8 Classic Taiwanese Home Cooking Dinner Recipes
These Classic Taiwanese Home Cooking Dinner recipes bring back memories of Mom’s cooking after a long day of school. Every Taiwanese family has their own way of cooking these dishes at home, whether it is Tomato and Egg Stir Fry, Taiwanese Beef Stew, or a simple Stir Fried Vegetable. Many of these dishes also made for great lunchboxes for school the next day! Make these nostalgic Taiwanese homestyle recipes the next time you’re missing some home cooking!
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The Classic Taiwanese Family-Style Dinner
Every Taiwanese mom has a variation of these classic Asian recipes for family-style dinner. Even if I live near my mom, I still get nostalgia eating these dishes. These recipes are simple, affordable, and often based on what’s available or on sale that day. Typically, a family-style dinner includes a soup, rice, and various meat and vegetable dishes, usually one or two more than the amount of people eating at the table.
Vegetarian Mapo Tofu ้บปๅฉ่ฑ่
My mom always know to make extra rice when she makes this Vegetarian Mapo Tofu, and I do exactly the same thing now. This is the perfect saucy tofu to go with a heaping bowl of fresh white rice or my purple multigrain mix. The Doubanjiang and Ground Sichuan Peppercorn gives it that numbing kick that just makes you eat more rice. If you have tofu and you’re not sure what to cook, this recipe is the one to choose!
- 20-30 Shiitake Mushroom
- 1 lb of Soft Tofu (cut into cubes)
- 1.5 tbsp of Doubanjiang
- 2 stalks of Green Onion
- 1.5 tbsp of Garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp of Garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp of Sugar
- 0.5 tbsp of Ground Sichuan Peppercorn
- 1-2 cups of Water or Vegetable Stock
Braised Taiwanese Instant Pot Beef Stew ็ด ็็่
Whenever I come home and smell this Braised Taiwanese Beef Stew, I knew dinner was going to be AMAZING. This recipe uses the instant pot to pressure cook it into perfection, so its even more worry-free. Once you get everything prepped, you just let the Instant Pot do its job. The beef becomes so fork-tender, and you know the flavors are already seeped into the meat! With a spoonful of beef, carrots, and rice, you get that rich tomato-beef braise flavor that makes this beef stew so irresistible.
- 3 lb boneless beef short ribs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 4 slices ginger
- 2 green onions
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 4-5 star anise pods
- 3 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 6 cups beef stock + rest is water enough to cover the beef
Seasonings
- 4.5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1.5 tablespoon spicy fermented bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 1-2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup Chinese cooking wine
Cornstarch Slurry (Optional)
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons water
Sticky Pork Belly ็ด ็่
This sticky pork belly is my favorite childhood dinner table recipe, and it’s Dom’s favorite lunchbox item! The fatty pork is super buttery, and has a sweet-herbal caramelized flavor combined with the soy glaze. Tender, savory, and packed with flavor, its super flavorful sauce’s stickiness clings on to each grain of rice. If there is one pork belly recipe that every Taiwanese household loves, it is this braised pork belly recipe.
- 2.5 lb Pork Belly
- 4 thin slices of Ginger
- 10 cloves of Garlic (smashed)
- 2 Green Onion
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn
- 2-3 Bay Leaf
- 3 Star Anise
- 5 Red Whole Chili (optional)
- ยฝ cup of Soy Sauce
- ยผ cup of Dark Soy Sauce
- โ cup Oyster Sauce
- 4.5 tbsp of Brown Sugar or Rock Sugar
- 3 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
- 2 cups of Water
Stir Fried Garlic Water Lily ้็ๆฐด่ฎ่
Use this Stir Fried Garlic Water Lily recipe to make your favorite leafy green! Vegetable-only dishes are a must have for any Taiwanese family-style dinner. Water lily may not be a common vegetable in the US or Canada, but you can still use this simple method to cook any leafy green like spinach, kale, or bok choy. This simple garlic vegetable is a tasty but simple way to enjoy the natural flavors of the vegetable!
- 200 g Water Lily, washed and cut into 2-3 inch length
- 3 cloves of Garlic, chopped
- Oil
Healthy Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry ็ช่็่
Both Dom and I grew up eating versions of this Tomato and Egg Stir Fry as kids, as did most Taiwanese kids. This might be the ultimate way Taiwanese parents get their kids to eat their vegetables. Fluffy scrambled eggs paired with fruity chunks of slightly sweet, tart tomatoes. My mom’s secret trick was to add a little sugar and Ketchup to balance out that tomato tartness, and I cleaned my bowl every time.
- 4 Large Tomatoes Cut into Small Wedges
- 5 Eggs
- 2 Green Onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Ketchup
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp White Pepper
Stir Fried Taiwanese Cabbage with Bacon ๅนๆ น็้ซ้บ่
This Stir Fried Taiwanese Cabbage with Bacon was another way my mom used to trick me into eating more veggies. This is a childhood dish for me that reminds me so much of my Mom and my Grandmaโs cooking, and itโs so easy to make. If you have any leafy veggie, stir-fry it with some bacon! The bacon fat and broth adds an extra richness to the sweet cabbage, and goes great with rice! It’s easy, and takes less than 15 minutes.
- 2-3 strips of bacon
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 300 grams of cabbage
- 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper, to taste (optional)
20 Minute Steamed Chicken ่ธ่ฅๆฒน้
For an easy way to cook chicken without worrying about over or under cooking, try this 20 minute Steam Chicken. Steaming is one of my favorite ways to eat healthy, because you really can cut down on how much oil you use. This recipe takes only 20 minutes, and really condenses that chicken flavor. I love drizzling the extra sauce over my rice!
- 2 Chicken Thigh (chopped)
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
- 1 tsp of White Pepper
- ยฝ tbsp of Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Sesame Oil
- 1 inch of Ginger sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (Optional)
- 2 tbsp of chopped Green Onion
Pork Ribs and Chicken Feet Soup ๆ้ชจ้็ชๆนฏ
For some Taiwanese families, a soup is a must have every night. This Pork Ribs and Chicken Feet Soup in particular is a staple because it’s a Taiwanese housewife beauty secret. They really love their edible skincare! The soup includes red dates and goji berries, which are high in antioxidants and improves your circulatory and digestive health. Plus, the chicken feet is extra high in collagen. This soup is a Taiwanese mom’s self-care routine in a delicious soup.
- 1 pound Pork Ribs
- 1 pound Chicken Feet
- 2 stalks Green Onion
- 3 slices Ginger
- 1 drizzle Rice Wine optional
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp White Peppercorn
- 8-10 cups water
- 2 Corn on the cob cut in halves
- 8 Chinese Red Dates
- 1 small handful Goji Berries optional
- Salt to taste
Cooked these for my Taiwanese partnerโs family and they loved it! Thank you Tiffy!
I love discovering new recipes, and these Taiwanese dishes look amazing! Canโt wait to try cooking a few of these flavors at home!