“Foreigner in Formosa” is a new series of short posts I’ll be writing about all the things I find winsome, intriguing, and delightful about Taiwan (formerly known as Formosa, meaning “beautiful island” in Portuguese). I aim to show little glimpses of Taiwan with a picture here or an anecdote there, simply sharing life as it comes. I hope you’ll enjoy each new view of this unique and beautiful island.
Zucchini Treat
One of my favorite vegetables is zucchini (or squash), but in four years of living in Taiwan, I have never eaten it here because they don’t normally grow it. Last week, another teacher found it on sale from a local grower and bought some to share. Tonight I sautéed it with potatoes and made fried chicken to go with it.I chose the seasonings for the potatoes and yellow squash by checking out several recipes online, so I was very glad when the dish turned out to be delicious. My parents, who made this all the time in the summer with the fresh zucchini and potatoes from our garden, would be proud!
If you’re interested, here’s my recipe (sorry, it’s without measurements because I didn’t measure!):
Zucchini/Squash & Potato Recipe
Potatoes — cubed
Zucchini or summer squash — cubed
Vegetable oil
Chopped onion
Minced garlic
Oregano
Parsley
Salt
Pepper
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add minced garlic and chopped onion. Brown (but don’t burn!) these two. Add cubed potatoes. Sautée potatoes with garlic and onion. Add spices to taste (I added them liberally). Cook on high heat, stirring potatoes to distribute spices and to brown edges to crispy goodness. You can also turn the heat on low and put a lid on the pan to cook the potatoes through for a few minutes. When potatoes are nearly soft, add the zucchini–it does not take very long to cook. Add more spices in order to season the zucchini as well. Continue to stir together while the zucchini cooks. Cook time is roughly 20-25 minutes.
I am NOT a chef, nor am I a recipe writer. I’m just telling you what I did, so please don’t hope for an exact recipe here. This is how I end up cooking a lot in Taiwan where we have to fudge ingredients sometimes. But hey, it keeps me on my toes! Stay tuned for more to come from this foreigner in Taiwan.
*Click to read other posts in my {Foreigner in Formosa} series.
Peace Along the Journey 
I’ve often wondered why Taiwan doesn’t have mass quantities of zucchini as we did in the States. Actually, I’ve never seen it here. Did the one you have look like a zucchini or more round like squash? I also throw things together here sometimes, due to lack of exact ingredients we normally had. Thanks for sharing.
It was yellow, but it was actually in the shape of a real zucchini from the States. My friend said this particular farmer has had them some years but not every year. It seems like a vegetable that would grow well AND be popular here, so I’m not sure why we don’t see it here either.