RAW - taipei

Everyday breakfast - Avocado Toast with soft boiled Egg

For those who have been following me on instagram - you probably know that I have been eating avocado for almost every morning. I got a bag of these green babies from Costco a week ago because I was craving them and I thought why not share this recipe with you guys. I have this love-hate relationship with them because until you cut into it, you never know if it's perfectly ripe - to me it's like playing a touchy guessing game with it :p

I didn't discover my love for avocado until I go to the states - they are not that of a big deal here in Taiwan (but recently I start to find avocado toasts in coffeeshops too) I love to make these open faced sandwich in the morning because they are nutritious, fast and delicious. My favorite way of eating them is to top them with soft boiled eggs - oozing eggyolk is so satisfying to watch and eat :p 

This recipe is usually my go to when it comes to avocado - but it can really be seasoned in any way you like. I love going through the fridge and seek for topping inspiration - these are some of my favorites which goes perfectly well with avocado: smoked salmon, eggs, tomatoes, corn, mustard seeds... it's always fun to try weird combinations (hah) Don't worry the recipe below is completely normal and tasty, as long as you like avocado and eggs :p

  

Prep time: 5 mins     Cook time: 5 mins     Total time: 10 mins     Serves: 2

• 1 avocado
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 slices bread of your choice (I use olive bread here)
• 1/2 lime or lemon
• few drops of honey (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste 

Bring a small saucepan of water to boil over high heat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes. (for that perfect oozing yolk) Gently remove the eggs and run under cold water to peel.

Meanwhile, heat up a pan with high heat, lightly brush the bread with olive oil and toast them for 1-2 minutes on each side.

While the eggs are cooking and breads are toasting, place the avocado on a cutting board and cut lengthwise carefully, rotating around the seed. Twist half of the avocado off and remove. Carefully tap your knife into the pit so that it wedges itself in. Twist the knife and remove the pit. Place the avocado, cut side down on to your cutting board and peel off the skin. 

Cut them in to smaller pieces and smash them in a shallow bowl with a fork, season it with salt, pepper and lime juice (it also prevents it from turning brown). I usually give it a taste and add a few drops of honey to balance out the tanginess.  

Spread the mashed avocado on the bread and top with the soft boiled egg. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes (cilantro works well too) before serving. Cut into the egg, take a selfie and enjoy :p

Thanks for stopping by, see you next time :)

5 Hip Coffeeshops in Taipei

I am always amazed how the coffee culture has grown every time I come back and visit. Especially I have been living in New York for four years, I am just so used to walking into a coffeeshop and chill. The coffeeshops here in Taipei didn't let me down at all. They are all very unique, hipster and sometimes cute and most of them have great coffees. The biggest different I found in them are that they often have a minimum purchase and the rules for each shop is usually different -  some requires a drink per person, some requires a dessert ... which can sometimes be a little bit annoying, just a bit. But overall, I enjoyed them a lot, and today I am going to share my favorite 5 coffeeshops / cafes whatever you wanna call them with you - here we go :)

1. UNTITLED WORKSHOP 

I saw Untitled Workshop way too many times on Instagram, for their famous pineapple wall and the avocado toast - but unfortunately the avo toasts were already sold out when I went (tears...I was actually craving it) I guess I will need to hit them up again very soon.

My favorite part of this place is the vibe of the shop and their decorations - I have special feelings for those cacti at the entrance, I think I will have to get one for my future apt (hah)
  

"If u like nerds raise your hand, if u don't raise ur standard..."

They also got these cool layered matcha orange juice thingy and some yummy desserts - I think the girls next to me enjoyed them a lot :p

If you are not a fan of caffeinated drinks - they also have this cool super hyped "goth latte" - I guarantee you it's def Instagram worthy

Where: No.1, Alley 52, Lane 12, Section 3, Bade Road, Songshan District, Taipei City, 105
Tel: 02- 2579 2796
Instagram @ untitledworkshop


2. WONLAI COFFEE

Wonlai Coffee is a very tiny small coffeeshop that has delicious and fluffy egg cakes - they are traditional taiwanese snacks. It might take a bit time for each order but because they bake each batch separately, you get to have the most fresh made ones when you eat it.  I love the texture is slightly cake-like but not over dense, and it bounce right back when you bite into it. I didn't get to try their coffee this time but I would definitely recommend their egg cakes.
 

Where: No.13-1, Lane 335, Section 3, Nanjing East Road, Songshan District, Taipei City, 105

Tel: 02- 2546 5953

Instagram @  wonlai_coffee

3. PLANTS

Plants is a very cute vegan cafe, they serve light and healthy options for people who wants to eat clean. I miss eating vegan food after I came back from nyc - it's so common and easy to find in the States compare to Taipei. I am not a vegetarian but I like eating veggies and healthy food - it makes me / my body feel good.
 

My friend got this veggie bibimbap and it tasted wow really good! There are lots of different flavors going on, so it didn't make me feel like I am on a mission to eat all my greens - it was pleasant!

I am a sucker for acai bowls, especially when they are this pretty - I just couldn't say no. They have 2 different kinds of granola and I asked for  half and half, so I get more colors in my bowl (hah) It was actually super filling after eating this, and it again proves to me that healthy food can be tasty too!
I would definitely come back for other dishes and drinks next time!

Where: No.10, Lane 253, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Da'an District, Taipei City, 106
Tel: 02- 27845677
Instagram @ plantseatery


4. TAMED FOX

Tamed fox is a fairly new place for the coffeeshop family - their most featured things on Instagram is the colorful donuts and their coffee. Although I am not the biggest fan for donuts, I do anything for the gram...jk, but I do love photogenic foods haha. 

After my friend and I sat down, the waiter came and explained how the minimum purchase works here - each person has to get either a savory/ sweet dish or a drink from the list that doesn't include coffee -.- ( because they said the coffee is a collab) So we ended up getting the carrot cake donuts with 2 different glazes and this almond milk matcha drink - I enjoyed the vibe in the shop a lot, each corner has it's own atmosphere but I just really hope that coffee was an option. Since they have the cutest garden / front door area, I will just have a cup togo next time :)

Where: No. 56, Lane 122, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106

Tel: 02-2755 7758

Instagram @ tamedfox.cafe

5. BOBII FRUTII

Here we came to the last shop of the month - okay I have to be honest here and admit that this is not really a coffeeshop, it's more like a hipster bubble tea place. I thought it would be nice to recommend  a place for people don't drink coffee and plus they don't serve regular bubble tea. They make colorful bubbles with natural flavors and come up with cool combinations that you would never think of. 

The one I got here is called - a wonderful time - it's layered from the bottom blue jello with black currant and Yakult sorbet in the middle and top with pink boba. It seriously gave me a wonderful time drinking it, while it was 100 degrees out - super refreshing and photogenic as well, trust me, you will like it!!

Where: No. 17, Lane 187, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106
Tel: 02- 2772 9887
Instagram @ bobiifrutii

Phew, that's a wrap, hope you guys enjoy the recommendations and the photos - feel free to comment below if you have any questions - until next time, oh and hi July!

april favorite noms - gloria

Woah, we are done with April... I feel like I accomplished many things this month. Finished my recital, done all my classes and exams, ate at so many new restaurants, went on a emotion roller coaster, and just played in a bizarre wedding that pretty much make up my whole "not to do list". 

So if you have been follow me on instagram, my favorite restaurant last month was Estela - although I went back again this month and it still impressed me, every dish. But since, I want to talk about something new - I went to Gloria in Hell's Kitchen yesterday and it was another wow 

BLACK BASS TARTARE

watermelon radish, jalapeño

 We ordered three dishes, started off with this tartare, it was light, citrusy, AND it's pink (that's actually the reason why I ordered it) I like this dish but it's not my favorite out of all.
   

SCALLOP

sea bean, fennel, green juice

Second dish we have this beautiful scallop thingy, wow loved everything, every single element in the dish - crispiness from the sea beans, pickled fennel, perfectly cooked scallops and that green juice just brought everything together as a whole, I can have this everyday

TILEFISH

asparagus, red wine béarnaise

Last dish, this is more like a entree size, the other two are pretty small, like even I was still hungry at this point. I think I never had tilefish before, but it was so delish, crispy skin, tender and juicy on the inside - loved the texture, also loved the sauce - it was silky, light but you still taste the creaminess of the butter.

That's a wrap, lots of seafood, lots of yumminess. I will definitely come back and try the other dishes, and bring my camera for better photos - these are just my iphone snapshots. Hope you guys have a wonderful month and I will see you next time:)


#hsindymaybe to be continued...

green stuff aka it's healthy

wow, this is like my first post in 2017, can't believe 1/3 of the year has already past. time is crazy, how it changes people, thinking and just in general how we work aka aging. this past month lots of things happened, i look back to my old photos, posts, life. there are actually lots of ideas floating around my mind but i just didn't have time - that's totally an excuse, i believe people will always make time for the things / people they have feelings for. so here i am, i decided to bring this blog/page/ platform back (whatever you want to call it) because this is where I can spam my photos, thoughts and perhaps organize them AND maybe some of you would like to see what i am up to, maybe? i don't know how long this will last, but i want to experiment or more like just go for it? (hah)

... but since it's confusing and directionless, there is nothing to lose right? 

something i am very sure about is the passion for food and photography, oh and music (almost forget about it) i love to eat, that't like a never fail method to cheer me up (shhh!) and i like my food to be pretty. well not always, but delicious plus photogenic food make an A+ in my heart. i love trying new things, checking out if the new hype restaurant if really that yummy, photographing boring things and try to maybe make it interestinger (still very new to this but)...  

enough of me talking about the recent me, lets talk about these avocado beauties. avocado is like my new addiction, they are easy to make, creamy and healthy (its green!) it has a good source of pantothenic acid, dietary fiber, vitamin K, copper, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, vitamin E, and vitamin C...(thanks to google) and it's a fruit. i usually just season it however i like it, with salt, lime juice (prevents it from turning brown also lightens up the creaminess), red pepper flakes (lots), and sometimes honey. after mixing them up, spread on any kind bread you like, i use sourdough from dean & deluca here. usually i like to top it with smoked salmon, eggs, tomatoes or bacon (rarely). just whatever i found in my fridge basically. i roasted my tomatoes with salt and olive oil while toasting up my bread, also made an avocado rose for fun and a 6 minutes soft boiled egg for that runny yolk goodness :p 

                        

that's a wrap, in case you are curious, i got my coffee table from ikea, dinnerware from cb2 and flatware from westelm. i shot my food with nikon d610 with 50mm and natural light from my window. hope you enjoy reading a bit more about me. until next time :)

when banana marries chocolate

Hi people, I finally have time to share this recipe with you. I am currently in Aspen playing some violin, but I still try to take as many photos as i can. The weather here is very nice nd the place i stay has really nice kitchen, so i actually have been cooking a lot. Anyway, this cake was made the day before I left New York, it was actually a surprise early birthday celebration hehe

I always wanted to try making a chocolate dripped cake, so I picked this banana and chocolate combination. you can never go wrong with this two right? plus my friend loves banana. I wouldn't say it's a very hard cake to make, but you need patient! It took me almost a day to finish, but it was worth it! You guys should totally give it a try!

Sorry that i added lots of fade to my cake photos, because by the time I finished my cake, it was already dark out and I dont have enough lighting... so I am not really happy with the color, that's why i just faded everything, oops...

yeah, so clues are below, enjoy;)

Ingredients for banana cake:

3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

How:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare two 6 inch round pans – with sides at least 2 inches tall, set aside. Mash ripe bananas in a mixing bowl with a potato masher or fork and set aside. Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add in the sugar, and mix until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add in the vanilla and eggs – one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl when needed. With the mixer on low, add in half of the dry ingredients. Mix in the yogurt or sour cream.

Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the mashed bananas until combined.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until golden – about 25-27 minutes for the recommended size. Or until the cake tester come out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Invert the cakes out of the pans once they are cool enough to handle. Cool completely before slicing each cake in half horizontally to create four layers of cake.

Ingredients for Nutella Buttercream:

2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup Nutella

How:

Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer.  Whisk until combined.

Fill a medium saucepan with a few inches of water and place over medium heat. Place the mixing bowl on top of the saucepan to cream a double-boiler. Heat, whisking occasionally, until the egg mixture is hot to the touch – about 140 degrees on a candy thermometer. Once hot, remove from heat and place bowl on mixer.

Whisk on high until the bowl of the mixer becomes room temperature. Swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle. With the mixer on medium-low, add in the vanilla, butter, and Nutella.
Once added, mix on medium-high until smooth.

Ingredients for chocolate glaze:

2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
¼ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons honey
pinch salt

How:

Place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and set aside. Gently heat the cream and corn syrup until the cream begins to steam and barely come to a simmer.

Pour the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth. Stir in pinch salt, if desired.

Place chocolate glaze in the refrigerator for about 10 to 15 minutes before dripping over the finished cake.

Assembly:

Let the cakes completely cool before trimming off the tops to make them level.
Add a layer of buttercream on top of the cake. Place the second layer of cake on top of the buttercream, ice the whole cake with the remaining buttercream.
Shave some dark chocolate on top, if desired.

slightly adapted from the cake blog

Tot tot tot

it's almost july guys, and i am back in new york. doing basically nothing, just enjoying the weather, my bed, food and coffee. i really hope i don't forget how to play violin hahaha! oh whatever, so today i am sharing a recipe!! it's my first time making tater tots from scratch, they actually taste pretty legit, and its healthier than the frozen ones right? plus! it's super easy. it can be perfect breakfast, snacks or anything. i am sure potato lovers will love this:)

 don't ask why i use sriracha but not ketchup, because oddly enough i don't actually have ketchup in my fridge lol so when i was taking pictures, that's the only red thing i can find... they actually don't taste bad togetehr tho :p

Enjoy, clues are below!

Ingredients:

1 Tb of oilve oil
a pinch of salt
a pink of black pepper
2 Yukon potatoes, about 1 lbs

1 Tb of all purpose flour
1 Tsp of salt
1/4 Tsp of cayenne pepper
1/4 garlic powder
Oil for fry


How to put them together:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the potatoes, pat them dry. Place them on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on top. Use a fork to stab wholes throughout the top. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Cook them in the oven for 45-60 Minutes. until their skin is crispy, and sticking one with a fork meets no resistance. Let it cool completely.

Peel the potatoes and shred them on the large holes of a box grater. transfer to a large bowl, sprinkle in the flour, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and salt, and gently mix until combined.

Scoop 1½ tablespoons of the potato mixture into a short cylinder, about 1½ inches long and ¾ inch wide. press the mixture in tightly and then press the tots onto a baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining potato mixture.

Line a second baking sheet with paper towels; set aside. pour ¼ inch of oil into a large frying pan and set over medium-high heat until hot, about 5 minutes. fry the tots in batches of 8 to 10 pieces (do not overcrowd the pan), turning once, until light golden brown on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per batch. using a slotted spoon, transfer the tots to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet, and season with salt. repeat for all the tots.

Adapted from molly yeh

Brownies meet Flowers

Hey guys,

It's May, and yay I am done with jury!!! Today I got some food pictures, finally! And yeah they are super easy dessert, broooownies, but this is actually my first time making them haha

While I was shooting them, i just randomly put them on my bed and the color turns out really nice. It's like a dark and moody feeling, I like. But I thought it will be too boring to just take pictures of brownies on my bed so I grabbed my flowers and just kinda throwing them around :$

What do you guys think? hope you guys like them:)

and yeah, it's almost the end, huh?