Chapter 167: Little Sapling
Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Little Sapling
In the end, Nan Zhi had to personally rescue Fu Chao and Qing Xi’s dough. It was barely usable for making wrappers.
There was only one rolling pin in the house.
Of course, even if there were more, they would have been useless.
No one here was skilled enough to use a rolling pin properly.
So, Nan Zhi taught them the simplest method—using a cup to press the dough.
Although it wouldn’t achieve the ideal texture of thick in the middle and thin at the edges, it was the most foolproof and easiest method for complete beginners at pastry making like everyone except Nan Zhi.
Everyone clumsily gave it a try.
Without a doubt, the most serious one was Nan Yi.
He carefully held a glass cup, aimed the clean, dry bottom at the soft ball of dough, and pressed down.
"Ah."
Without even looking, Nan Yi knew he had failed.
He had used too much force, and the wrapper had torn, making it useless for a dumpling.
Nan Zhi had been quickly rolling out wrappers while also keeping an eye on the activity at the coffee table.
When she saw this happen, she paused, wondering if she should go over and help.
But Nan Yi didn’t ask her for help.
So Nan Zhi stayed put and patiently watched Nan Yi’s reaction.
First, Nan Yi examined where the wrapper had torn. Then, he pondered for over a minute.
He only tried again after what seemed like a mental rehearsal, once he felt confident.
The dumpling wrapper he pressed out this time wasn’t perfect, but at least it didn’t tear.
Nan Yi’s confidence soared.
By his third try, he was getting the hang of it and pressed out a perfect dumpling wrapper.
However, Nan Yi didn’t seem satisfied with this.
He felt the slightly thick edge of the wrapper, vexed for a long time.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit him. He turned the glass over and carefully used its side to press the edge, making it thinner.
At the same time, he was careful to keep the wrapper round and intact. Although he was a bit slow, the result was good.
Moreover, as he grew more familiar with the process, even his speed—the only drawback—improved.
Ignoring the boisterous uncle-and-nephew duo of Fu Chao and Qing Xi behind him, Nan Yi held the dumpling wrapper up high, his dark eyes sparkling with joy.
"Mommy, look!"
"Yes, I see! Yiyi did a great job!"
Nan Zhi hadn’t looked away for the entire process.
So she had witnessed Nan Yi’s entire progression: encountering a problem, analyzing the cause, and solving it.
What made her happy, of course, wasn’t just Nan Yi’s considerable talent for cooking.
What truly filled her with relief and joy was Nan Yi’s gradual growth.
’It’s like I’m nurturing a small seedling.’
’Even if it was once battered and damaged by harsh winds and frost...’
’As long as I nurture it carefully and guide it patiently, I can watch this little seedling grow bit by bit...’
’Until it becomes a towering tree, capable of sheltering those around it from the wind and rain!’
The sense of accomplishment that filled Nan Zhi’s heart was unparalleled!
She couldn’t help but murmur again:
"Our Yiyi is just amazing!"
Even though Nan Yi was the one who had shown off first, when his mom actually praised him, he became shyer and more bashful than anyone.
He then threw all his energy into pressing wrappers at a faster pace.
「A little while later.」
"That should be enough."
Nan Zhi announced, bringing over three large bowls of dumpling filling.
It was finally time for the highly anticipated dumpling-wrapping session!
"Do you know how to wrap them?"
Nan Zhi’s gaze swept across the room.
Some nodded, while others shook their heads.
So she demonstrated the technique:
"It’s very simple. Just put the filling on—don’t be greedy and add too much—then fold it over and pinch the edges tightly."
This was the most common way to fold a dumpling.
On a whim, Nan Zhi demonstrated several other methods—
Ingot dumplings, crescent dumplings, willow-leaf dumplings, triangle dumplings...
She even wrapped a fresh shrimp inside a wrapper, leaving a small piece of the tail exposed, and then gently pinched the head into a round shape, creating a goldfish-shaped dumpling!
Watching her hands, you couldn’t see any particularly special movements, yet the dough in her palms seemed to be enchanted, being flattened and rounded entirely at her will!
The kids shrieked with excitement!
They crowded around Nan Zhi, growing especially excited when they saw the lifelike little goldfish resting on the plate.
"Do it again! Do it again!"
Egged on by their cheers, Nan Zhi made a small plateful, but their enthusiasm showed no signs of waning.
Nan Zhi had no choice but to call a halt.
"How about we try making some other dumplings?"
The kids weren’t the type to throw tantrums. Although disappointed, they still obediently agreed.
Then, they too became very excited to try making goldfish dumplings.
It wasn’t just the kids; the three adults—Fu Chao, Xie Yu, and Qi Pei’er—were the same.
Unsurprisingly, everyone failed.
Refusing to accept defeat, they tried again and again.
Even Xie Yu, who came the closest to success, made a goldfish dumpling that was a world apart from Nan Zhi’s.
One was charmingly cute and as vivid as a real living creature;
The other was stiff and clumsy, looking plain silly.
The gap wasn’t just with the goldfish dumplings; it was the same even with the regular ones.
The ones made by Nan Zhi’s hands were beautiful and plump, standing lightly on the cutting board like works of art.
As for the ones they made... well, at least you could tell they were dumplings.
When all the dumplings were finally wrapped and placed on the table, the stark contrast was immediately obvious.
Qi Pei’er waved her hand reassuringly.
"It’s fine, it’s fine! They’ll look better once they’re cooked!"
As it turned out, they didn’t.
With the same filling, the dumplings wrapped by different people had a completely different feel.
The dumplings made by the others benefited from the delicious filling. Despite being lopsided and oddly shaped, they were still tasty.
As for Nan Zhi’s dumplings, they were a true sensory delight—
The wrapper, with its perfect thickness, firmly sealed the juices inside. With a light bite, scalding hot soup would gush out, making you hiss and draw in sharp breaths from the heat, yet you couldn’t bear to let go.
The pork was incredibly tender, paired with either cabbage or shepherd’s purse. The former was crisp and sweet, the latter as fresh as spring itself. Eaten plain, they were already the height of deliciousness.
Dipping them in some aromatic vinegar with shredded ginger was a stroke of genius.
The fragrance of the vinegar washed through the mouth, whetting the appetite. When combined with the light flavor of the filling, the experience was nothing short of astounding.
If you could handle spice, you could also mix a little of Nan Zhi’s homemade chili oil into the vinegar.
The chili oil was simmered with over a dozen spices, giving it a rich and deep flavor. When combined with the light, lively aromatic vinegar, it created yet another unique taste experience.
In addition, Nan Zhi also made pan-fried shrimp dumplings.
The worst mistake when pan-frying dumplings is to have one side golden and the other pale; every corner must be fried to a golden brown for it to be considered good.
Some people, when making pan-fried dumplings, take a shortcut and just deep-fry them.
When it was Nan Zhi’s turn, however, she pan-fried them properly.
She didn’t use much oil, relying entirely on her feel for the heat to judge when they were just right.
If undercooked, the filling would be raw. If overcooked, the filling would dry out and the skin would be too hard.
Only by hitting that perfect tipping point, using a low heat to slowly cook the filling all the way through, could it work.
Only pan-fried dumplings made this way could be truly crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and bursting with juicy meat.