The Capsicum Dumplings

Before the Spring Festival, my mother sent two large packages of goodies, all of which were specialties from my hometown, including yellow beef, sesame leaves, fresh green beans, sweet potato vermicelli, etc. There were also a few packages of capers tucked inside. The mother dug them from the wilderness far away from home, and said she had washed, boiled and de-watered them, all done, so we could bring them and eat them directly, or put them in the refrigerator.

In fact, I am relatively new to capers. I remember when I was a kid, nature was our paradise, almost every day with flowers, birds, insects and fish, with fruits and vegetables as companions, in the silvery or green fields without a head to play. This shepherd's purse, in the childhood memory is not much impression. I think it must be because it is too common, too ordinary, do not know often hidden in which corner, both not much to see, more not much to eat. Now I often hear that the dumplings made with capers are delicious, but I have never eaten them.

When it comes to dumplings, my mouth smells good, which is our favorite noodle food in the north ah. When I think of dumplings, I think of the Spring Festival. It's a happy image to recall: the first day of the New Year, the courtyard is full of red, snow-capped, a crisp firecracker rings in the morning, and a big bowl of dumplings comes out of the pot. A mouthful of fragrant dumplings, and then with a steaming soup, which is more delicious than this delicious! The dumplings in my hometown have always smelled good to me, and every year they have been filled with pork, radish, green onion and ginger, but nothing else. Now that I think about it, although the meat and radish are not very chopped, but the dumplings can be eaten out of the oil, is really fragrant! I grew up eating this way, caper dumplings? I really do not remember. And how delicious can the dumplings be?

Twenty-eight years ago, the Spring Festival, the TV series is broadcast "Nanyang Assembly", when I just went to college, the drama episode is the Nanyang folk song, about the capers, "capers, wrapped flat food, I gave that little Niel a bowl to eat, little Niel squeeze me squeeze eyes, I gave that little Niel dial a little ...... "My hometown, is Nanyang. In our hometown, dumplings are called "flat food", "little Nell" refers to the little girl.

This drama, this song, is what moved me, moved me back to that time. It was 1948, as you can imagine, in the late liberation war, as the great gateway to southwest Henan, Nanyang, people in the darkness of the deepest fire, is praying for a golden dawn. Hardship, bloodshed ...... what a torment that should be! In those days, it was such a blessing to be able to eat these dumplings made of capers! But that era was a blank for me, and certainly even longer for our next generation. So, it's understandable that I've never had much affection for capers.

This year's Chinese New Year will forever be remembered as a time of family isolation across the country. The kitchen was stocked with so much food that it was almost like a food market, but eventually it reached the point where there was very little left. I thought of the shepherd's purse in the fridge, so let's have shepherd's purse dumplings for lunch! My son frowned after hearing this, obviously with some hesitation, but still said, "Why don't we wrap a few first to try ......" with capers dumplings, but I immediately came to enthusiasm! The two packages of frozen capers were soaked in water, slowly melted, then washed repeatedly, then squeezed out the water, put on the board, slowly cut through, chopped, and then chopped together with onion and ginger, and finally mixed with the pork filling with egg and sesame oil, and mixed well ......

After a lot of work, the caper dumplings are ready! Bite open, solid meat filling with green, as if completely absorbed together, chew down, soft and hard, fragrant and delicious, delicious! Even my son said it was good. A large plate of dumplings down, the real, not a little hungry feeling into the evening. Seriously, this is the best dumpling I've had so far! The dumplings were in my mouth, fragrant in my mouth, and also in my heart ...... I remembered my elderly mother, my long-lost hometown, my childhood, and also the song "Capsicum, wrapping flat food"... ...

I finally tasted the taste of capers, and I really liked the dumplings made of capers. In fact, the memory of the New Year's dumplings with pork and radish flowing with oil is long gone. The reality of the sky is bright in the eyes, while the past is only in the dreams. I am more and more convinced that the delicious shepherd's purse, which grows in the fields, has never changed. I am also lucky that I can have capers to eat, my mother sends them to me.

At this moment, it is still cloudy outside the window, but the irritation of the past few days seems to have subsided instantly. I believe that the sun will come eventually!