As the staple food of northerners, dumplings have been imbued with the soul of a culture.
As a northerner, if I don’t know how to make dumplings, I’m afraid that others will laugh at me. Of course, many boys in the north can roll out dumpling wrappers and make dumplings. Moreover, the level will never be inferior to that of girls.
First of all, let’s talk about the dumpling wrappers!
Northerners are still not used to eating dumpling skins made by machines, because they have no toughness, no comfort, and the taste is not good. And, what about the manually rolled dumpling wrappers?
First, it is easy to cook with water.
Second, the taste is very good, with moderate hardness and softness, and is relatively palatable.
Thirdly, the skin and stuffing can be well blended together to form a flavorful whole.
The making of dumpling skin——
First of all, we must start with kneading the dough. The noodles that come out must be moderately soft and hard.
If it is too hard, it will be difficult to roll out the dumpling wrapper, it will not roll out, and it will easily get cracked, and the wrapped dumplings will not look very beautiful.
If the dumpling wrappers are too soft, it will be easier to roll them out, but the dumplings will break easily and the fillings will leak out easily.
So, there is a lot of knowledge involved in making noodles, and it requires experienced people to be able to master it, like my grandmother.
Of course, I don’t know how to make noodles. My mother usually makes them at home, and I can only roll out dumpling wrappers.
How to roll dumpling wrappers——
Many people still don’t know how to roll dumpling wrappers. Because many people don't know how to use a rolling pin and can't let the dumpling skin rotate easily between their hands and the rolling pin. Some people can roll out three or four dumpling skins at the same time. Such people are more awesome. At best, there are only two of us, so of course they will stick together.
Even if someone can roll it out, the shape of the rolled out dumpling skin will be strange. It's neither beautiful nor easy to pack.
According to the most traditional beauty requirements, the dumpling skin should be very round, which will make people's hands more skillful. There must be a bulge in the middle. If there is no bulge, the wrapped dumplings will break easily. This protrusion means that the middle part is a little thicker than the surrounding part, because when making dumplings, almost all the pressure is concentrated on the center of the circle. Of course, I can proudly say here that the dumpling wrappers I rolled out are very round. Of course, I cannot accurately calculate them. Pi, radius, etc., that's a bit too exaggerated. It's very round, not absolutely round.
Stuffing——
There are a lot of Chinese cabbage in the north, so we all like to eat cabbage and meat dumplings. Of course it is different from the so-called cabbage and meat dumplings in the south.
First of all, the dumplings in the north are larger than the dumplings in the south. There are more fillings inside, making it absolutely satisfying to take a bite. (Here, I would like to add a little ditty: When I first came to Nanjing, I went to a restaurant to eat. When the waiter put the dishes on the table, I was almost stunned! Oh my God, can this be full? Such a small person There are so few dishes on the plate, and the rice bowl is so small. No wonder southerners are so small, it’s like that! But it’s okay, I’ve been here for four years, I’m used to everything.)
In the south, more people still eat celery stuffing. Because some people say that they don't like eating cabbage and say that dumplings wrapped in cabbage are not delicious. I'm really surprised, but what can I do? After all, everyone has different tastes! However, no matter what kind of dumplings you are making, you must not squeeze out the water in the dish. Although there is water in the filling, it is not very good for making dumplings, but if there is this little water, , when you eat dumplings, you will feel more delicious. And there is no loss of nutrients!
In my family, we usually eat these kinds of stuffings:
Chives + shrimps + eggs
Chinese cabbage + pork + green onions
Watermelon + pork + green onions
Fish (usually mackerel) + coriander
Have you ever eaten it? If you haven’t eaten before, I can treat you to it!
There will be some pictures below, which are most of the process of making dumplings that I took. In addition to mixing noodles and stuffing.
After mixing the dough first, then knead it into a ring of moderate thickness with your hands. After breaking it off at any point, you can use a knife to cut it into small pieces, not too big, and The mahjong pieces are about the same size (sorry, this metaphor is not appropriate!)
Crush it flat with your hands, so it is more suitable for rolling.
The pace of modern urban life has accelerated, and many people no longer have the leisure or time to make some delicious food by themselves. Therefore, everyone had no choice but to treat their mouths and stomachs badly and chose more convenient fast food.
However, I still hope that if we have time, everyone can make it together. This will not only increase the relationship between family members, but also eat delicious food!