Dumplings

Dumplings - Tasty, filling and easy to make.

For those interested in making them, look no further, for here is a quick run recipe and guide to making your own dumplings.

What you'll need:

mince pork
chives
chinese mushrooms
water chestnut
dumpling wrap
soya sauce
chinese vinegar
pepper
egg whites


Most of these can be purchased from any good asian grocery store. Chinese mushrooms come dried and in a big packet, water chestnuts can be found in a tine and the dumpling wrap can be found in the chiller section either in a circle or square form.

The chinese mushrooms need to be soaked for around 25-40 minutes to become rehydrated. This is done by getting a handful and then placing them in a bowl and fill the rest of the bowl with water so that it covers the mushrooms sufficiently. Meanwhile, dice the chives, water chestnut finely, and repeat with the mushrooms once they're hydrated. Mix mince and the diced ingredients in a big mixing bowl until they're mixed well, this well become your "filling".

To wrap dumplings:

place a about a teapsoon or two into the middle of the dumpling wrap and apply the egg white using a brush to the diameter of the dumpling wrap and seal the dumpling wrap together by folding it in half. Press firmly on the outer edge of the dumpling to ensure it doesn't bust whilst cooking, repeat until either the filling mixture or the dumpling wrap runs out.

To cook:
Steaming or shallow frying are the usual types. I personally like mine shallow fried. Once cooked, dip into a mixture of soya sauce and chinese vinegar.

Making dumplings is easy and fun, and can involve the whole family and friends. I've had dinners where  i provided the the dumpling wrap and the filling mixture for my dinner guests to actually make their dumplings. Since it gets easier by your 30th dumpling it can allow for more conversation and fun and I make sure jokingly that you can only eat the ones that you have made, thus encouraging them to make more. This is also a fun recipe for kids to make too.  I remember having a lot of fun while I was younger in making this recipe.

Home-made Chinese food~

Hi, everybody!

I'd like to share dinners made by ourselves this year....

These are all traditonal and simple Chinese food, mainly rice and cuisine, sometimes also porridge...

See following photoes, how do you like it?

         

Nasi Lemak

Hi, today we got one more Malaysian dish for you. It is called Nasi Lemak or if we directly translate it to English it is called "FAT RICE". Hahaha.... 

We don't know what Nasi Lemak called in English, but it is basically a dish that contain fragrant coconut rice accompanied by an ensemble of sambal, peanuts, crispy anchovies, cucumber and hard-boiled egg. It is highly unlikely you will get fat if you eat it. Well, maybe you will get fat if you consume it in a large amount. ; p

Regardless how bad it is sound in English, Nasi Lemak is still a nice dish. Usually in Malaysia, we consume it as breakfast. However, this food is so popular, that now we can get it anytime. So, if you want to try this Nasi Lemak, the nearest you can get is at Mamak Restaurant, Sydney or, you can do it by yourself. Here is the recipe on how to do Nasi Lemak. 

Ingredients:

Coconut Milk Steamed Rice
2 cups of rice
3 screw pine leaves (tie them into a knot- does not matter if you do not have it)
Salt
1 small can of coconut milk (5.6 oz size)
Some water

Tamarind Juice
1 cup of water
Tamarind pulp

Sambal Ikan Bilis (Dried anchovies sambal)

1/2 red onion
1 cup dried anchovies
1 clove garlic
4 shallots
10 dried chillies
1 teaspoon of belacan (prawn paste)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of sugar

Other ingredients

2 hard boiled eggs (cut into half)
1 small cucumber (cut into slices and then quartered)

Method:

1. Just like making steamed rice, rinse your rice and drain. Add the coconut milk, a pinch of salt, and some water. Add the screw pine leaves(if you have) into the rice and cook your rice.
2. Rinse the dried anchovies and drain the water. Fry the anchovies until they turn light brown and put aside.
3. Pound the prawn paste together with shallots, garlic, and deseeded dried chilies with a mortar and pestle. You can also grind them with a food processor.
4. Slice the red onion into rings.
5. Soak the tamarind pulp in water for 15 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind constantly to extract the flavor into the water. Drain the pulp and save the tamarind juice.
6. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the spice paste until fragrant.
7. Add in the onion rings.
8. Add in the dried anchovies and stir well.
9. Add tamarind juice, salt, and sugar.
10. Simmer on low heat until the gravy thickens. Set aside.
11. Cut the cucumber into slices and then quartered into four small pieces.
12. Dish up the steamed coconut milk rice and pour some sambal ikan bilis on top of the rice.
13. Serve with cucumber slices, and hard-boiled eggs.
14. And voila, we get a dish of Nasi Lemak.  

So, here is the brief recipe on how to do a Nasi Lemak.  Hope you enjoy the dish and enjoy our post on this topic. Feel free to comment. Ok, until the next post. See you again