Taiwanese Tapas, Spanish Drama

 

Saturday, December 1, 2012 - Taiwanese Tapas, Spanish Drama

Taiwanese tapas and Spanish drama were on the agenda for Friday evening.  It sounds like a strange combination, but it worked out well.  The evening started with with a group of ESOL colleagues who met for dinner at A&J Restaurant in Annandale. The restaurant is known for its dirt cheap prices, cash only policy and authentic Taiwanese tapas.  Among the less-familiar dishes we tried were turnip pastry, scallion pancake, bean curd rolls with assorted mushrooms, bean curd skin with mustard greens and soy beans, and vegetarian delight (gluten, dried bean curd, and mushrooms).  I wasn’t tempted to sample the Spicy Beef Tendon Noodle Soup that Evelyn ordered, but she assured us that it was delicious.  (Her parents are from Taiwan, so she grew up eating such delicacies.)  On the other hand, I was quite happy to try the warm pastries stuffed with red bean paste and coated with sesame seeds. 

Bean curd skin with mustard greens and soybeans

Luscious red-bean-paste stuffed pastries at A&J

Following dinner, we headed over to nearby Annandale High School for the ESOL drama production of Federico Garcia Lorca’s Blood Wedding.  It was the perfect play for me – it lasted less than an hour in this adaptation.  Although it’s a dark, violent and depressing tragedy, there were some unexpected comedic moments, thanks to the exuberance of our talented cast of ESOL actors.  They truly did an impressive job staging this challenging work.  

Perhaps inspired by last night’s dinner, I decided to try my hand at making Singapore noodles for Saturday lunch.  Singapore noodles don’t actually come from Singapore; you often find them on the menu in Chinese restaurants.  Actually, I discovered, they’re not very difficult to make.  In my version, the ingredients included rice noodles, onions, peppers, celery, bean sprouts, garlic, ginger, and the curry powder that gives the dish its distinctive flavor.  I made a few substitutions (to keep it vegetarian), and although I didn’t have the garlic chives called for in the recipe, the result was very satisfying.  From now on, whenever I crave this flavorful Chinese dish, I’ll be able to whip it up right in my very own kitchen.  

Vegetarian Singapore Noodles