As the New Year approaches, we are about to usher in the annual Spring Festival. At this important moment, dumplings, as the most representative traditional New Year's food, have an irreplaceable status. Every festive season, a plate of steaming dumplings is placed on the table, which is not only a taste enjoyment, but also a sustenance for the soul, full of our blessings and expectations for the new year.
As a native of the south, although I grew up eating dumplings, I have also encountered many setbacks and failed lessons in the process of cooking dumplings. These experiences have made me deeply realize that cooking dumplings is also a profound knowledge. The same dumplings, because of the different ways of cooking, the taste will be very different.
When faced with a plate of quick-frozen dumplings, many people may not hesitate to get out of the pot, and then struggle with whether to cook with the lid on immediately or without the lid on the potThis may seem like a simple question, but it's actually a lot of skill. If you've ever tried different cooking methods, you'll notice that the taste of dumplings with the lid on and with the lid open is very different.
In order to cook a delicious pot of dumplings, we must master two key elements: one is to ensure that the dumpling skin and filling are cooked thoroughly;The second is to prevent the dumpling skin from breaking, so as not to make the soup cloudy. How do you do both?After a long period of research and practice, I learned the knack of cooking dumplings from a northern neighbor grandmother. She told me, "Cook the skin first, then the filling." ”
This is because in the process of cooking dumplings, the wrappers first need to be cooked. Only when the dumpling wrapper is cooked can the heat be transferred to the dumpling filling inside, prompting the dumpling filling to cook faster. If you open the lid to cook the filling at the beginning, it may cause the dumpling filling to be half-cooked and affect the taste.
In addition to the trick of "boiling the skin first, then the filling", I also learned an important lesson from my grandmother: the 8-character mantra for cooking dumplings - cover the lid and cook the skin, open the lid and cook the filling. In the process of cooking dumplings, you need to cover the pot to cook the dumpling wrappers in the early stage, and then open the lid to cook the filling after the dumpling wrappers are cooked. This will ensure that both the wrapper and filling are cooked through, while avoiding cracking.
In addition, mastering the skill of "rolling three rolls" is also the key to cooking dumplings. In the process of covering the pot and cooking the skin, you need to stir the dumplings at the right time so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pot. After the dumpling wrapper is cooked, when you open the lid to cook the filling, you also need to stir it in time to evenly transfer the heat to the dumpling filling. This process requires patience and care to ensure that each dumpling is evenly heated and cooked.
In addition to these tips, there are some details to be aware of. For example, when buying dumplings, you should choose good quality brands and ingredients. The quality of quick-frozen dumplings is often uneven, and some low-quality products may affect the taste and cookedness. Therefore, when purchasing, you should carefully compare different products and try to choose brands with good reputation and reliable quality. In addition, in the process of cooking dumplings, it is also necessary to pay attention to the mastery of the heat. Too much heat may crack the wrappers or undercook the fillingToo little heat may cause the dumplings to cook too slowly or have a poor taste. Therefore, in the process of cooking dumplings, it is necessary to adjust the heat according to the actual situation.