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
8. Freshly baked cake is nicely gooey. I don't recommend to keep it more than 3 days, as the cake will harden more once refrigerated.

I also have a video tutorial on my YouTube channel that you can check out for reference.



February 5, 2023

Experiencing the Spectacular Miaoli Bombing Dragon Festival - Lunar New Year in Taiwan


Lantern Festival is held on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, marking the end of the New Year celebrations. However, the way this festival is celebrated varies across Taiwan. Miaoli has the Bombing Dragon event, Taipei has the Pingxi Sky Lanterns, and in Yanshui, you can experience the Beehive Fireworks Festival. Despite living in Tainan for the past three years, I have not joined this event, as it is said to be very dangerous. I can imagine that having hundreds or thousands of fireworks shot at people is not the best event to attend 😂. Taitung also has a similar celebration called the Bombing Master Handan Festival, which has been celebrated since 1954. Every year, one volunteer represents the local God of wealth, Master Han Dan. This volunteer, wearing only red shorts, a scarf, and goggles, stands in the middle of the crowd while people throw firecrackers at him.
It seems that Taiwanese people love dangerous events, don't you think?

Last Friday (01/27) marked the beginning of the Dragon Bombing event, which we attended for the first time. On Friday noon, it was just a warm-up before the actual festival held on 02/04. Yongzhen Temple in Toufen held a warm-up event where two dragons danced and were bombed with firecrackers. As we have just recently moved to Miaoli last September, I am still exploring and learning about Hakka traditions. This festival can only be seen in Miaoli, making it a very unique event!


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Dragon Bombing Festival (火旁龍)

The Dragon Bombing Festival (火旁龍) is an annual ritual held during the Lantern Festival and is unique to the Hakka people in Miaoli. It was introduced to Taiwan by Hakka immigrants from mainland China during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s. The festival originated from the Chinese dragon dance and serves as a dragon-welcoming celebration. During the ritual, performers maneuver the dragon in a dance while others set off a large number of firecrackers to "kill" evil spirits, get rid of the old, and welcome the New Year. This event is considered a precious traditional folk custom and one of the 12 major festivals of Taiwan's Hakka villages.

In the early days, Hakka families who migrated to Taiwan faced challenging environments and struggled for survival. After the busy farming period at the end of the year, they would form a "Dragon Team" and make the dragon used in the dance during the slack time before the start of the new lunar year. As the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first lunar month) approached, many dragon teams in Miaoli would begin practicing their dance while waiting for family members who had left the village for work to return home and celebrate the New Year together. The dragon dance is performed to welcome the dragon to the community and greet the New Year before villagers resume farming and work after the Lantern Festival, symbolizing the beginning of a new year and praying for a disaster-free year, good weather, and an abundant harvest. The dragon dance is also a way to welcome auspiciousness, peace, and good fortune into the lives of the people.

While dragon dance performances can be seen all over Taiwan, the custom of bombing the dragon is unique to Miaoli. This event is held in the front square of Miaoli's Yuqing Temple (玉清宮) as part of the temple celebrations, creating a vibrant atmosphere and enriching the cultural displays.

For the Hakka people in Taiwan, the Lunar New Year celebration starts from the first day of the first lunar month and continues until the fifteenth day. There is a Hakka saying that "the 15th day of the first month is more important than celebrating the New Year," emphasizing the liveliness of their Lantern Festival celebrations. Along with enjoying Hakka glutinous rice balls, radish buns, viewing lanterns, and solving riddles, the Dragon Bombing event represents a culmination of the celebrations. This event not only welcomes the arrival of spring and wishes for happiness but also holds profound meaning in preserving traditional customs and passing on cultural heritage.

Seven Stages of the "Bombing the Dragon" Event

1. Dragon-making: The dragon is crafted by the dragon master using bamboo and paper, completed before the ninth day of the first lunar month, which coincides with the legendary Jade Emperor's birthday.
2. Walking with the dragon: The "Hakka Dragon Altar" is set up, and the ceremony of settling the dragon spirit takes place.
3. Dragon eye-dotting: People pray to the God of Heaven to infuse spirit into the dragon body, and the dragon dances through the village, providing protection and blessings to the people.
4. Welcoming the dragon: The Hakka people believe that a visit from the Divine Dragon or "Shenlong (神龍)" signifies a visit from the gods, which can protect against local disasters and bring good luck to households in the New Year.
5. Following the dragon: Following the dragon during its dance procession is believed to bring peace and good fortune.
6. Dragon bombing: As the dragon becomes more prosperous, people set off firecrackers to welcome the dragon, drive away evil spirits, and enhance the festive atmosphere.
7. Sending the dragon back to the sky: At the end of the Lantern Festival, to express gratitude to the gods for sending their spirits embodied in the dragon to bless the people, the Hakka people set the dragon ablaze, symbolizing the completion of its mission, and then send the divine dragon back to heaven.











February 1, 2023

Miaoli Travel: Cherry and Plum Blossom 2023

 

Travel date: 2023/01/29

During the cherry blossom season, we decided to venture into the mountains for the first time to see the blooming trees. Fortunately, there are some places in Miaoli where cherry blossoms can be seen. We drove to Miaoyin Jingyuan Temple in Liantai Mountain (蓮臺山妙音淨苑). The mountain road can be a bit challenging to drive, with falling stones on the side and narrow pathways. It is recommended for experienced drivers for a safer and easier journey.

The temple provides car parking on three different levels of a hill, and there is no parking or entrance fee. Currently, only a portion of the trees have bloomed. Some plum trees have already finished blooming, while others were in full bloom, and some were just starting to bud. The plum and cherry trees are planted on several levels, and some roads may be a little steep. Additionally, there are areas where plum trees grow on hills without proper pathways, so caution is advised when walking as the terrain can be sandy and there is a risk of slipping or falling.

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Address:

354苗栗縣獅潭鄉蓮臺山妙音淨苑