Folding Wontons

Easter Sunday 31 March 2013, the day I decided to conquer my fear of folding wontons.

There is a story to this fear. As I recalled, the last time I folded one, was in my teen years in my Mum's kitchen and I had failed miserably with all contents falling out from a torn wrapper. I was devastated. For me, it was a validation that I am more like a Malay than a Chinese person! This does not helped me at all, with my not liking to eat pork already and Mum always teasing me that I am not Chinese.

Obviously, I am not Malay, I just prefer to eat spicy Malaysian dishes more, to the mild boring plain old Chinese meals. Given a choice of Laksa or Sweet and sour pork, I would grabbed the Laksa. And this is why I never learnt to cook proper Chinese meals and hence why I failed to fold a wonton! What Chinese child does not know how to fold a wonton?? It is a disgrace, at least in my eyes!!! Hahhahahahaha, needless to say I have never tried again till this day.

So why? Why put myself in this situation again? To face yet another failure? Was I up to this challenge? No, I was scared shitless...BUT I was BORED!!

So here goes nothing. I didn't really have much to lose.

[And so I laughed at you, "you stupid little tiny wrappers! I am not scared of you.. I shall succeed and if not, Meh!!! There's Tassie.... he'll like the mince meat for dinner.. (the furkid in the house)"]

Crazy much? Absolutely.. This is what happens, when I get stuck in the that same level in Candy Crush... Argh!!

For my wonton fillings, I used these below.

Ingredients

Chicken Mince
Chives
Chopped scallions
Salt and Pepper
I teaspoon Minced garlic
1 TBspoon Soy sauce
I packet wonton wrappers
Water for sealing the wrappers

Method: I followed a youtube video. I found this instruction to be the easiest to understand.

You can deep fry these for an afternoon snack, or served as an appetiser with hot chilli oil sauce or you can add these wontons to soups or noodles. So many great things to use it with. I am so glad that I attempted this again, many years later.

So there... in my mouth, yo!

Night Noodle Market Hyde Park, Sydney

It was a very warm Spring evening when hundreds or even thousands descended into Hyde Park for this pop up event, Night Noodle Market which is part of the CRAVE Sydney International Food Festival.

Meals are cooked to order and only the freshest ingredients are used by JackieM Malaysian Restaurant. I can see a lot of other stalls are prepping up for the rush, and the vendors are cooking their meals away whilst hungry and patient patrons line up and wait to order their meals for the evening. For some, the aroma reaches the nose before the foods can reach the mouth. It must be quite torturous, the waiting.

For me, it was worth the wait. After tasting every morsel of the char kway teow which was a generous portion by the way with its fine wok breath, one can almost feel like one have been transported back to the street stalls of Malaysia. I also visited Mamak stall, for my all time favourites; satay. I could happily lived on satays alone if I were to give up carbs...but not tonite ;) because that char kway teow is just stupendous!

And this is exactly what Noodle Night Market is all about. The park is transformed into a Street style hawker center,  just like ones, you see in Asia when you traveled. Here are the various stalls that are participating this year.

NNM_map-stalls.pdf

Every year, for the month of October, the beautiful City of Sydney brings you CRAVE International Food Festival and the Night Noodle Market has become one of the regular event. Because of its success in the past, this year, the event has been extended to thirteen nights.

I love this event and was sad to leave. I am already planning my next vacation, October next year and I will be staying longer to visit with this beautiful city of Sydney.

_______________________________________________________________________________
*** To note, something quite different for this year; is the Noodle Lounge. For $79.95 per person, this includes your drink on arrival plus full menu Рentr̩e, main, dessert and you get to lounge around and catch up with friends after work and eat fabulous hawker fare without the lines. How good is that? Drinks are provided by The Morrison Bar and there is a live jazz music to keep your feet tapping.*****

Where: Hyde Park North

When: October 3-5, 8-12, 15-19; 5-10pm

Forget Rin Tin Tin...this is Wonton Tan!

Hiya all, I have been missing in action in the food scene lately. Not sure what is going on here, I am just not interested in food at the moment....I know!!! It's blasphemy, isn't it???? It's like I have committed the foodie ultimate sin!

Today, I dragged my sorry ass to the mall to have a wonton mee at lunchtime. It perked me up a little. It's not too bad actually. At least, it was not drowning in soy sauce, so that is a bonus! You get to keep all your hair after this meal! The clear soup is very tasty. Noodle and drink cost $12.30 at Wonton Express.

Do you know what I would have like instead of wonton? I was craving char kway teow and ice kachang.... yup...ice freggin kachang...with the works.....red syrup and beans and all.....hummphhh...

Here it comes.... I am freggin depressed! I am depressed coz I feel all alone here and I don't have an Asian freggin grocer nearby and I missed all my Malaysian food and childhood friends and I know.... I am just going to grow old and alone here! Okay, maybe not totally alone, the boy will grow up and go to work and leave home...and then what? Me, go gallavanting around the world on my own on a foodie hunt....hey, that is not a bad idea! Aiyo, what kind of a self analysis is this? Enough said....here is a pix of my wonton mee..