Okay, so today I decided to try making “bing bing dim sum.” I’ve seen these amazing, delicate-looking dumplings online and always wanted to give them a shot. Let me tell you, it was a journey!
Getting Started
First things first, I needed a recipe. I found a few online, but none of them seemed quite right. So, I ended up kind of mashing a couple together and hoping for the best. I gathered all my ingredients – you know, the usual suspects like flour, water, some kind of filling (I went with pork and shrimp), and seasonings.
The Dough Struggle
The dough was the first hurdle. I mixed the flour and water, and it just wasn’t coming together right. It was either too dry and crumbly, or I’d add a bit more water and it would turn into a sticky mess. Seriously, I think I spent a good hour just trying to get the dough to a workable consistency. I kneaded and kneaded, added a tiny bit more water, kneaded some more… eventually, it started to resemble something that might actually become a dumpling wrapper.
Filling Frenzy
While the dough was resting (and I was recovering from the dough battle), I worked on the filling. I chopped up the pork and shrimp really fine, then mixed in some soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and a few other spices. It smelled pretty good, so I was feeling optimistic at this point.
Wrapping Woes
Now for the real challenge: wrapping the dumplings. This is where those beautiful online pictures really taunted me. I rolled out small circles of dough (or at least, attempted to make them circles), put a spoonful of filling in the center, and then… well, let’s just say my first few attempts looked nothing like those perfect little dumplings. They were lumpy, uneven, and some of them didn’t even want to stay closed.
Practice make perfect! I can tell you that my skill is become more and more excellent!
- First try: Disaster. Total collapse.
- Second try: Slightly better, but still pretty ugly.
- Third try: Okay, we’re getting somewhere! Still not perfect, but recognizable as a dumpling.
- …and so on…
Cooking and Tasting
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I had a batch of (somewhat) presentable dumplings. I decided to steam them, because that seemed like the easiest and most forgiving cooking method. I popped them in the steamer, waited impatiently, and then… it was time to taste!
And you know what? They were actually pretty good! The filling was flavorful, and the dough, despite my earlier struggles, was surprisingly tender. Were they perfect? Absolutely not. But were they delicious? Yes! Would I make them again? Maybe… after I’ve recovered from this experience.
All in all doing is better than thinking, never give up!