I was humbled this week. Which is something I don't like if I'm being honest with you all. I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to all things culinary, and wear that badge with pride. I like things to look and taste the right way (or what I deem the right way), and usually this is not an issue.
This week, however, among the whole "New Year New Me" rhetoric this time of year usually brings. I thought, screw it, let's make my favorite food in the entire world. Yes, everyone, I decided I should make dumplings. Now, as an avid dumplinger (real thing), I thought this process would be a walk in the park. After all, I know what a true dumpling should taste like, the shape it should take, and the sauce to accompany it perfectly.
This is where the distinction between knowing something in theory and knowing it from practice take a slightly detached relationship from one another. Due to my dumpling pursuits I truly believed that I would conquer this culinary hill with ease, like come on how hard could it be to make a nice looking dumpling? Well you know what, it's very hard. Much harder than you'd think, so with great reluctance, I admit that I was humbled.
The process started with a total inability to even find dumpling wrappers. Which, definitely seemed like an essential part of my endeavors. I am not sure if I have to become accustomed to the black market in my future conquests, but if you know where I can reliably find dumpling wrappers, let a girl know. However, I did read that you could use wonton wrappers in lieu of dumpling ones so you know all hope was not lost. Until I couldn't find those either. Three grocery stores, many frustrated moments, and a trip to Whole Foods by my lovely mother later and I had in my hand Egg Roll wrappers. Which were less than ideal but what we had, so we persist.
Next was the filling, I loosely followed a recipe for chicken dumplings from the Half Baked Harvest blog. But like most other things I do, I chaotically added a bunch of other stuff because I like to be practically punched in the mouth by flavors. If that's not your style, that's cool. But I have a religious love for chili garlic sauce and add far too much of it in any Asian food dish I make. Anyways, definitely go heavy on the ginger and soy sauce to pack a lot of umami flavor into your dumpling (which is a fancy way of saying savoriness). This part of the process actually was easy and went according to my nonexistent plan.
The shaping is where I seemed to lose my footing a tad. Let me tell you, videos and tutorials make it look so easy, like your hands will somehow naturally know what to do to get those cute little folds. Wrong. My hands had no idea what to do, and I absolutely made more of an empanada fold than a dumpling fold (amateur). I aim to perfect my technique with rigorous hand exercises and a grueling 10-week plan. But, as this is the year of accepting and loving our imperfections, I decided that my weirdly misshapen dumplings were still cute, and I liked them.
Did I expect to make absolutely beautiful dumplings the first time despite my lack of actually ever making a dumpling before? Yes I did. Do I see that that expectation was a little unfair to myself and to the dumplings I made that actually tasted pretty dang good? Also yes. Let's be okay with ugly food that still tastes good!
I will try again, and again, and again, until the dumplings of my dreams are actualized. Until then, I urge you to make something you've always wanted to this week. Being okay with the fact it may not turn out the way you pictured, that's the process! Do it because it's fun and because it will probably bring a lot of laughter into your house.
Pictured below is the my dumpling baseline, we can only go up from here folks!
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