So, Steven came by to drop some dumpling making knowledge on a wednesday night,
after he whatsapp-ed me a picture of his home-made dumplings on monday.
I am a 水饺 (dumpling) addict.
& no, it's not the same as wanton okay,
they are totally different;
okay maybe they're like cousins but definitely not identical.
My family loves dumplings too.
We used to frequent a chinese restaurant that sells awesome dumplings at Bras Basah Complex.
Sadly, it closed down 2 years ago.
We went there for dinner almost 2 times a week, for about 10 years.
It's a shame that the business is now non-existent.
We tried making our own dumplings though,
but they just kinda sucked in their own ways.
Furthermore, with our ridiculously high standard for it,
it's difficult to find our next favourite.
We were stuck in this dumpling drought for quite sometime,
until last year, we found a stall in Chinatown market that sells very good dumplings and
the best part is,
THEY SELL FROZEN ONES TOO.
We stock them up in our freezer frequently;
there is never any room left for ice-cream.
No matter how much I bragged about finding the tastiest dumpling,
Steven will always shake his head and look all amused.
He's from China so he thinks that no one can make better dumplings than him.
Me: *Holding up my phone* I like this neat picture of the bottles.
S: NOW EVERYONE'S GONNA KNOW MY SECRET RECIPE.
Me: Not like you sell dumplings or what.
S: You never know in the future right? Thanks for killing my dream.
I think I have a natural talent at wrapping dumplings, haha!
Maybe someday you will see me through the glass window at Din Tai Fung wrapping Xiao Long Bao.
Look at mine. So cute and puffy and phat.
We wrapped only a few and bring them to boil for taste test.
Turns out, the fillings weren't salty enough to bring out the meat flavours.
We add in extra salt and then bring some more to boil,
repeating the cycle until we got the right level of saltiness.
.
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.
.
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.
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V O I L A!
Can't help but feel that the dumpling skin looks like a brain.
(put a drop of red dye and you'll get something delicious and fun for Halloween parties).
Apart from that, they do look awesome right!
The meat is really juicy, which is a good sign.
Sometimes the meat turns out to be tough and dry, and that's a no-no.
Verdict:
Chinatown's: 10/10 (to me it's still the best)
Steven's: 8/10
Our past attempts: -5/10, -2/10, 0/10, 3/10, 5,10, -10/10
(it was getting better actually, as you can see. Until 5 years ago my dad said 'hey lets do something fun this chinese new year' and decided to wrap a dollar coin into some of the dumplings and whoever ate it gets to keep the dollar. In his defense it was during chinese new year but to me, it's still gross.)
(put a drop of red dye and you'll get something delicious and fun for Halloween parties).
Apart from that, they do look awesome right!
The meat is really juicy, which is a good sign.
Sometimes the meat turns out to be tough and dry, and that's a no-no.
Verdict:
Chinatown's: 10/10 (to me it's still the best)
Steven's: 8/10
Our past attempts: -5/10, -2/10, 0/10, 3/10, 5,10, -10/10
(it was getting better actually, as you can see. Until 5 years ago my dad said 'hey lets do something fun this chinese new year' and decided to wrap a dollar coin into some of the dumplings and whoever ate it gets to keep the dollar. In his defense it was during chinese new year but to me, it's still gross.)
I'll be happy to share the recipe though.
Any interested parties can ask me through my FB/Twitter/Email/Ask.fm...
or if you know me just come to me.
Haypeefrydae!
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