Taiwanese Comfort Food

A hands-on in-person cooking class culminating in a dinner served with wine and beer. This class is limited to 12 students. Review our registration and cancellation policies here.

As the temperatures dip and days shorten, it’s time to cook meals full of warmth and comfort. Chef Instructor Henry will teach you classic Taiwanese dishes that embody autumn! If you’ve never traveled to Taiwan, you might not have encountered these foods before. Henry is excited to share these lesser-known dishes with you!

First, we’ll make Bawan, which is a true Taiwanese creation. Utilizing sweet potato starch, the wrapper is a thick, chewy, QQ texture enveloping luscious mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and pork. We steam these dumplings in a bowl and oil-poach them. Next, we’ll make a savory sticky rice dish called Oil Rice. This classic long-grain sticky rice dish is a perfect side dish and some might say, a great addition to your Thanksgiving table. We'll be talking about the difference between long- and short-grain sticky rice, and how to properly steam (not boil) your rice. Lastly, we’ll make Sesame Oil Chicken. In Taiwan, this dish would be classified as food as medicine. Filled with warming spices, it's often served to postpartum mothers or anyone healing from illness. It's aromatic, savory, and beloved. If you've not had this before, you'll be happy to know it!

Step into fall with warming, comforting foods from Taiwan!

MENU

Bawan—Sweet Potato Dumplings with Mushrooms, Bamboo Shoots, and Pork

You Fan or Oil Rice

Sesame Oil Chicken with Wheat Noodles

Stir-Fried Seasonal Vegetables

This menu contains the following common allergens: Shellfish, Soy, Peanuts, Wheat. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to cook along, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket.

Let’s Cook Together! 

Oakland dumpling maker, Henry Hsu’s past identities have included public health advocate, architect, and designer. He immersed himself in the local Bay Area food scene working at Oakland tofu maker, Hodo Foods for over a decade and most recently spent the past year working at Dumpling Club in San Francisco.  Henry’s perspectives on food are shaped by his Taiwanese heritage, Gulf Coast upbringing, Midwestern education and years of living in Latin America. From immigration to assimilation to seeking cultural identity through his food heritage, he began seeking out what Taiwanese food means to him through cooking, teaching, sharing and storytelling. He’s learned that cultural identity in food is simply not as monolithic and neatly squared away as we’d all like it to be! He also leads food tours, teaches dumpling making, hosts Taiwanese pop-up dinners & occasionally you can find him working a farm stand at a local market!

_{Photo credit: Henry Hsu}