Dumpling Noodles

I remembered helping grandmother wrap prawn dumplings as a kid. As we sat around the table, grandma's quiet presence filled the kitchen. She told me childhood stories of my mum, aunt and uncle. She recounted her experiences as a 5 year old kid carrying her younger brother and looking for shelter during war time. I felt her sadness as she recalled how her younger brother died when she was a teenager.

I have always looked forward to those prawn dumpling sessions. It exposes a gentle side of her that we don't normally see.

Clumsy fingers that I have got as a child (and even now), the dumplings were not sealed properly the filling will fall out while it was being cooked. She would tell my parents that those ugly dumplings were mine and I would always swear that I did better than that. Yes, grandma can be a teaser.

She taught me how to make these dumplings. The only thing though, we had a guest over and he is allergic to prawns so I omitted them here. Still, just sitting down and enjoying a plate of dumpling noodles brought warmness into my heart.



Dumpling Noodles (serves 4-6)

For the filling of the dumplings
200 grams of pork mince
1 can of chestnut chopped (around 100grams)
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of kikoman soya sauce
1 tsp of dark soya sauce
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
1 tsp of corn flour
1/4 cup of Hua Tiao Jiu (Chinese cooking wine)
pepper

Combine all ingredients. Marinate overnight if possible.

Wrapping the dumplings
24 prawn dumpling skin
24 shrimps if needed
1 egg beaten.

Wrap 1 full tsp of mixture in the dumpling skin. Seal with egg. Set aside.



Noodles
4 portions of fresh egg noodles
Chinese vegetables of your choice. I chose Kai lan but choy sum is good too
4-6 tablespoon of oyster sauce
4-6 tsp of sesame oil
1/4 cup of hua tiao jiu (chinese wine)
sambal
freshly chopped chili (pickled green ones if you have any!)

Separate oyster sauce, sesame oil, sambal and chinese wine into 4-6 portions.

Meanwhile, boil two pots of water. Cook egg noodles in one. Portion the noodles onto the prepared plates with the sauces. Ladle a small amount of water onto the plate (approximately 4 tablespoons) to assist in mixing the noodles up with the sauce.

In the other boiling pot of water/stock, add dumplings. Cook till done. You can place the plate or serve it separately. Cook vegetables in this pot of water as well. If you are using stock, that can be served as soup.

Pick up your chopsticks and enjoy!


This plate of dumpling noodles is heading towards Pasta Presto Night!