Sunday, December 30, 2007

Har Kow /Shrimp Dumplings.

Living here in US ,I sometime do crave for good dim sum. I find the dim sum here doesn't taste as good as the one back home. One of my favorite is “har kow’. The translucent skin and the sweetness of the shrimps are just delicious. Making ‘har kow’ is really easy especially over here you can get those ready pack flour to make the skin. All you have to do is mixed the flour with some hot water and you are good to go. Of course is easier just to buy it but I think food taste better when you make it yourself and is also much healthier as you know what ingredient you put into this little gems.

The key to perfect har kow is the skin must not be too thick and the shrimps have to be really fresh.

Ingredients :

1 packet of the shrimp dumplings flour
3/4 cup of hot water - more or less
1/2 salt

Filling :

1/2 pound of fresh shrimps - clean, shelled and roughly chopped
1 cloves of garlic - minced
2 spring onions - chopped
1/2 tsp of finely chopped ginger
a small bunch of cilantro (optional)
1 egg white
1 tbsp of cornstarch
1 tsp of cooking wine
1/2 tsp of sesame oil
salt and white pepper to taste

1) Mixed all the filling ingredients and set aside in the fridge for at least an hour.
2) Reserved about 3 tbsp of the flour. Combined the rest of the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour hot water in and mix it with a wooden spoon. Stir it until it became doughy.
3) If is too floury add a bit more hot water to it until it comes together and workable by hand. Pour the dough out on a working surface and knead until smooth.
4) Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20 min.

5) Flour the work surface and roll out the dough into a log and cut it into small pieces.
6) Flatten the dough with a rolling pin and cut it round with a cookies cutter.

7) Put some filling into the center of the dough and wrap it up like how you fold a potstickers.
8) Grease a plate for steaming and steam the 'har kow' for 10 min in boiling water.
9) Serve warm.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Christmas 2007

Christmas for us is family spending time together. So we normally don't go visiting or invites anyone over. We will get up around 9.00am and then have our coffee and read the newspaper and then open our presents. Then I will prepare something simple just for the 3 of us. This year menu is quite similar to last year as I am too lazy to get into anything too elaborate. This is what we had.

Fruit Tarts
Spring Rolls
Mini Meat Puffs
Seafood Pockets
Cookies

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year

I made some fruit cakes again a few days ago to give away as gifts. Kept one for ourselves and put some simple decorations to it. You can find the recipe here : Fruit Cake

Diana can't wait to cut into the cake but it she has to wait till Christmas Day


Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!!

Tong Yuen (glutinious rice balls)

Today is Dongzhi or Winter Solstice Festival. Diana and I made some Tong Yuen to celebration the festival. Eating Tong Yuen symbolize family unity and prosperity. I remember when we were young we used to help our grandmother to make this early in the morning and my grandmother used to tell us that the amount of tong yuen to eat will go according to our aged. Then we also asked her " Ah Mah (grandmother) since you are 78 years old so you have to eat the whole pot of tong yuan lor :-) :-)" This is the time where my whole family will gather together to have a dinner. The last time I had Dongzhi dinner with the family was more 8 years ago. I really miss home :(

Diana helping me makes tong yuen.

Diana enjoying her bowl of tong yuen.