I had my sticky rice dumplings made and cooked at the end of yesterday. I can’t say I am ecstatic with success. Quite the contrary. I am rather disappointed with the result after many hours/days of labour. I thought this was my first attempt at it but memory brings up I had made them before with my mother some thirties years ago. It was also in July. It was warm and we were working in my newly renovated kitchen and house. It was a lovely time spending the afternoon with my mother.
Then I had her guidance. Now I’m relying on YouTube. The outcome is not the same. I consulted several videos and recipes. I soaked my rice and peanuts too long. The rice came out too soft and not quite sticky. Not all rice are equal. This one came from the Asian market. It’s too long and thin. The one from SuperStore is short and fat. I like it much better.
I could not gage how much of each ingredient to put in. I undersized. Then there’s the folding of the bamboo leaves. I couldn’t get the hang of it till I was almost finished but they’re wrapped and tied with no leakage. Are they delicious? I can’t tell yet. I tried one for lunch. It was too small to pass judgement on. It could stand to have more of everything in it. Would I try it again? Of course. The process is a labour of love, a creation of art besides making food. It is not fast. It is slow. I couldn’t hurry. It gives me time to meditate. It is a learning curve. I will do better next time.
onethousandandtwo 
I am always disappointed when I put in the time and effort to make something and it doesn’t come out the way I wanted. Sometimes it takes me a while to try again, so I admire your commitment to keep trying.
I am sorry your time and effort didn’t yield the resulted you wanted. I do applaud you for trying and not giving up!
The Chinese have something similar to your sticky rice – ch’ng – and it’s delicious while being labour intensive. Not for the faint-hearted hence I salute you for trying and even planning a second attempt. All good things come in time and with effort, so go for it.
I once tried to make perogies. My mother had made them often as a kid. But she never gave me the recipe because it was “oh, you just throw in some flour and some of this and some of that.”
They did not turn out well. I just decided it was easier and cheaper to buy the frozen ones in the store.
It sounds like a real art form that will get better with practice.
What a sweet memory you have of you and your mom cooking together in your kitchen. I’m sure you learned so much from her.
It sounds like a real art form that will get better with practice.
What a sweet memory you have of you and your mom cooking together in your kitchen. I’m sure you learned so much from her.
This is such a beautiful and transparent post! Even though you are disappointed with this batch, it is so true that the entire process is a true labor of love and a creation of art. You should definitely keep working with your recipe and adjusting those ratios until you get it exactly right! I love how this project brought back that sweet memory of cooking with your mother in July thirty years ago. Your attitude about embracing the learning curve and enjoying the slow, meditative process is so inspiring. You will definitely do better next time!
Thank you, Carolyn.