CURRY AND SPICE: VEGETARIAN DUMPLING

You have no idea or you may feel how happy I was to be able to do them finally from scratch, without any help. Each time I tried my hands on Tibetan momo or any dumpling, I was left unsatisfied. The edges seemed a bit hard of mine. Last April, one Sumita di here who herself is good cook told me that her Chinese origin neighbours also prepare dumplings throwing them into boiling water. The radar of my antennae caught it immediately, stored it in memory bank. I felt this would be easier for me than steaming because I do not have a proper steamer, I am too unwilling to buy one; not an electrical one, neither those perfect bamboo steamers. We hardly eat steamed fish, etc. why should I? Anyway, I am giving away all my useless buys to Cristine's home in Philippines- stir frying tawa, few cups, bowls, plates, the sailor man's t-shirts for her sister's kids, the sailor man's father's used shirts and t-shirts. Of course some new items would go. She did not order a courier box before X-Mas, says next month she would. She would bear the cost of courier, hence I am not pushing.

I only requested her to come back after her vacation next December and renew her contract for two more years, else I would die of depression in an empty home, the husband has to fill six stomachs, he cannot sit at home with me. Neither, you would see me partying around, that is against my nature. I cannot get along with people, neither like crowd.... a visit to pubs every weekend with the hubby is not possible.... I can like that atmosphere only at intervals, not regularly. I know some people like me, I will live the way as they do; with totally disturbed sleep pattern; one cannot have the best of both the worlds. What I wish to learn from such people is their quality of not complaining; to acquire the strength to say that "this is my life and I have to live it." I am still not in a mind to go Bengali today, let me go ahead with this more or less successful venture of yesterday, a healthy vegetarian snack!

May we call this VEGETARIAN DUMPLING? I mean if you do not mind having refined flour once in a while, you can consider it healthy. The filling is simple shredded cabbage, chopped carrot, onion, minced garlic, ginger sautéed in little of salt, black pepper, light soya sauce.

It took me few months to prepare what Sumitadi told me one way of cooking dumplings, throwing them into boiling water. The satisfaction is being able to do it from scratch without any help because it was Cristine's off day yesterday. My men hardly would peep into the kitchen but they did not mind me serving them lunch at 3pm yesterday. Do not look at the duo's photograph, I dislike it; a couple friend gifted it choosing a photograph I do not want myself to be seen as; with or without the knowledge of it.

This home cannot think of having a vegetarian lunch on a Sunday, I had grilled some store bought frozen Chicken Katsu too. The son's plate was ready to be served, the man's wasn't. He would not even get up and enquire, he was busy with wine with olives, had his share of VEGETARIAN DUMPLING with olives, chilli vinegar with garlic, chilli tamarind chutney. I refrigerated the leftover dough, asked Cristine to bring it to normal temperature this morning, knead with a bit of oil. I prepared four porotas to pack the husband's lunch box along with echorer dalna. His snack box had apple and sweets. Our boy is at home and look what he is doing; had gone after his mamujaan in this particular matter. He would not study in a routined manner, you cannot force anything on him just like his father.

The left over vegetarian filling would be going into a vegetarian noodle dish which the son would have with chicken, Cristine with egg. I would go to a food court at the back of our home to again have a banana prata may be after a good swim, my BMI always shows me as overweight.

What am I doing? I am writing a good recipe for you all whilst having a half boiled egg, butter toast, ginger tea. The egg is causing me a heavy feeling.

The sun had shown in after few days, the thing is as long as the son is in the living room he would not let any amount of sun ray get in and sneeze all day and night.

Let us proceed with the recipe!

INGREDIENTS :

REFINED FLOUR : 1 & 1/2COFFEE MUG + little to dust
SHREDDED CABBAGE : 11/2COFFEE MUG
SHREDDED CARROT : 1SMALL TEA CUP
CHOPPED ONION : 1SMALL TEA CUP
MINCED GARLIC : 11/2TBSP
MINCED GINGER : 2TSP
LIGHT SOYA SAUCE : 3-4TBSP
CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
WATER : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 1TBSP

PROCEDURE :

Take 1 & 1/2 coffee mug of refined flour, some salt in a bowl, mix well.

They ask never to add oil to dough meant for dumpling. I added water little at a time to get a firm but smooth dough. This would take some 8-10 minutes. We would cover and rest it for half an hour.

Meanwhile, I shredded the cabbage and carrot, chopped the onion, minced the garlic & ginger; washed them all. Oh! Cristine minced the ginger and garlic before leaving home.

We would heat 1tbsp oil in a pan, stir fry the minced garlic and ginger for 1/2 a minute.

Thereafter, we would stir fry the onion until translucent.

Add cabbage and carrot, fold in well. Add salt as required, crushed black pepper, light soya sauce. Fold in well.

Cooking this would take some 7-8 minutes. Transfer the filling to a bowl.

Now, we would remove cover, knead dough again for 2-3 minutes, tear off portions, smoothen between palms.

We would also half fill a heavy bottomed vessel with water, put it for boil. Cover it, we would proceed with the making of dumplings.

They ask not to dust, neither to use oil. I was really unable to roll without dusting, I used refined flour for dusting, it did not come in the way of keeping them soft for a longer period.

Then we would use a cap to cut the sheets.