Treat your friends to a touch of Taiwanese hospitality this autumn with tasty dishes from Formosa and a touch of simple, modern Asian décor. When thinking about what dishes to prepare for the evening, remember that Taiwanese food can be divided into two categories: home-style and street/market fare. “Street/market food is highly specialised,” says Joseph Chiang, operations manager at The Night Market, a Taiwanese restaurant offering MSG-free Formosan flavours in a beautifully designed, contemporary setting on Stanley Street in Central. “Each market vendor specialises in one item and may offer a few complimentary products. The home-style food consists of items that are cooked at home by mothers and traditional Taiwanese restaurants in Taiwan. These dishes tend to be flavorful and comforting.”
The Night Market’s three-cup chicken is just one such home-style dish; it’s tasty, tender and packed with flavour. “Luckily, there’s no secret trick to making it, but as with everything it takes a bit of practice and tweaking to get it exactly the way you prefer it,” explains Chiang. Another delicious home-style dish is The Night Market’s stir-fried vermicelli. “You can alter [it in] many different ways. There are no rules on what must be in this dish, other than the vermicelli of course. Similar to fried rice, anything you take out or add in could work, as long as the combinations match well. For example, our dish has shredded pork, which can easily be substituted for prawns or chicken,” advises Chiang.
If your cooking skills are quite advanced, try your hand at The Night Market’s braised beef noodles. It’s “one of the quintessential dishes of Taiwanese cuisine,” says Chiang. “It’s incredibly simple in its form but extremely complicated to make. We use over 15 different types of herbs and spices to make our homemade stock that is boiled for over eight hours … As with most Taiwanese textures, these noodles are suppose to be a bit chewy in texture, so quite different from other types of noodles or pasta.”
Just as The Nightmarket’s food reflects the aromas of Taiwan, so too does the restaurant’s design. “The sixth floor represents the home section, as reflected by the usage of wood, closed ceiling and ceramics in glass display. Meanwhile, the seventh floor takes its design inspiration from an outdoors night market via its custom-made terrazzo floors, open ceiling and the numerous glass lamps hanging above,” offers Chiang.
The comfortable, relaxed vibe by designers Michael Young and Alexi Robinson is an ideal one to emulate when choosing the décor for your Taiwanese-style dinner party. Work with a fresh, cool-toned base of teal – a typically Taiwanese colour – teamed with white, grey and china blue. Keep decorations simple, bringing in bowls of flowers like white dahlias, chrysanthemums and lotus flowers. Dim sum steaming baskets also make for lovely containers for flowers and candles. Such old-school touches will team nicely with minimalist, modern elements such as a 21st-century take on traditional Chinese tableware. Both OVO and Latitude offer exquisite examples.
Having enjoyed such beautiful surroundings, and having eaten such a hearty, delicious meal, your guests will go home satisfied, inspired and content, with memories of their host’s warm hospitality.
The Night Market’s Three-Cup Chicken
Serves 6
Half a chicken (cut into 1-2 inch pieces)
12 slices ginger
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup rice wine
1/2 cup black sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tsp sugar
1 piece red chili
15 pieces Thai basil leaves
In a wok/pan, heat sesame oil on medium heat. Add garlic and ginger, stir-fry until both turn brown. Add chicken and cook for 3 mins or until golden brown. Add sugar, soy sauce and rice wine. Bring sauce to a boil then turn to low heat and reduce sauce (approximately 2 mins). When sauce becomes thick, turn to high heat, then add Thai basil and red chili. Quickly stir-fry, then serve.
Photography by Edgar Tapan
Styling Assistant: Louise Graham
