Sometimes I wonder

- why do I waste time doing something for somebody who isn't appreciative - why old people like to repeat the same stories over and over - why I bother to share info with somebody who sees me as invisible

I want my favorite dumplings

I was flipping thru a chinese dim sum cookbook and to my surprise,  I saw the  recipe and the most salivating picture of my favorite dumpling. 

I'm talking about teochew peach-shaped dumplings. It has the shape of a peach, thus the name.  This has been made popular by the Teochew clan.  This dumpling is comfort food to me. Love love love eating this when I was a kid. Sigh....this really brought back sweet memories.

This dumpling is made from a thin skin of flour, with main ingredients fillings of cooked glutinuous rice, mushroom slices, shallots & small pieces of hard tofu, and some version has dried prawns as well.

After the dumplings have been shaped (usually with the help of a wooden or plastic mould), they are steamed.  They can eaten with chilli sauce or sweet soya sauce, or simply by itself.  I prefer mine pan fried after it has steamed. I just love the crispy taste of the skin.

I remembered eating a lot of these during the days when my grandma was still alive.  These days, they are a little hard to find in markets as not many people made these anymore.  Sad but true. Heck, I can't even find these in KL!

Not too long ago, I found out that my vegetarian aunt has been making these dumplings on a regular basis, either for prayer food or family consumption.    As luck would have it, I have now been able to eat my favorite dumplings again (once in a blue moon though); and would usually request that she made some whenever I return to hometown. 

As much as I love eating this, I can't picture myself making these dumplings.  As my mom puts it, just to made the skin of the dumplings, one needs practice and the correct measurement of the ingredients.  Hmmm.....not easy! 

Dreaming of these dumplings already....

Double Cooking Projects - Gnocchi and Chicken Wontons

Hands were itching to do some cooking over the weekend. 

Project 1 - Gnocchi

Decided to revisit my failed gnocchi project earlier.  Had to throw away 4 containers of gnocchi earlier because they were too rubbery to eat.  I wanted to do sweet potato version but at the same time, I also wanted to do the original potato gnocchi as well.  Went to the supermaket and got myself russet potatos and sweet potatoes. My idea?...combine both...ahaks.

Boiled potatoes with skin on for about 20 mins.  I learned that it is important to not over boiled the potatoes or else they become too mushy.  Also, don't put potatoes into boiling water because that will cause the skin to break and the potatoes will become soggy. Put the potatoes into cold water, then boiled them. After peeling the skins off and adding in salt and pepper for taste, add in an egg and quickly mix the potatoes.  It is important to do this to avoid the egg from being cooked.  Learning from previous mistakes, I only added in a cup of flour this time and not over knead the dough.  

Rolled and cut into little cute pillows.  This is my favorite part of the whole process. Cutting through the dough, I can tell this was so much different from the last time. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will be a success this time.

Making the marks on the gnocchi with a fork.  These are now ready to be cooked.  Feeling pretty confident at this point! :-)  Put the entire tray into the freezer to solidify them before keeping them into containers.  It is not necesary to defrost them before cooking or else the dough will become sticky. 

Project 2 - Chicken Wontons

This is a fairly simple recipe.  I am using chicken but this can also be made with pork and shrimp. Got myself some ground chicken from the supermarket and wonton skins.  For my fillings, I added shredded carrots and onions to the chicken, along with salt, pepper, some soya sauce and sesame oil for taste. Mushroom slices and green onions may also be added if you wish.

Beaten egg



I had a little production line going on here.  Spread the wonton skins with some beaten egg.  Place about a teaspoon of the filling in the middle of the skin, then fold into a triangle.

 The first few attempts to fold the wontons are results of trials and errors, some looked a bit deformed.  After a few attempts, I got better result............

This one looks perfect!



A whole container of wontons ready to be boiled or fried.

Verdict -  taa dah.....the gnocchi turned out light and fluffy, just as I visualized they should be.  Finally!  Could not be more happier than this second attempt turned out successful. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I can make these in batches and freeze them.  I just couldn't stop eating them.  Happy happy.  Next time I'm gonna some herbs into the mixture. The wontons turned out pretty nicely too.  For a first time attempt, this isn't bad. The fillings were seasoned well.  I need to learn the art of folding the wontons a little better though. 

My dinner - brown rice, some bak choy, fried chicken wontons and pan fried gnocchi.  Delish!!