“Tianmama” is good at making local and seasonal food materials, as well as health cooking methods to prepare the tasty and heartwarming cuisines full of local flavors. In this article, we recommend 5 feature vegetable dishes in northern Taiwan.
Who is Tianmama? Mother TIAN’s last names are not necessarily TIAN
Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan started to encourage women in farming families across Taiwan to establish “Tianmama” restaurants and exert their specialties and initiate team work to develop their side gigs. “Tainmama” features garden cuisines, processed produce and rice&noodle meals. Coached by experts from food safety, nutrition, process, and marketing fields, they use local fresh food materials and health cooking concept- 3 low 1 high (low in oil, sodium, and sugar and high in fibers). Tianmama develops various tasty, healthy garden cuisines featuring local produce. Also the local farmer’s groups support and assist the development of local leisure tours by making tasty dishes from local produce to stimulate local consumption and create more job opportunities.
[Miaoli] Zuoye Cottage - Plants for Natural Dyes in The Dishes Are Highlight
Zuoye Cottage integrates traditional country elements and modern building materials to give a sense of serenity and relaxation. Here visitors can go into the garden growing plants for natural dyes, know these plants, such as blue grasses, cook and taste them after picking activities and also DIY natural dye of cloth, or go to the restaurant to enjoy the creative vegetable dishes. Staying one night here, visitors can better enjoy the slow life. Each room in the cottage is different, and the barn shaped guest room is the most popular.
Vegetable meals in Zuoye Cottage are rich and delicious, and 7 creative dishes with seasonal food materials are designed to pair with the vegetable hot pot. There are many tempting desserts such as taro cakes, brown sugar pastry, citronella tea and ice cream, etc. in the buffet
Some dishes even integrate plants for natural dyes, for example, qingdai (Isatis indigotica Fort.), beet roots, or turmeric dyed noodles or rice dumplings. And soft serve is the most irresistible. So yummy and healthy!
We recommend DIY indigo dye activity. Participants choose an item, it can be a scarf, a cotton T-Shirt, a drawstring, a tote bag, a cushion, etc., after dyeing, they are all unique and show your personality.
Zuoye Cottage is situated in “Shuangtan Leisure Farm Area”, filled with artistic atmosphere, asides from natural dye, visitors can also make pottery or wood sculptures. Come on, enjoy the fun!
[Miaoli] Dew Restaurant - The Beginner’s Mind of Being Organic
In Dew Restaurant, visitors can have 20 some vegetable dishes that are organic,and creative, such as salad, Chinese or western deli, handmade desserts and beverages. The food materials, i.e., organic fruits and vegetables are from local farmers or their own organic farm. The cuisines are made in ways that are “little oil and sodium; not fried” so that visitors can have the original flavor of the food materials. Or they are seasoned with the homemade sauces, such as pickle sauce, vinegar sauce and XO sauce, etc.
Dew Restaurant is on the second floor of “Huixiang Organic Station” which is the first organic exhibition center in Taiwan. Visitors can pig out in the restaurant and join DIY activities or farming events.
“Fuxing Nanhe Recreation Farm” nearby gathers small farms, ranches, coffee gardens, B&B and pottery studios, and it is famous for the fragrant fruits, green ranches, blue beaches, white tong blossoms. Welcome to experience the “Happiness of Four Colors”.
[Yilang] - Yi Jia Cun Macrobiotic Restaurant, the Five Element Restaurant serves healthy and creative cuisines
Yi Jia Cun Macrobiotic Restaurant is located in Zhongshan Leisure Farm Area, next to the entrance to Renshan Botanical Garden, here visitors can enjoy phytoncide and feel being surrounded by forests as well as having the health cuisines made from medicinal plants. The boss and his wife deliberately select the most appropriate medicinal plants, and dexterously prepare the dishes and cater to the number of guests who are vegetarians or meat lovers.
The most acclaimed is the “5-element healthy meal”, Boss LAN thinks “5 elements and 5 colors” has great effect on our organs. The five elements are “metal, wood, water, fire and earth” and the five colors, “red, yellow, green, black and white”; among the dishes, the most striking one is “5 element fermented rice soup with rice dumplings” which includes red yeast (red), poria cocos (white), gardenia (yellow), sweet potato leaves (green), the bark of eucommia (black) to make the colorful rice dumplings, then the fermented rice soup, goji, banana and an egg are added; voila, a good looking, tasty and healthy dessert.
Other signature dishes include salad with vegetables of 5 different colors, India-charcoal trema with sweet potato soup, Chinese violet as well as mixed grains that are rich in vitamins and fibers. “Salad with vegetables of 5 different colors” is made by the fresh fruits and vegetables in season, for example, from September to November, Roselle is used for the red color. The dish is not greasy at all and tastes very refreshing.
After tasting the garden cuisines in Yi Jia Cun Macrobiotic Restaurant, we recommend you have a look at the shaddocks in “Zhongshan Leisure Farm Area”, try tea plucking, or take part in DIY activities such as sculpted tea jelly, tea smoked eggs or go hiking in Renshan Botanical Garden or have an ecological tour at Xinliao Waterfall.
[Yilang] Mrs. Guan’s Garden Restaurant - Excellent Pumpkin and Cantaloupe Cuisines
Mrs. Guan’s Garden Restaurant is good at bringing the local grown pumpkins and cantaloupes into dishes. Many of her specialty dishes are vegetarian so to satisfy the veggies’ appetites.
The most popular dish is “Rice Noodles with Pumpkins”. First, the pumpkins and vegetables are sautéed, then the soften rice noodles are added to stir fry, so that the rice noodles are less greasy and the dish tastes chewy.
“Cantaloupes with King Trumpet Mushrooms” is a dish that cantaloupes, king trumpet mushrooms, green peppers, and bell peppers are sautéed. It is a colorful, fragrant and tasty dish. The flavor is refreshing with a rich mouth feel.
“Healthy Gourd Soup” is another popular signature dish. The gourd marinated with cantaloupes is the base of soup, together with the fresh pumpkin cubes, mushrooms, and broccoli. It smells a bit of cantaloupe and tastes the freshness and sweetness of pumpkin.
Mrs. Guan’s Garden Restaurant is on “Mr.Guan’s Leisure Farm” where offers many activities such as farming experience, DIY rolled ice cream, DIY fermented bean curd, DIY onion pancake, DIY handmade soup, bamboo rafting, and taking seedling boat, all are interesting for families.
Mrs. Guan’s Garden Restaurant is in “Xinnan Leisure Farm Area”, where Lanyang River meets the Pacific Ocean, so the fresh water is rich in trace elements and tastes a bit saline. Besides, sandy soil drains readily, and the temperature varies a lot in the day and night time, so the cantaloupe grown in this area is fragrant and sweet. The reputation of “The Hometown to Canteloupe” is therefore built.
[Taipei] M&G Family Leisure Farm- - the Creative Vegetable Cuisines Even Meat Lovers Cannot Resist.
M&G Family Leisure Farm is close to Yamingshan National Park and it has a broad view, visitors can stand tall and see far, even Taipei basin is in sight. M&G is the first Tianmama restaurant in Taipei City. They use the homegrown, seasonal, pesticide free fruits and vegetables and cater to the number of visitors for the no menu creative cuisines. Many residents in greater Taipei are attracted to come for the view as well as food. Vegetarians are usually loyal patrons once they have tasted the food and the meat lovers would be amazed that vegetarian diets can be so delicious.
They serve mainly vegetable hotpot, with the homemade fruit and vegetable sauces and the creative appetizers. Table d'hôte menu is also available, but reservation in advance is required.
Taking a walk on the farm after having the big meal is recommended! Following the plum blossom trail, wisteria trail, nectar plant region, herbal region, moso bamboo region or orange daylily region, visitors can see various plants and butterflies as well as smell the floral and fruit fragrance.
M&G Family Leisure Farm also offers food education for children to experience farming in different seasons, they can plow, plant vegetables, or make food such as herbal biscuits, rice pizza or dumplings.
Adjoining “Zhuzihu Leisure Farm Area” is a convenient scenic spot that visitors can stop by. There are flower fields, rivers and creeks, and green mountains; this area is famous for the calla lily, hydrangea and its bucolic view.