Hello Kitty Red Bean Dumplings (凱蒂貓紅豆湯丸) for Chinese New Year

Do you enjoy Asian Style dessert dumplings (湯丸)?  Eating dessert dumplings is one of the “must-have” Chinese New Year tradition as the pronunciation of dumplings in Chinese represent the whole of the family, or the united of the family (團圓).  Many traditional Chinese New Year dishes represent good luck or some types of well wishes.  That’s because we all wanted to kick off the new year with a great start, don’t we?   



As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I want to pass on as many of the Chinese cultures and traditions to my kids as possible.  One of my favorite ways to pass on the traditions is through food.  To get them more interested, I often get them into the kitchen to cook with me.  As I was testing recipes last week, My Baby Girl joined me in the kitchen to create these adorable Hello Kitty Dumplings together.  If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen my “recipe testing video”.   You might have noticed that the Kitties on the Instagram video had much bigger noses, and they looked more like piggies!  So, I made some adjustments for this week’s video tutorial to reclaim Kitty’s beauty!   



These dumplings turned out so adorable and delicious.  It was so much fun to make them together with my Kids.  If you haven’t done so, check out the video tutorial above for the step-by-step instructions.  In respond to many of my Dear Readers’ requests, I did a voice over on this video instructions instead of the usual captions-only format.  But by all mean, click on the “cc” button on lower right corner of the YouTube video for Close Captioning if you prefer.   



In my video tutorial, I included a few tips to make these cute dumplings.  So, be sure to turn up the volume and follow along! 



Last year, I shared with you the Black Sesame Dumplings with Ginger Syrup post.  (Please click here to get the recipe).  For these Hello Kitty Dumplings, I filled some with my homemade Red Bean Paste and left the remaining dumplings as plain.  I’ll post the homemade Red Bean Paste recipe below for your reference.  Or, you can also use canned/ready-made red bean paste from the Asian Supermarkets. 



I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and tutorial, stay tuned for more fun Chinese New Year Recipe next week!

Tools and Ingredients used:
Glutinous Rice Flour (Click here for more information)
Food Decorating Tongs/Tweezers (Click here for more information)
Organic Dried Red Beans (Click here for more information)
Ready Made Red Bean Filling (Click here for more information)
Wilton Edible Candy Marker (Click here for more information)

 

Hello Kitty Rice with Tomato and Egg Stir Fry 吉蒂貓飯配蕃茄炒蛋

Can’t believe we’re stepping into the month of July already!  Despite the soaring hot temperature in Southern California, July also means celebrating birthdays in our family.  There are a couple of birthdays happening this month and one of them is my Baby Girl’s.  



The Birthday Girl gets to pick her favorite birthday cake and this one is her choice for this year.  It’s perfect for birthday celebration during the summer because it’s a gorgeous "no-bake" cake.  Like Mother like Daughter, you have very good taste, Baby!  For this special occasion, Mommy is also making Baby Girl’s favorite dish, Tomato and Egg Stir Fry (蕃茄炒蛋).  It’s a very refreshing and appetizing dish to enjoy especially in the summer months.  This dish is slightly sweet, a little bit tart, and perfectly savory at the same time.  Like most Asian recipes, this dish has a well balanced flavors.  It’s a very popular everyday homemade dish from Hong Kong.  As you can see, I didn’t just stop there, I paired it with the super adorable Hello Kitty Rice, another favorite of my Little Girl.  Although Mommy herself is not really a Hello Kitty fan, she did enjoy making this dish as she knows how much the Birthday Girl loves it.  I am secretly wishing the boys in the house are as easy to please as Baby Girl does! Shhh….   



If you haven’t done so, remember to check out the YouTube video tutorial with step-by-step instruction on how to prepare this dish (the link is at the top of this post).  It’s easier to make than it looks, especially the shaped rice.  Best of all, you don’t need any mold or special equipment to make it, except for a pair of kitchen scissors and a few minutes of your time, and your love of course.  If you have a Hello Kitty fan in your house like I do, you’ve got to check this out! Everything is edible in this dish, all natural and really healthy as well.  You can also make this dish with your kids together.  My Baby Girl always enjoy creating fun dishes with me in the kitchen and this is definitely one of her favorite ones to make.    



I hope you enjoy today’s recipe and tutorial.  Stay tuned for more fun and easy recipe next week.  Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel here.  That way, you won’t miss out on any video and you’ll be the first to know when I have a new tutorial published.

Tools and Ingredients used:
Nori (seaweed): (Click here for more information)
Whole Kernel Corn: (Click here for more information)
Corn starch: (Click here for more information)
Serrated Knife for cutting tomato: (Click here for more information)
Vegetable oil: (Click here for more information)
Zojirushi Rice Cooker: (Click here for more information)
Japanese Short Grain Rice: (Click here for more information)
Food Decorating Tongs/Tweezers: (Click here for more information)
Hello Kitty Cupcake Plush: (Click here for more information)
Hello Kitty Flatware Set: (Click here for more information)