Inspired by the recent advertisement on the CP whole shrimp wanton dumpling, I decided to make my own for dinner today. So instead of smashing the prawns into paste, I’m reserving some to put in as a whole for my hubby (I’m allergic to prawns).
So this morning, since Rascal’s obedience class was postponed due to rain, I made the quick dash to the Dover market on the pretext of buying breakfast and happily went shopping for pork, wanton skin, fresh yellow noodles, $2 worth of prawns and some chinese spinach. The stallholders were going “Wah! Haven’t seen you for a long time!” - I guessed they remember me since I am always one of the blurrest customers (I cannot see what I want even though it is right infront of me!). Oh yes, of course I got my hubby his chai tao kway (black type).
I’m cooking the soup stock now, basically 400g of pork meat with some black peppercorn, 2 cloves of garlic and 2 small shallots. I just put enough water to cover the meat and my pot is medium size so er… I am harzarding about 500ml to 700ml of water (I parboiled the pork in salted water for about 10 minutes first before draining and rinsing).
So what goes into my wantons?
1. Prawns - some smashed, some shelled and deveined (about 260g prawns with shells - more if you like it)
2. Water Chestnuts - I have about 10 peeled and chopped coarsely (how I hate peeling them!)
3. Mince pork (about 400 gram)
4. 1 egg
5. Salt, light soya sauce and pepper to taste
Mix all the above together and then place a spoonful on the wanton skin. Normally I just place on the skin, and fold into half. That’s it, no need water to seal up the “lips”.
I made about 60 wan tons and my ones are the FAT types, so halve or reduce the quantity of the ingredients to what you need.
Was I a pig today =( at 11:30 i grabbed a polar curry puff and chomped it down and then we went immediately to purvis street to eat beef noodles. Alas, thanks to the IMF, it’s closed *grrr* so in the end we had to settle for chicken rice opposite - Chin Chin Eating House (estb 1935). Well it’s passable, nothing fantasic but I don’t know why I was so hungry. I basically finished 80% of the rice (most people who know me would be shocked - i normally finish 1/4 to 1/2 of the rice given). I guess with the addition of black sauce and chilli (was pretty good), the so-so rice did perk up a little. However, all that rice isn’t agreeing with my stomach. I’m still burping out the gas now and I’m wondering if I am suffering from indigestion since my tummy hurts a little and I’m simply not hungry =( But that doesn’t stop me of thinking about food ;P
I am craving for my ma jie’s turnip cake - she gave me some the other day, but we finished within 2 days. 1/4 for our breakfast and 1/4 went for my lunch 2 consecutive days. I didn’t even get a chance to pan fried it till chow tar (I love the crunchy black bits) this time round!
Maybe I should just learn how to make it one day …
I’ve been tagged by Caden to list 5 items to eat before I die. Geez I don’t even know where to begin from since I’m quite a greedy person when it comes to food! I’m ranking it in preference, so no. 1 is the must have one!
1. my Ma Jie’s Curry Chicken
Nothing comes close ever - I just like her style of cooking and how she always remembers to add enough potatoes for us kids to fight over. Just the right blend of spices and chilli, I’ll even drink the sauce from the dish! My favourite “dish” from the curry chickem - mashed curry potatoes! Take the potatoes, mash them up with a fork and then scoop lots of curry gravy over it, and then mix well. It’s a treat every spoonful!
2. my Ma Jie’s Chicken Rice
She puts professional chicken rice seller to SHAME. Each mouth of the chicken rice is bursting with flavours, not the bland stuff that gets sold as chicken rice. The chicken, while not as smooth as Boon Tong Kee’s, it is also flavourful (did you ever notice the smoother the chicken, the more bland tasting it is?). Then pile one a heap of homemade chilli sauce and the specially and lovingly chopped chicken meat bits just for us kids (to this day!) …. Hmmmmmm …. this is what home cook food is about - love!
3. my Ma Jie’s Dong Gua Zhong
We used to grow winter melons in the garden, and we easily harvested a few each day! And ours wasn’t the small balls you see, ours are the HUGE ones (my sis in canada had ones that were almost as tall as her!). Once in a while, for special festive occasions, my ma jie will make her dong gua zhong - soup steamed inside a hallowed out winter melon. Yes, she makes that nice zig zag pattern on the top too! What flavours the soup is a mixture of goodies - chicken meat, dried scallops, chinese ham, water chestnut, winter melon and some other secret ingredients. the soup itself was a meal, so usually no matter how tempting it is, one bowl is more than enough to satisfy a hungry stomach!
4. my Ma Jie’s “Yau Mei Fan” - Flavourful Rice
It’s not the same as mui fan or fried rice. This is something i grew up eating so it’s a comfort food for me. Basically it has meat, chinese sauages, mushrooms and vegetables, so a one pot meal. How do we eat it? We usually add tomato ketchup and sinsin garlic chilli sauce together, mix it and then chomp it down.
5. It’s a tie - i really couldn’t decide which one so I am going to cheat - it’s either OR hehe
5a. my Ma Jie’s Minute Beef Steak
She doesn’t eat beef but she sure can cook it! Of course within our family, it’s a well done piece of meat, but she flavours it so well then we are licking our plates clean after we are done chomping down with the meat. It’s that good! I’ve tried cooking the same style but my flavours still isn’t as good as hers. One of these days I’m just going to buy a slab of beef and watch her cook in front of me!
5b. my Dad’s Oxtail Stew
My dad used to make a mean oxtail / beef stew. I still remember we used to head down to Yaohan (what is it known as Plaza Singapura today) every weekend (because we had horrible piano lessons for 1 year there *shudder*) and we used to buy oxtails, my must have sambal chilli fish balls and the red bean fish pancake. I could replicate the beef stew to some degree *proud* but of course, it’s not quite the same with my dad cooking it over the charcoal stove late at night while his hungry children gather around wondering when they are going to get their supper.
*****
Since I’ve been tagged by canden, let me see who I can tag …
I tag Lostsis and Fen! *hehehe*
Guess what I did a few nights ago?
I dropped my cable remote controller into my cream of mushroom chicken soup 
called for my hubby to come out of the study room and I handed him the tissue paper wrapped remote controller as a surprise present.
Yes, I did finish the soup - I was hungry and the soup was thick, so unlikely much junk from the remote got into my soup ;P