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!!

Cooking Project - Cantonese Yee Mee

Here's my attempt at another cooking project, noodles this time. I've cooked noodles before, spaghetti for example but this would be my first attempt at cooking yee mee. 

Yee mee are round coiled crispy noodles that are deep fried. Usually sold in a packet of 5 cakes.  In most eating outlets, yee mee is usually cooked in claypots or sizzling hotplates. I decided to make mine cantonese or ying yong style, which is sorta starchy soup.

Browsed thru my fridge and the only veggie I have are snow peas and carrots.  Luckily I do have some chicken slices.  Marinated them in some soya sauce, sesame oil and pepper.



Sauteed some garlic in 2tbsp oil and added snow peas and some mushroom slices.  Next, added some water and starch water. Adedd salt to taste.  Everything was looking good at this point.  I thought of adding more flavor to the liquid by putting in 1-2 drops of sesame oil when I realised that I had actually forgotten my marinated chicken slices.  Quicky added them in. Did not add in extra sesame oil since the marinated chicken already had sesame oil.  Too much and it would become too overwhelming.  When the liquid was near boiling, I added in 1 beaten egg ala egg drop. 

On a plate, I lay out one cake of yee mee.  When the soup was ready, I then poured over the noodle.  Since yee mee is already pre-cooked, it wasn't  necessarily to cook it again but if you wish, you can do so.  



Poured the soup over the noodle.



A better view of the yee mee once I broke it apart.

Verdict - Probably should have added a little bit more water to the soup as yee mee tend to soak up liquid pretty fast.  Next time, I think I will cook the noodle along with the soup for a few seconds, just to soften up the noodle quicker, as well as have the noodle soak up some of the soupy flavor.

This meal was not a total disaster.  Taste wise, this could use a little bit more seasoning.  The soup is lacking some meaty sweetness as well, so next time I should consider using chicken broth, not plain water.  This doesn't taste exactly like the ones sold outside but hey, this one is healthier because there is no MSG.  Not bad la, can eat.

Cooking Project - Gnocchi

Happened to catch an episode of Masterchef Australia a few days ago and that was enough to make me want to try making gnocchi, a soft dumpling made from potatoes.  I have came across this item in the only recipe book that I owned...ehem...but never knew what it was. It was very alien to me.  I never knew that gnocchi is very simple to make, until that Masterchef episode.  Since it looks simple, I decided to embark on a Cooking Project today.  It has been awhile since my last project anyway.

My very sophisticated recipe which I copied from online recipe search....just in case my memory from the Masterchef episode failed me.  It's always good to have backups.

 Boiled the potatoes.  Almost all the online recipes I read stated 2-3 potatoes but I was greedy and overly ambitious. I decided to go with 7 medium ones! Mistake #1 - I forgot to add in salt.

 

 After boiling the potatoes, I mashed them using a ricer. Thank god for this equipment, which I have no idea why I bought it in the first place but it came in handy now.  The first time I did this, it didn't work. Mistake #2 - The potatoes weren't soft enough and I was having a ridiculous time mashing them. I think I spoilt my ricer in the process.  Decided to re-boil again (with added salt this time) and the mashing work was easier, albeit very messy one.

 The recipe called for 1 medium egg.  It never crossed my mind to beat the egg first before mixing into the potatoes.  Not sure if it made any difference but anyway....

 After mixing in the egg, I put in the flour, some salt and black peppers.  I used wheat flour.  I have no measuring cups so I used a small bowl instead as my indication.  Started off with 1 bowl of flour but the mixture was still very very sticky....so I added in another bowl...and another..and another. At this point, I was very sure this was another failure project.  Most recipes called for only 1-2 cups flour. By the 4th bowl, I was able to get a dough that didn't stick to my hand.   Yeah!

See...this dough resembles the picture from the online recipe :)  It took me almost half an hour 

 to knead this.  That would be mistake #3!

Cut the dough into part and rolled into sausages. This was the easiest part. 

Then cut into 1 inch pillow size.  Another easy part.

 After cutting, I used a fork to make ridges mark. Extremely proud of myself at this point! Made about 4 batches of these...ie. 4 containers! Decided to boil some for tonite's dinner. To cook, I boiled in hot water until the gnocchi floated to the top.  I then pan fried them...I prefer them this way...just like eating firm tofus.

Verdict - I have never tasted gnocchi before so I have nothing to benchmark against.  The recipes said they should be fluffy and soft.  At the back of my mind before I even embarked on this, I could almost visualize mashed potatoes in small pillowy forms.  I could almost taste the softness. 

Unfortuntely, my batch did not turn out the way I had visualized. They were rubbery and chewy, a result of too much kneading.... just look at the picture above...there was no taste of potatoes whatsoever....all I could taste was FLOUR!  Sigh...another failed project.  I finished the whole 6 pieces though....with the help of some chilli ketchup.  Somehow, I highly doubt that I will even finished the other 4 containers that are in my freezer.

However, unlike my other past cooking projects, I may decide to try this recipe again but next time I am gonna use sweet potatoes instead and I shall not be greedy...I shall start off with 2 sweet potatoes only :)

Cooking Project : Egg Drop Soup

Here we go, another cooking trial...egg drop soup or sometimes known as flower egg soup.  I first came to know ahout the existence of this fabulous soup during my college days.  I remember going to this little chinese shop in Chauncey Village, West Lafayette to get my fix of this soup, especially during the cold winters. In fact, I love this soup so much that I have tried cooking this a couple of times as a student. How about that eh?  None came close to the original taste, much to my dismay but they were good, nonetheless.

Egg drop soup is simply beaten eggs added to hot chicken broth, which consist of many different variations of ingredients but the one item which is a must is tofu, besides the eggs, of course.  The thin stream of beaten eggs added to the boiling soup should create a thin strand of cooked eggs.

.   So, ok...after many many years, I did another attempt at cooking this soup over the weekend.  My ingredients were tofu, egg, tomatoes (sliced into cubes) , cubed carrots and onion, some tiny chicken slices (for my soup base since I don't like using chicken broth cubes), coriander for garnishing & a few drops of pepper, salt and sesame oil for taste.  Simple enough right? 

All ingredients, with the exception of the eggs and coriander were brought to a boil.  Then I switched off the stove and added in the beaten egg, careful enough to slowly drop it in forkful by forkful. I have learnt from past experience not to pour the entire beaten egg in. 

Blurry side view of the soup

A less blurry top view of the soup

Verdict - Though edible, this is nowhere near the taste of the egg drop soup that I first came to know and liked years ago...not that I can vividly recall the taste after so many years but I'm pretty sure the original tasted (and looked) better than my current version.  For one, I overestimated the usage of salt and the beaten egg did not stream as well as it should.  The soup became a little too murky for my liking too.  Still, I finished the soup though. 

It is edible, people. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the next project.  God knows I can't even follow the simplest of recipes. 

Cooking Project: Baked Sweet Potatoes

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) USA ranked the sweet potato number one in nutrition of all vegetables. How about that?  I gotta admit, I never really pay much attention to this vegetable in the past but I try to eat more of this recently.  I've tried steaming the potatoes and eating it as it is, but it is so tedious peeling the skin off.  I've also tried boiling the potatoes with ginger (with some sugar and sago) and

having it as desserts. 

Then, there's the ultimate project....baking sweet potato as chips.  This is such an easy baking process. It doesn't require much prep, ingredients nor does it take up a lot of cooking time.

Sliced sweet potatoes in the toaster oven. I sprinkled some cinnamons for flavor, and spread some butter/olive oil to avoid the potatoes sticking to the foil.

Baked them for 10-15 mins, with constant monitoring.

The outcome.

Verdict:  Very flavorful and sweet (duh!) but could not get the chips to crisp up without burning them.  The rest were just soft.  Tried cooling them in hopes of them crisping up eventually but that didn't work either.  Thought maybe I had used too much oil or butter so I reduced that in the next batch.....didn't work too.  Needless to say, I will not be trying this again, ever. 

Cooking Project: Sweet Potato patties

Another attempt at cooking.  Ever since I ate potato patties the first time, I had wanted to try my hands at making it myself at home.  Opting for a healthier option, I decided to use sweet potatoes instead.

Here was what I did over the weekend.

Boiling the sweet potatoes. 

Mashing the potatoes, using my brand new utensil from IKEA. Mixing in some peppers, salt and mixed herbs.

This is such a great exercise for the fingers.

Shape the potates into balls. Not a necessary step but I just love doing it.

I flattened the balls.

Brush the patties with egg and coat with oatmeals.

I tried baking this in the oven microwave for 10 mins. 

It did not turn out that great...

These look much better after I fried them....not deep fried though...just a little oil.

Verdict:  Makes for great snack.  I think it will taste even better if I use white potatoes instead, but of course sweet potatoes are healthier. 

Cooking Project - Fettucine veggie pasta

Dinner last nite was fettucine with chicken pasta sauce + veggies. 

I don't think there's any need to go into recipe details since the picture itself is self explanatory. Besides, you  can use whatever veggies that suit your taste.

Verdict:  The pasta could use a little more salt but since I'm mindful of sodium intake, I didn't mind the bland taste. Veggies was nice with a little twang to it cos I added lemon juice.

Cooking Project - vegetable curry.

I made my very first attempt at cooking vegetable curry.  Seriously, how difficult can this be, right? I went grocery shopping for some ingredients. No recipe to follow...like I said, how difficult can this be...although I did google vegetarian curry for a glance at recipes. So ok, here we go...

First off, I sauteed the curry mix (combined mixture of tumeric paste, bla bla bla), which my mom had conveniently prepared for me in a container. I added other spices ie. curry powder, cinnamon stick and star anise.  I didn't have lemongrass cos I could not find it in the freaking supermarket. Added some water to boil the mixes...then added in the vegetables one by one, namely the okras, green beans, dried tofu, beancurd skin and cabbage. Added in more curry mix as I couldn't get any curry taste out of the pot. So, anyway...the end result...

The verdict?

I think this one should be labelled "cooking disaster".  The vegetables were overcooked, the dish has no curry taste whatsoever although it did taste very spicy and the soup was also a little bitter (god knows why...).  I have a huge pot of this in my fridge and I don't even know if I will ever finish it.

Sigh......need I say more?

I can bake

I tried my hands at baking yesterday. Well, I used instant cake mix but who cares...baking is baking. For someone who has never baked a cake before, this was total excitement. For whatever strange reasons unknown, yesterday I had my mind set on having a cake...not just eating it but baking it. So, popped into Tesco on the way back from work and bought myself the necessary baking utensils + Pillsbury brownie mix. I'm proud to say I now own a baking tray and measuring spoons...ahaks.

Followed the instructions on the box to mix the cake batter. Wasn't exactly sure how much is 1/4 cup so just simply pour to my estimation. Since I don't have a conventional oven, I had to make do with my microwave oven toaster thingy. The box said to set the oven to 350 degree....but my oven only had max 240 degree.....hmmm....so thought I set the time longer to offset the temperature difference. Ya...smart thinking. I was damn happy when I saw the cake rising and I can smell the sweet delicious cake aroma. My first cake. So happy.

But then, 15 mins into baking, I saw smoke coming out from the oven. Heart sanked. Turned off the power and quickly prayed that my cake wasn't totally ruined. Took a fork and poked into the cake to check if it's cook (read this in the internet once)....the fork came out clean...which meant the cake was already cooked. Hmm.... how was this possible? The box said 35 mins cooking time. I set my oven to 40 mins. The cake was cooked in 15 mins. My oven must be damn powerful.

Checked the cake to see what I can salvage. The crust was burnt...no surprise there. Cut out the crust. Sliced the cake...surprise...surprise...still can eat...delicious somemore...ahaks. Extremely pleased despite the burnt.

Next time can bake again. Next time I'll experiment with frosting. After that, maybe can do the cake mix from scratch......ok, let's not get too ambitious here.

Share the cake with office mates this morning....not bad, not bad...good reviews somemore.