#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Tiffany Chang

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

I was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Then when I was 12, I watched the film Dirty Dancing and was convinced Patrick Swayze was the love of my life so I begged my parents to send me to America to learn English. They sent me to live with my relatives in a tiny town called Ukiah in northern California. The town had a lot of vineyards, marijuana and pick up trucks and no Patrick Swayze. I was not impressed.

15 years ago, I moved to London to study. I was only supposed to be here for a year then move to Paris and fall in love with a hot Parisian man while eating baguettes and croissants. Instead, I've been trapped here by a hot nerdy British man who romanced me with Playstation games, pub crawls and Sunday roasts and we have two really adorable children.

What does home taste like?

Fried chicken from the night markets in Taipei. Steamed pork and pickle from Ah-ma's (grandma but mom's mom) house. Nacho cheese from school and corn dogs from the county fair and lastly, Mother's stir fry rice vermicelli Taiwanese style.

Rice or noodles?

Noodles. It's just so much more satisfying to slurp something than to scoop something. Sometimes if I had some kind of rice dish, I'd probably chase it with a noodle dish.

Most underrated Chinese ingredient:

Soy paste, not soy sauce. I don't think anyone else uses soy paste except Taiwanese! It is so versatile, I use it in braising, in marinades and as a base for dipping sauces! Also I take my white pepper game seriously! I only use the ones I get from Taiwan and it’s from Alishan mountain. It is so potent and I feel like Emeril Lagasse when I use it. BAM!!

Share a food memory:

1997, 4 July, my parents decided to take me, my boyfriend and my brother to San Francisco to see the fireworks. It was a 3hr drive from Ukiah so my parents wanted to stay the night. We stayed fairly central which meant the rate was expensive as hell being it a festival weekend. The three of us had our own room and my parents were next door. We were watching something on TV when my mom came knocking on the door asking if we were hungry. We said yes, she told us to follow her into the bathroom. My mother had packed her trusted Tatung rice cooker and plugged it in the bathroom (cuz it had an exhaust fan) and cooked instant noodle soup while squatting on the floor. She served it to us in coffee mugs with chopsticks she brought from home! My boyfriend was so amused and I don't even think I was embarrassed. 'd probably do the same thing now to save money on holidays.

Favourite Chinese kitchen utensil:

My Tatung rice cooker. I am my mother's daughter after all. That thing is a power house. It steams, braises, grills (if the base plate is clean) and some people even use it for baking! It was the one thing I could trust when I went on Crazy Delicious.

Who's your Chinese food legend?

Martin Yan from Yan Can Cook! My mom and I used to watch him on PBS and he was always so enthusiastic and happy! He'd count 1,2,3,4,5 as he chopped and that made my mom laugh so hard which was a task! Even when some of the dishes looked ghetto, his happiness made it look good and I just wanted to eat it and then give him a high five.

What’s a Chinese recipe everyone should learn?

Some kind of meat braising dish like red braised beef. I like it because it's like two dishes in one. Once all the goodies are gone, I use the remaining sauce as a base for noodle soup.

Dream dinner party guests:

I like to laugh and joke so definitely people with a good sense of humour. David Chang, Dave Chappelle, Ru Paul, Martin Yan for sure and Michelle Obama.

What does Chinese food mean to you?

Togetherness and friendship. It doesn't always need to be the best food, the best environment or even the best service. Chinese food to me is sharing a round table loaded with dishes and I'm surrounded by people I love and care about. We can laugh over anything bad, be surprised by anything good and be entertained by anything unexpected. Oh, and a lot of whisky. A Taiwanese meal is not complete without a few bottles of whisky.

#ChineseFoodiesofIGJenny LauAugust 17, 2020chinese identity, taiwanese american, london, crazy delicious, blogger, home cooking, rice cookerComment