market research.

if you know me well, you know that i've been dreaming of starting my own dumpling business. one very important task is to see what the competitors are doing. so, finally, i got around to visiting mimi cheng's in the east village.

the store front is clean, but i missed it walking by on the first try. it's a cute, modern looking shop, and the menu is simple. though it's so much smaller than i had imagined; i would say, between the shared picnic table and bar seating, it probably seats 20 max.

ordering counter

nat and i shared and ordered 8 pan-fried (most popular method) dumplings: 4 mimi's and 4 classics. and of course the crushed cucumbers with garlic.

dumpling feast!

the monthly special is a beef taco dumpling, with a small side salsa. i have to say, it was pretty good! when i bit into the dumpling, i was quite surprised, even though i knew that it was a beef taco, it still felt weird to be tasting a taco in a dumpling. i think the monthly special was a bigger success than their "classic" dumplings.

mexican dumpling with beef and black beans

i found the mimi cheng and the classic to taste the same, both too salty, with little flavor to differentiate the two. the secret sauce is vinegar-y, which was good, but again, way too salty for my taste. i'm not sure if they are trying to cater to the hipster/american crowd.

overall, it was a good experience...with o-k food from my perspective. i think i can definitely do better with the classic dumplings, though i have to give them props for the monthly special.

nat and i brainstormed on more side options and dumpling "flavors" i can come up with that will set me apart from the rest...when i do decide to start this business :)

dinner for one.

every monday, tuesday, and wednesday nights, i am home alone with the cats. i miss D, and m-w are especially hard given that it's the beginning of the week. however, this gives me flexibility to catch up with my friends, be lazy, and do whatever the heck i want. some people may say that it's the perfect balance between being married while having a single life. though we both agreed on his career choice of being away from home, we know that this will only be a short-term plan. 

that said, dinner for one is very common. sometimes i make an effort of cooking myself a real meal, sometimes it's whatever i can scramble up from the pantry. the perk of cooking over the weekend is that i actually have leftovers! most of the time i actually plate my food and try not to eat straight from the pot (D does that all the time with ramen, to "save" dishes). 

hearty, healthy dinner for one.

last night, i heated up some leftover oxtail soup, cooked up some dumplings, and sprinkled salted seaweed on top. it may not look like much, but i know my mother would be proud to know that i take care of myself.

day of cooking.

today was a day of cooking and cleaning. i feel like we are finally back on to our normal weekend routine. this morning, we started with my signature eggs with avocado on whole wheat toast, and a glass of green smoothie (apple, orange, lemon, ginger, celery, carrot, pineapple, blueberry, spinach, chia seeds, flax seeds, with coconut water and a packet of daily good green).

last night, we finally took a trip to hmart to fill up our empty, empty refrigerator. we loaded up the cart with some essentials and also picked up 3 house slippers! we were so excited at the check out line, to go home and finish round 2 of hot pot, until D realized that he didn't bring his wallet (i usually don't on the weekends when we run errands...). i patiently waited with the cart of groceries in the supermarket while D made the 45 minute round trip to pick up his wallet at home. that didn't damper our mood for a late night dinner at 10pm.

anyways, so with a fully stocked fridge, i started prepping for my dumplings.

dumplings have been in my life for as long as i can remember. i think with any chinese family, homemade dumplings are a staple; you can always find frozen dumplings, ready to be boiled as a meal or a snack. my fondest memories of dumplings were all at my late-grandparents' home in taiwan. whenever there was a family gathering, my mom, uncle-four, auntie-four and my grandfather would always make dumplings, sometimes with homemade wrappers, sometimes fresh, pre-made wrappers from the market. i would watch my grandfather pinch the edges of the dumpling and always admire how beautiful they looked. everyone had their own style of pinch, and every dumpling looked different.

i started making them myself when i moved to new york, and for the past 10 years, have tried and experimented different recipes, and finally, more recently, found on my signature pork & shrimp combination. i don't have a recipe written down, nor do i ever measure the ingredients; it's all by feel. every batch can be a little different, but i don't mind it. what i do have consistent is my style of pinching and folding. it's not anything extraordinary, but i do love it when the dumplings line up pretty in a row. with each batch, i usually make around 100~ dumpies, divide them up to separate ziplock bags, stored in the freezer, ready for a last-minute-lazy meals, or when D is craving them (which can be on a daily basis until the stock is depleted).

man, i don't even want to get into how i cooked dinner. tonight's dinner was oxtail soup, simmered on the stove for 4 hours. it was good. a great way to end a productive weekend. :)