Cooking at home on Chinese New Year!

On the first day of Chinese New Year, we decided not to go out for dinner but instead cook something at home to eat. We both still remembered our experience on Chinese New Year's eve and we decided to play it safe this time around. This is nothing new, as we often cook noodles (instant type especially) or some meat and vegetables. However, for this occasion, we decided to make some dumplings. Afterall, it is Chinese New Year.

In the afternoon, I bought some ingredients from the Supermarket downstairs for the dumplings. Both my sister and I love dumplings, so we decided to try our dumpling making and cooking skills. I had helped my mum make dumplings at home often, but this will be the first time I am doing all this by myself! Wonder if it will turn out good? This will be the real test of our skills, not when mum is by our side!

In the late afternoon, we both prepared the ingredients and wrap the dumplings. It was finger-breaking task, especially when you had not had such practice for such a long time. We could have steamed dumplings, boiled dumplings or fried dumplings. For this time, we decided we wanted fried dumplings. When dinner time came, my sister did the cooking (or frying) while I cooked some rice to go along with the dumplings.

The truth is that the dumplings did not turn out as well as those I am used to at home... physically as well as taste wise. Firstly, they do not look as good... all crumpled and dried out instead of full, fluffy and crunchy. Then the taste... hmm... not so easy to describe but it definitely does not taste like how my mother made them. The meat was too hard and chewy, and not as juicy as I would have liked them. I still felt they were ok but my sister said I failed miserably.

Look at her face below!

Back to the drawing board!