Mother and son invent “Butternut Squash Bowl” to showcase flavors of Nantou

2023-03-22

Visitors to the Indigenous village of Alang Rongan in Nantou are in for a special surprise. A pair of chefs – mother and son – have invented a new local classic dish. The “Butternut Squash Bowl”: a warming winter recipe, using local vegetables and herbs, for a filling meal all in one bowl. Even local officials are heading over to Ren’ai Township to try it for themselves.

Nantou Deputy County Commissioner Wang Jui-teh is delighted by this unusual dish – the butternut squash bowl.

Wang Jui-teh
Nantou Deputy County Commissioner
The scent of the egg is mixed in with the sweetness of the butternut squash. It’s sweet, light and silky.

The eggs are steamed inside a hole in the butternut squash, with a sprinkling of chopped prickly ash leaves for seasoning. This is the Wang family’s special recipe.

Mother and son work together. He carves seeds out of the squash while she picks the prickly ash leaves. They get eggs from their own home-raised hens. The stuffed squash go into the steamer basket and come out ready to eat. It looks simple, but the recipe is full of local ingredients and thoughtful details.

Mrs. Wang
The idea is to put our own local-grown produce on the table. It’s a way of sustaining life.

Mrs. Wang has run a restaurant in Ren’ai Township for more than 20 years. Her son Wang Hsiao-liang grew up with an interest in cooking, but chose as a young man to make his way in Thailand. Just as he was about to open his own restaurant there, his mother got sick. He gave up his budding business to come home to his family.

Wang Hsiao-liang
Head chef
In Taiwan we say “filial piety” is very important. So I was struggling to establish something, and in the middle I decided to give up that chance to work abroad, and come home to Taiwan.

That sacrifice allowed new doors to open for the family. Mrs. Wang recovered her health, and mother and son jointly invented the squash bowl recipe. The flavors of their hometown have become a family project warming visitors from near and far.

南瓜刺蔥蒸蛋吃出母愛子孝動人滋味

2023-03-22

南投仁愛鄉的眉溪部落，有位青年廚師王孝良，幾年前為了照顧身體微恙的母親，放棄在泰國開餐廳的大好機會，回到故鄉，母子倆一塊研發原鄉料理，合力做出了一道「南瓜蒸刺蔥蛋」，這道佳餚，雖然做法簡單，卻巧妙襯托出在地食材跟香料的特色，讓不少饕客，唇齒留香。

讓南投縣副縣長王瑞德，讚不絕口的美食，是這份南瓜盅。

[[南投縣副縣長王瑞德]]
“蛋香跟南瓜的甜味混在一起，那種甜又很綿、甘甜的感覺。”

南瓜蒸蛋用刺蔥提味，是王家母子檔的創意發想。

兒子王孝良負責挖空南瓜子，王媽媽巧手摘下一片片"刺蔥葉"，和著自家養的土雞生下的蛋，灌入南瓜裡，放進蒸籠蒸熟後，這道南瓜刺蔥蒸蛋，就大功告成。料理看似簡單，裡頭卻充滿了原鄉情懷。

[[王媽媽]]
“把我們自己在地產業的食物，到餐桌這種概念，那就是有一個生命的延續。”

王媽媽在南投仁愛鄉開餐廳超過20年，王孝良對烹飪也有興趣，但年輕人選擇遠赴泰國闖蕩，就在餐廳要開業前夕，王媽媽生病了，在事業跟親情的抉擇下，王孝良選擇回鄉。

[[主廚王孝良]]
“台灣其實就是"孝道"很重要，所以在掙扎的過程中，還是決定放棄國外的工作機會，然後就回來台灣。”

因為這一趟捨，讓王孝良有了得，媽媽重拾了健康，王家母子還攜手做出了創意南瓜盅，保留了原鄉美味，還有濃濃的親情滋味。