Chinese Egg Dumplings/Kinesisk Æg Dumplings/蛋饺[dàn jiǎo]

From my mother May Loh's recipe

Ingredients:

Filling:

- 500g minced pork or minced chicken

- 3 stalks spring onions finely chopped

- 10 water chestnut finely chopped (optional, I leave this out as water chestnut is not readily available in Denmark)

- 1 TBS sesame oil

- 1 TBS soy sauce

- 1 TBS shaoxing wine (optional)

- 1 TBS corn starch

- Pinch of salt & pepper

Egg dumpling wrapper:

- approx. 6 beaten eggs (I normally just beat 2 eggs and add more if I still need them to make the dumpling wrappers)

- 1 small bowl of cooking oil used for frying.

Directions:

1. In a bowl, add minced pork, water chestnut, spring onions, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, corn starch, salt and pepper together and mix well. Let this marinade rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will make the meat soft.

2. Divide the minced pork filling into smaller balls the size of half a teaspoon using a teaspoon.

3. Heat up a round bottom wok (best, but if not, a skillet will do) on medium heat (no. 6 on my stove) and spread a thin layer of cooking oil using a kitchen brush.

4. Pour one tablespoon of the egg mixture into the wok or skillet to make the egg wrapper.

5. Place one portion of the meat filling in the middle of egg dumpling wrapper.

6. Flip half of the egg dumpling wrapper over to seal the dumpling (no need to press it down).

7. Set aside on another plate (note: the meat filling is not completely cooked yet, so don't eat it yet!).

8. Repeat step 2-6 to make more egg dumplings.

9. Place all the egg dumplings back into the skillet. Add a little water to the skillet.

10. Cover and steam the egg dumplings under low fire (no. 5.5 on my stove) for 4 minutes to let the filling inside be fully cooked (you can also put them in the microwave to let the filling in the egg dumplings to finish cooking.)

Tips:

1. You can add 1 carrot shredded and a handful of frozen spinach to make it a more balance meal for children.

Storage:

Can keep for 8 weeks in the freezer.

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Additional Information:

The Chinese Egg Dumplings are like the Western Omelette, just much smaller and cuter (and without adding cheese). Thus, it requires more skills and patience.

Egg dumplings is believed to originate from the Fujian province in China and are one of the Chinese New Year (CNY) food eaten by my family. It started with my grandmother from my father's side (the Fujian side of the family). She also prepared it during normal days. Then my mother prepared it for my dad and us. Now, it is my sister's favourite dish, and she used to help my mum to prepare it for CNY. When I was living in Singapore, I never had the patience and the skills to make egg dumplings, so I never tried it before.

Now that I am overseas, I am getting interested in all these comfort food, and this was actually the first time I made it. It took me a long time, and my egg dumplings are not as pretty as those my mum makes, as I don't have a round bottom wok, since we do not use gas stove here. But I don't really care, so long as they taste good and bring back some reminiscence from my CNY childhood.

This is the third CNY dish in my blog. The CNY lasts 15 days. Being overseas during this festive occasion, I find myself diligently making the food I ate as a child during CNY.

Incidentally, as I called my mum to get the recipe today (I am off from work), she told me that she also prepared it today at the request of my dad :-)

A friend of mine recommended to add a bit of water into the meat filling to make the meat more tender. 

Another tasty and healthy filling recipe with spinach:

- 500g minced pork or minced chicken

- 3 stalks spring onions finely chopped

- 200g baby spinach rinsed, boiled, drained and chopped.

- 1 egg

- 1 TBS sesame oil

- 1 TBS soy sauce

- 1 TBS shaoxing wine (optional)

- 1 TBS corn starch

- Pinch of salt & pepper

References:

https://whattocooktoday.com/chinese-egg-dumplings.html

https://thewoksoflife.com/egg-dumplings/

https://blog.themalamarket.com/danjiao-egg-dumplings/

https://www.huangkitchen.com/homestyle-chinese-egg-dumplings/

https://yummykitchentv.com/egg-dumplings/

https://redcook.net/2009/02/08/egg-dumplings/

1. In a bowl, add minced pork, water chestnut, spring onions, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, corn starch, salt and pepper together and mix well. Let this marinade rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will make the meat soft.

Here is a filling with spinach and pork.

2. Divide the minced pork filling into smaller balls the size of half a teaspoon using a teaspoon.

2. Divide the minced pork filling into smaller balls the size of half a teaspoon using a teaspoon.

Heat up a skillet will do) on medium heat (no. 6 on my stove) and spread a thin layer of cooking oil using a kitchen brush. Take 1 tablespoon of beaten egg

Place the 1 tablespoon of egg mixture on the heated skillet.

4. Pour one tablespoon of the egg mixture into the wok or skillet to make the egg wrapper.

Add a portion of the filling.

5. Place one portion of the meat filling in the middle of egg dumpling wrapper.

6. Flip half of the egg dumpling wrapper over to seal the dumpling (no need to press it down).

7. Set aside on another plate (note: the meat filling is not completely cooked yet, so don't eat it yet!). 

Note: In the pictures, I have set the egg dumplings on the side of the skillet, but I have now preferred to set them aside on another plate, so that the egg wrapper remain tender.

8. Repeat step 2-6 to make more egg dumplings.

9. Place all the egg dumplings back into the skillet. Add a little water to the skillet.

10. Cover and steam the egg dumplings under low fire (no. 5.5 on my stove) for 4 minutes to let the filling inside be fully cooked (you can also put them in the microwave to let the filling in the egg dumplings to finish cooking.)

Remove cover and let the water evaporate under very low fire (no. 2 on my stove).

Ready to serve :-)

Here is a picture of me and my grandma on the ferry to Kushu Island in Singapore. It is one of the rare photos I had with her where it is just the two of us. I think I was about 6-7 years old perhaps.

10 August 2022: Teaching Baby FECS (6 years old) to make egg dumplings

But He Isn't Romantic!

Below are some wise counsels from a blog (http://www.thestayathomemissionary.com/2008/12/but-he-isnt-romantic.html)
which is about to end and be deleted (which I am very sad about). They are not my own words, but words which I find very wise in our marriage. I hope it will bless yours too:

What to do when you find that your spouse is not as romantic as you like him or her to be?

1. Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Find your love and security in Christ and your relationship with Him. It may sound cliche, but I have found that as long as I am looking to Dave (or any human) to meet my needs I will disappointed. We need to fix our eyes on Jesus and finding our identity in Him, and not look for human love to complete us.

2. Get your eyes off of yourself (and onto your spouse)

I'm not even talking about submission here (although that is certainly a part of it), I am talking about having a servant's heart. The true love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 isn't talking about how we can get love from someone else, but how we can give it away.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."

This is true sacrificial love, not looking to what it can get, but to what it can give. Leslie Ludy says this in her book Set-Apart Femininity:

"Many modern messages for women urge us to look out for ourselves. They say we shouldn't become so busy meeting other's needs that we forget to meet our own. But what does Christ say? 'Take no thought for your life' (Matthew 6:25KJV). And 'whoever will be the greatest among you, will be the servant of all' (see Mark 10:44)."

Of course, we need the Holy Spirit to fill us with His strength and power to even begin to be able to get our eyes off of ourselves. As it says in Philippians 2:3, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

3. Look at what he is doing

I know for myself, I even have to be careful about what books I read on the topic of marriage. If my husband is doing a million things right, but I read in some marriage book about one thing he isn't doing, my tendency is to focus on the thing he isn't doing, thereby missing all the wonderful things I already have.

Men show their love and affection in many different ways. Are there things that he is doing to show love to you that you overlook?

Here are some questions to get you started thinking:

- Does he go to work every day?
- Does he keep a roof over your head?

I could list a whole bunch more, but then it would be like the marriage books I talked about. My goal isn't to make you discontent, but more aware of the things that he does do. And remember, husbands will show love and affection in many different ways. One husband might show his love by making sure that the trash is taken out, while another may keep the finances and check book up to date. Look for the little things that your husband does to show his love, and appreciate them.

4. Be appreciative of his romantic efforts

When your husband tries to be romantic or show his love, no matter how small, appreicate it! I have a rather embarrasing tale to tell on this subject. About a month ago, my husband was late coming home from work (only by about 15 minutes). Well, instead of keeping a quiet heart, I chose to get upset. I was highly annoyed when he finally walked in, and hardly even noticed the parcel he was carrying. He smiled and showed me the reason for his tardiness, a bag of ice cream cones from the store (a real treat for the whole family). In my annoyed mood all I said was, "Oh, thanks."

Well, needless to say, sweet Dave was disppointed at my less-than-excited response. Here he had done something sweet for me, and I didn't even appreciate it. I know that it is things like this that will make him think twice before wanting to do something sweet again. Don't be like me! Appreciate what your husband does for you!

5. Be an Encourager!

One sure way to squelch a man's romantic love for you is to put him down. So, ask yourself the question, "Is there anything that I do or say to my husband that would make him shy away from loving me romantically?"

Here are a few things:

- Have you ever pointed out to others changes in your husbands apperance (even in a joking way)? Examples...hair thinning, going gray, putting on weight.

- If you work (and you happen to make more than your husband) have your ever pointed out the differences in your salaries to others?

- Have you every made fun of your husbands' character or personality either alone or to others?

The opposite of these things, of course, would be to build your husband up by encouraging the things that you see in his life....yes, even physical things! Don't be afraid to encourage your husband on his big muscles, his amazing mind for numbers, or the patient way he dealt with the cranky neighbor.

As we each seek to surrender our lives to the Holy Spirit and die to our flesh, we will see amazing fruit. God longs for us to bring Him our troubles, our needs, and our pains, and we should. And then, as we are fully satisfied in Him, we can serve others without looking at what we are or aren't getting. Our goal in our marriage should be how we can best serve the other. And another quote from Set-Apart Femininity,

"When it comes to marriage, don't fight to protect yourself or constantly analyze whether your husband is meeting all your needs. The only thing you need to carefully protect is your daily time in Christ's presence. As you follow the example of Christ and pour out your life for your husband, you will discover a greater joy than any amount of self-focus could ever bring."

Loving My Spouse

Below are some wise counsels from a blog which is about to end and be deleted (http://www.thestayathomemissionary.com/2008/02/time-for-change-3-blessing-our-husbands.htm). They are not my own words, but words which I find very wise in our marriage:

Two major challenges

There are two major challenges that can be a stumbling block to loving our spouses, and behind these two challenges are basically our attitude and mind set:

1. Unachievable Expectations

We have expectations of our spouses that are unspoken and virtually unacheivable. These are things that we should be looking to God for, not our spouses. And when we have these expectations and they are unmet, I become "Miss or Mr grumpy".

2. Getting easily hurt

We need to find our acceptance in God alone. Too many times we are quick to become defensive, hurt, or angry because we have a filter that we look through. That filter is that we are not acceptable, beautiful, or capable of being loved. When we look through this filter, our spouses' comments and actions get distorted, and we become too easily hurt (and angry).

How? Change our attitude and our perception

1. Putting our spouses first

After our relationship with the Lord, the first person in our lives we should seek to bless is our spouses. We can't get it backwards. Our spouses must come before the kids. It can be difficult to make time to make your spouse a priority in the midst of managing chaos if you have kids, but it is where we are to start.

2. Be patient and entrust our spouses to God

Our spouses may be difficult to love at times, but when we see our spouses as sinners like ourselves - sinners in need of God's grace and mercy - it strips away any intolerant, critical, or demanding attitude we may be tempted to have. Every spouse has areas he/she needs to change and grow, but so do we!

When you feel yourself getting irritated, say to yourself, "I do not see the whole picture. I do not know what God is doing in my life or my spouse's life. My critical attitude is a far graver sin than his bad habits. And, as far as I'm concerned, it is God's business to direct my spouse and convict him/her. I am trusting God."

We are called to love our spouses in Titus 2, and then in 1 Corinthians 13, we are given a list of what love is.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

Some practical ways to show love:

A reminder of some practical way of loving our spouse suggested by the blog and also my best friend Jannie:

1. Every day for one week, to write down something that you are thankful for about your spouse.

2. Each day, speak a word of kindess to your spouse.

3. Plan and cook one special meal that you know your spouse will love!

Here are links to two messages from Carolyn Mahaney on this topic:

http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1145-02-51

http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1145-07-51

The Bible says:

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with one another and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." - Colossians 3:12-14

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12: 1-3

J Summary (23M1D) - J Repeating Tang Dynasty Poems

Some time ago, I started to recite Tang Dynasty Poems to J in darkness just before he goes to bed, as I realised that he could concentrate better in darkness when there is nothing else to distract him. Recently, just barely shy of 2 years old, J (22M28D if i remembered correctly) started to repeat Tang Dynasty Poems. It proves that my strategy seems to be working!!!

What J does is that I will recite a line, and he would try his best to repeat it. I did not ask him to repeat after me. He did it on his own. He doesn't get all the words in that line correct. Some nights, he would repeat half a sentence correct, other nights, he would only repeat the last word of the line correctly. Typically a Tang Dynasty poem has 4 lines.

His favourite poem currently is the one about swans. Some nights I got lazy and was tempted to skip the poems, but he would ask for it. Again tonight he asked me to recite the swan poem. This is really sweet to a mother. It is as if like a child pleding mom for more homework. For some who accuses mothers of pressurizing the child too much, it is not always true. Sometimes, the child truly enjoys the learning and ask for more such "homework" himself/herself.

For a child struggling with 3 languages, I didn't expect him to recite Tang Dynasty Poems like those toddlers in my mother's group at all. Thus, this is even sweeter to me - my best CNY gift.

For Chinese mothers out there, I truly encourage you to recite Tang Dynasty Poems in darkness to them some nights, if not every night, before they sleep. For those raising a child in a cross-cultural marriage, don't give up, keep trying. One day, you will see the fruit of your labour.

I am more motivated to memorize more Tang Dynasty Poems now :-)

Understands gender differences

When daddy asked which is a boy and which is a girl, J can point to the right picture. He also can say "dreng" and "pige" when asked what that person is. He now also understand the term in Mandarin, although he would prefer to say it in Danish when asked.

Accent-For-Thought

Today, I sat next to a newcomer from China in church (I attend an international church with people from different nationalities) and we talked.

I asked, "so you must be from northern China". She asked, "How did you know?" I said proudly and smiling, "I could hear from your accent :-)", half-wishing to myself if only I could have such a rich cultural accent like hers.

To my great surprise, she looked a little discouraged and sad. She replied, "No matter how hard I try to change my accent, I couldn't change it." Realising that, I told her how sincerely I like northern Chinese accent, as it sounds so proper to me, like Queen English... or rather I mean Queen Mandarin.

I asked her why she would prefer to have southern Chinese accent. She said that the southern Chinese accent sounds more gentle, polite, courteous, musical and sweet sounding to her. Wow, that was one of the best compliments I have ever received! (my ancestors were from southern China)

Thinking to myself as I walked to the train station after church that it might not be that impossible after all for China to have a unified accent in the forseeable future, if all the northern Chinese are like the friend I made today, trying hard to speak like the southern Chinese, and all the southern Chinese are trying hard to speak like the northern Chinese, both complimenting the other.

Also I realised from this incident that it can be risky to try to pin-point where a person comes from, and it can be even riskier to pin-point it correctly! I won't do it again in the future.

I also realised that the grass always looks greener on the other side, even within China. I went away from church today feeling happier with my southern Chinese accent, and happy to find out that the northern Chinese would be happy to trade my accent for theirs.

Today, I left church with both of us having achieved something. We both have encouraged each other and made each other feel more proud of our own Chinese accent.

J Summary (23M1D) - First Time Completed Jigsaw Puzzles

J doesn't like to play with jigsaw puzzles, and it has perplexed me somewhat, as jigzaw puzzles is a very good toy to train concentration. A check with other mothers with boy toddlers revealed that it seems most boys are not as keen to sit and play with jigsaw puzzles than girls, until much later.

Yesterday, during bedtime, J (23M0D) initiated to play with a set of jigsaw puzzles, I was delighted. But he walked away very fast when he could not figure it out, and my heart sank. I was a little disappointed, that he gave up so easily, but I just let go and didn't want to push him. Then he returned and tried again and succeeded. I was so excited and praised him for trying again and succeeded. The success was secondary, but the willingness to try again is a character building trait that is worth a gold. Thank God for it.

Having tasted success, he went on to build a few other set of simple jigsaw puzzles, but he did gave up towards the end, when he chose a set that was relatively more difficult. This incident revealed that I still need to work on being more sensitive to J's toys so that he doesn't get too frustrated and not try again.

Asked to pray for Amy again

Yesterday, during bedtime prayer, J asked to pray for Amy again. So we did. Amy's mother has told me that recently she had started getting Amy to sleep earlier by 7.30pm, after hearing how important sleep is in nuturing personality, and it succeeded.

Amy has a rather bad temper and when she flares up, the tantrum is so thunder loud and unbearable that the whole block can hear. My theory is that constant insufficient sleep can affect personality and make it ingrained.

It may be a coincidence that the result is so immediate Amy is sleeping so well, just as J started to pray for her. But deep down, I know that God is there helping us in our parenting when we pray. Apart from the book BabyWise, I truly credit all challenges and overcoming of challenges in the daily life of parenting to lifting all these problems and challenges up to God in prayers. Thank God for helping Amy and her mother for overcoming her sleep pattern problem.

J did not cry when going to bed at night

It was the 4 consecutive times that J did not cry, when I shut the door to the bedroom. Since returning back to Singapore, I had to re-implement CIO, as he got used to sleeping with us in the same room and sleeping in my arms in the plane. During the first time, J cried for 30 minutes, all the while calling "ma ma, come and carry me". My heart sank, but I endured and resisted re-entering his bedroom. For the sake of his long-term sleep habit, I have to persist. It seemed that it had now work, and he is happily willing to go to sleep, when the light is switched off, and the bedroom door is closed.

CIO - means crying it out

Chinese Vegetarian Dumplings/Kinesisk Vegetar Dumplinger/素食饺子[sù shí jiǎo zi]

This is a healthier and more nutritious version of Chinese dumplings, using buckwheat in the dough, instead of just pure white flour.

Serves 4-8

Makes approx. 80 dumplings

Ingredients for filling:

- 8-10 dried shitake mushrooms
- 1 cube of tofu cut into small cubes
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- 100g Chinese cabbage leaves finely chopped or shredded (discard stem)
- 100g frozen minced spinach (hakket spinat)
- 1 - 2 eggs beaten (optional)
- 3 stalks spring onions chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 TBS minced ginger
- 1 TBS soy sauce
- 2 TBS Chinese sesame oil
- 1 TBS oyster sauce
- 1 TBS Chinese Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
- 2 tsp sugar (optional)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 TBS cooking oil

Ingredients for dough:

- 3 cups white wheat flour
- 1 cup Graham wheat flour or Buckwheat (you can also simply just use white wheat flour here)
- 1 3/4 cups water (if you are using pure white wheat flour instead of buckwheat, you don't need so much water)
- 1/2 cup flour (to prevent sticking during kneading)
- 2 litres of water for boiling the dumplings

Directions:

Fillings:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine minced meat, minced Chinese cabbage and the sesame oil and mix thoroughly.
(The purpose is for the oil to seal the food first so as to prevent water loss from meat and cabbage when adding salt afterwards.)

2. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the other seasoning and mix thoroughly.

Dough:

1. If you are using graham flour or buckwheat, grind it in a baby blender into powder first.

2. In another mixing bowl, mix flour and water gradually until it forms a dough.

3. Knead dough by hand until soft (the dough should not be too hard or too soft).

4. On a clean table top, scatter some dry flour, knead and roll the dough into a sausage.

5. Divide the sausage dough into small portions each about 2 inches thick by cutting it.

6. Roll each portion with a rolling pin until flat small pancake shape *.

7. To make dumpling, hold the pancake with your palm and put the filling in the center; then wrap into half-moon shape and seal the edges.

Boiling Dumplings:

1. In a pot of boiling water, add the dumplings and stir to prevent them from sticking together.

2. When the water comes to a boil again and the dumplings float to the surface, add some cold water to slow down the cooking process of the dough so it doesn't break apart while allowing the filling to finish cooking.

3. Repeat step 2 one more time.

4. Dish the dumpling out and serve with the Classic Chinese Dipping Sauce.

Alternatively, you can also steam the dumplings for 10 minutes.

* If using pasta machine to roll dough, the thickness of my machine setting is no. 5. If using round cookie cutter, the mold diameter is 8cm.

Tips:
1. You can also boil dumplings in broth together with vermicelli made from bean starch or rice noodles and serve them together in a noodle dumpling soup.

2. You can use different vegetables such as celery, capsicum and cucumber.

Storage:
If you make in batches, they can keep in the freezer for 8 weeks.

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Additional Information:

The trick to making tasty vegetarian dumplings is that you need to stir-fry the ingredients first - especially the shitake mushrooms and the tofu, so that the taste would exude out. Otherwise, the dumplings will taste very flat. Thus, making vegetarian dumplings are considerably more work than making dumplings containing meat.

Chinese Dumplings/Kinesisk Dumplings/饺子[jiǎo zi]

You can serve the dumplings with the Classic Chinese Dipping Sauce, Chinese Red Date Tea and a bowl of soup on the side :-)

This is a healthier and more nutritious version of Chinese dumplings, using white whole wheat flour (see picture below) or buckwheat in the dough, instead of just pure white flour. If you want the traditional version, just omit the buckwheat and use less water.

Chinese dumpling is one of the most important foods in Chinese New Year in China. Traditionally, the family members get together to make dumplings during the New Year's Eve. Thus, making Chinese dumplings is a team work and an activity that encourage bonding among family members and team building among friends and colleagues.

Serves 4-8

Makes approx. 80 dumplings

Ingredients for filling:
- 500g minced pork, minced chicken, minced beef, minced fish or chopped prawns with shell removed
- 3-4 Chinese cabbage finely chopped or shredded (discard stem)
- 1 medium carrot finely shredded
- 100g minced spinach (hakket spinat)
- 100g oyster mushroom or fresh shitake mushroom chopped (optional)
- 1 - 2 eggs beaten (optional)
- 3 stalks of spring onions chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 TBS minced ginger
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 2 TBS Chinese sesame oil
- 1 TBS Chinese Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
- 1 TBS oyster sauce (optional)
- 2 tsp sugar (optional)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper

Ingredients for dough:
- 3 cups white whole wheat flour

- 1 cup water

- 1/2 cup flour (to prevent sticking during kneading)
- 2 litre of water for boiling the dumplings

Directions:

Fillings:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine minced meat, minced Chinese cabbage and the sesame oil and mix thoroughly. (The purpose is for the oil to seal the food first so as to prevent water loss from meat and cabbage when adding salt afterwards.)

2. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.

3. Add the other seasoning and mix thoroughly.

Dough:
1. If you are using graham flour or buckwheat, grind it in a baby blender into flour first.

2. In another mixing bowl, mix flour and water gradually until it forms a dough.

3. Knead dough by hand until soft (the dough should not be too hard or too soft).

4. On a clean table top, scatter some dry flour, knead and roll the dough into a sausage.

5. Divide the sausage dough into small portions each about 2 inches thick by cutting it.

6. Roll each portion with a rolling pin until flat small pancake shape *.

7. To make dumpling, hold the pancake with your palm and put the filling in the center; then wrap into half-moon shape and seal the edges.

Boiling Dumplings:
1. In a pot of boiling water, add the dumplings and stir to prevent them from sticking together.

2. When the water comes to a boil again and the dumplings float to the surface, add some cold water to slow down the cooking process of the dough so it doesn't break apart while allowing the filling to finish cooking.

3. Repeat step 2 two more times.

4. Dish the dumpling out and serve with the Classic Chinese Dipping Sauce.

Alternatively, you can also steam the dumplings for 10 minutes.

* If using pasta machine to roll dough, the thickness of my machine setting is no. 5. If using round cookie cutter, the mold diameter is 8cm.

Tips:
1. You can also boil dumplings in broth together with vermicelli made from bean starch or rice noodles and serve them together in a noodle dumpling soup.

2. You can use different vegetables such as celery, capsicum and cucumber.

Storage:
If you make in batches, they can keep in the freezer for 8 weeks.

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Additional Information:

We had dumplings for our own Chinese New Year Brunch today. J loved the dumplings and ate 5. Daddy liked it too. Daddy liked the classic Chinese dip. This is not the first time I have made the dip, but it was the first time, he actually liked it. I tried it 5 years ago and didn't like it. That made me glad. I really thank God that after 9 years of marriage, Daddy's tastebuds and mine are truly converging now. It is a lot of work to do it alone. I woke up at 4.30am in the morning to prepare it. But I was so excited about making it, that I couldn't sleep anyway.

Chinese dumplings or Jiaozi, with meat and vegetable fillings, is a traditional Chinese Food, which is essential during holidays in Northern China. The meaning of jiaozi is something like "the exchange of the old year and new year at the time of midnight". Therefore, in China, people eat jiaozi around midnight (2300-0100) of the new year's eve and the new year's day. Jiaozi may be round or crescent-shaped and can be boiled, steamed or pan-fried. Since the shape of Chinese dumplings is similar to ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots, they symbolize wealth. In some parts of China, they may hide some coins in one of the dumplings. The person who fined the coin will likely have a good fortune in the New Year. Chinese dumpling is also popular in other Chinese holidays or festivals, so it is very much part of the Chinese culture or tradition.

Most Chinese in China start to make dumplings when they are a kid in family. Making the skin is the hardest part of making dumplings. Nowadays you can buy ready-made skins in the Chinese supermarkets in China and Singapore. But it is not the same compared to making the skin fresh yourself.

The history of Chinese dumplings dates back to ancient times, some 2000 years ago, and it got popular from some 1400 years ago. As the Spring Festival marks the start of a new year, people choose to eat jiaozi to connote their wishes for good fortune in the new year. China has been perfecting the art of dumpling making since the Sung dynasty.

As China is a country with a vast territory, there are great differences in various regions in ways of making jiaozi or even serving it. For example, dumplings wrappers are made with a rolling stick in most areas of Beijing and Hebei Provinces, whereas in some parts of Shanxi Province and inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, wrappers are hand- pressed.

According to my friend, Zhang, when a guest comes to stay with a family, the family will prepare noodles, wishing that the guest will stay long, symbolizes by the long noodles. However, when a guest leaves, the family will prepare dumplings as send off, wishing the guest safe journey, which symbolizes by the whole and round shape of the dumplings.

Note: If you wish to incorporate a bit of buck wheat flour. If you use 3 cups whole wheat flour and additional cup buck wheat flour, you will need 1 3/4 cup of water to mix them into a dough instead.

References:
http://ks.cn.yahoo.com/question/1407050801332.html

http://www.beijingservice.com/beijinghighlights/dumpling.htm

http://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-chinese-jiaozi-leeks-and-pork/

Finely chop the Chinese cabbage

Finely chop the ginger

Mix the Chinese cabbage, minced meat and sesame oil


White whole wheat flour from Føtex Supermarket

 Add 1 cup of water followed by gradually adding 3 cups of white whole wheat flour

 It's a good idea to use a sift if you have, but also ok without.

 when the mixer is clean and the dough is firm, soft but doesn't stick to your finger, it is done :-)

 Here is the white whole wheat dough.

Wrap it in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying up.

Knead the dough, roll it and make it into palm size round pieces of 8cm in diameter

If you are using pasta machine to flatten the dough, you can use such a mold to cut the dough into round palm size

All the ingredients are ready

Take a piece of the dumpling skin and use a teaspoon to put the filling into the middle of the skin...

... like this...

If it is too dry to seal the dumpling, dab a little water on the inner edge as shown in picture

Fold it into half and seal it

Make plaits on the edges (optional)....

... and the dumpling will look like this

Put it on a tray and cover with a piece of cloth

All done and ready to be boiled :-)

In a pot of boiling water, add the dumplings and bring to boil again until dumplings float to the surface. Then add some cold water and repeat twice this same procedure.

J's Bento-Style Lunch Box 5

J's bento-style lunch pack today consists of fiske frikadeller (Danish fish meat balls) left over from yesterday's dinner, wholewheat pasta, organic grapes without seeds and Danish open sandwich with tahin, sweet potato, sweet corn and french bean spread.

J Summary (22M29D) - Asked to Pray for Little Amy for the First Time

Today at after saying a bedtime prayer, J called out, "Amy, Amy". I think he asked to pray for Amy. So we said a bed time prayer for Amy too, that God will give her a sweet and peaceful night sleep all the way until the next day. After that, J was happy. Amy was the little toddler girl in the same daycare as J who is 7 months older than J.

J usually sleeps very well through the night, and until now hardly has any nightmare. I believe it is because we will always say a little prayer to God before he sleeps, asking God to give him a peaceful and sweet sleep.

Yesterday evening marked the first time in many months, that J did not cry when I leave the room during bed time. Since we were back from Singapore, where he slept with us in the same room, he had wanted me to stay with him in the room. This evening too, J only whined for 2 secs. and then he stopped when I closed the door to his bedroom.

The Out-performing Olive Oil/Olivenolie/橄榄油 [gǎn lǎn yóu]

For babies from 4 months.

My Danish health nurse told me that it is important for baby to consume sufficient fat in the diet for healthy physical and brain development. However, it is important to use only good fats. Instead of giving baby whole fresh milk, I prefer to give skimmed milk, and then add in the fat by putting a teaspoon of olive oil into baby's food.

Serving ideas for babies:

1. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to porridge per portion, according to the Danish health authority.

2. Instead of buttering whole wheat bread, try drizzling on a little olive oil instead! For older babies, offer the oil as a dip.

3. Drizzle it on to cooked veggies you’ll be serving as finger foods, or add to the food processor when blending your baby’s veggie purees.

4. Stir into mashed potato – delicious

Serving ideas for Adults:

1. Use extra virgin olive oil in your salad dressings.

2. Purée roasted garlic, cooked potatoes and extra virgin olive oil together to make exceptionally delicious garlic mashed potatoes. Season to taste.

3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over healthy sautéed vegetables before serving.

4. Purée extra virgin olive oil, garlic and your favorite beans together in a food processor. Season to taste and serve as a dip.

5. Instead of putting the butter dish out on the table, place a small cup of extra virgin olive oil out instead to use on your bread or rolls. For extra flavor, try adding a little Balsamic vinegar or any of your favorite spices to the extra virgin olive oil.

Nutritional Value:
Olive oil is a concentrated source of monounsaturated fats, vitamin E and vitamin K. Extra-virgin olive oil also contains polyphenolic phytonutrients that have antioxidant activity.

The mono-saturated fats present in olives/olive oil, when combined with the antioxidant protection offered by vitamin E, lower the risk of damage and inflammation.

The vitamin E present in olives/olive oil has been known to offer cellular protection against free radicals present in the body.

Olive/olive oil contains active phytonutrient compounds, including polyphenols and flavonoids, which have been found to have significant anti-inflammatory properties.

Studies in diabetic patients have shown that healthy meals that contained some olive oil had better effects on blood sugar even than healthy meals that were low in fat. When olive oil is used to enhance a low-saturated fat, high carbohydrate diabetic diet, the diet still has beneficial effects on blood sugar control. In addition to this, a good diabetic diet with some olive oil added helps to keep triglyceride levels low. Triglyceride levels tend to be high in diabetic patients, which is a problem since high levels also contribute to the development of heart disease.

Olives/olive oil prevents the oxidation of cholesterol in the body and thus, helps reduce the risk of having heart attack or stroke. Studies show that including some extra virgin olive oil (which is rich in clot-fighting phenols) in your meals may help prevent the formation of blood clots, an occurrence whose likelihood increases after eating, particularly in people with high cholesterol.

Since they help the body in neutralizing free radicals, the nutrients in olives/olive oil also lead to prevention of colon cancer.

Olives/olive oil are said to be effective in reducing the frequency and/or intensity of hot flashes in women, who are going through menopause.

Regular consumption of olive oil has been associated with decrease in systolic (maximum) as well as diastolic (minimum) blood pressure.

Those who consume olives/olive oil are at a lesser risk of developing diabetes at later stages in life.

Good quality olive/olive oil contains a natural chemical that acts like a painkiller.

Olive/olive oil has been known to be beneficial for people suffering from the following ailments:
- Asthma
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Arteriosclerosis
- Stomach Problems
- Constipation
- Diabetes

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Additional Information:
I always wonder what the word "virgin" oilve oil actually meant. Virgin means the oil was produced by the use of physical means and no chemical treatment. The term virgin oil referring to production is different from Virgin Oil on a retail label (see next section). Therefore, "Virgin Olive Oil" means that the oil has reasonably good flavour and odour and free fatty content not more than 2g per 100g.

"Extra Virgin Olive Oil" therefore means it is the highest grade of olive oil and that the oil has excellent flavour and odour and free fatty acid content of 0.8g per 100g.

Refined on the other hand means that the oil has been chemically treated to neutralize strong tastes (characterized as defects) and neutralize the acid content (free fatty acids). Refined oil is commonly regarded as lower quality than virgin oil; oils with the retail labels extra-virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil cannot contain any refined oil.

Extra virgin olive oil has a very strong taste, thus it may be easier to slowly get baby to use to the taste of olive oil by starting with olive oi, then slowly moving to virgin olive oil and finally extra virgin olive oil. J has already reached the stage whereby he can accept the strong taste of extra virgin olive oil.

Stir-frying methods that would best maintain broccoli's rich array of nutrients were investigated by Spanish researchers. When they stir-fried freshly harvested broccoli florets in various edible oils (extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, and safflower oil), they discovered that only broccoli lightly stir-fried in extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil retained the same glucosinolate and vitamin C levels as uncooked broccoli. J Food Sci. 2007 Jan;72(1):S064-8. Still some advocate not to fry food with olive oil:

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=movie&dbid=6

Olives, one of the oldest foods known, are thought to have originated in Crete between five and seven thousand years ago. Since ancient times, the olive tree has provided food, fuel, timber and medicine for many civilizations, and has been regarded as a symbol of peace and wisdom. The venerable oil of the olive has been consumed since as early as 3,000 B.C.

Olives were brought to America by the Spanish and Portuguese explorers during the 15th and 16th centuries. They were introduced into California by the Franciscan missionaries in the late 18th century. Olive oil has been and still is a staple in the diet of many Mediterranean countries. The recent discovery that the Mediterranean diet, which features this prized oil, may be linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and other health conditions has caused olive oil to become very popular in the United States in the past few decades. Today, much of the commercial cultivation of olive oil is still centered in the Mediterranean region in such countries as Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Turkey.

Olive oil is made from the crushing and then subsequent pressing of olives. The fact that olives are rich in oil is reflected in the botanical name of the olive tree-Olea europea- since the word "oleum" means oil in Latin. Extra virgin olive oil is derived from the first pressing of the olives and has the most delicate flavor and most antioxidant benefits.

Look for olive oils that are sold in dark tinted bottles since the packaging will help protect the oil from oxidation caused by exposure to light. In addition, make sure the oil is displayed in a cool area, away from any direct or indirect contact with heat, since olive oil can become rancid from exposure to light.

Another term that you may see on a bottle of olive oil is "cold pressed." This term means that minimal heating was used when mechanically processing the olives to make oil.

References:
http://blog.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/olive-oil-in-baby-food/

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-olive-1574.html

Updates 23 October 2016 (5M7D)

Add 1/4 tsp of olive oil to a saucer of baby food - here broccoli puree (The Danish authorities recommend one tsp per portion of serving. Since we are serving less than a portion, one saucer, we add 1/4 tsp instead)

23 October 2016 (5M7D): Baby C could not wait to eat. She was so eagerly looking forward to it, reaching out her hands for it.

She ate the whole saucer full, unlike yesterday, where she ate only 6-7 scoop. What a difference on this second time she tried broccoli. She seemed to like it a lot. Here is a video: