Week 1 of partial lockdown in Singapore. WFH and HBL – these are some of the things that you see being mentioned very frequently everywhere, on social media, on the papers, in groupchats etc. We decided to bring the boy’s desk into our study room as well, so that we could all be together to carry out our WFH and HBL and it makes eyeballing him a lot easier too. However, we are now expected to work AND teach the boy what he is supposed to be learning in school. And our work load has not been reduced, mind you. It stays as busy with a constant stream of work coming in. What’s worse is that some from among the colleagues are treating work as if nothing else is happening in the world and life goes on as it is. Many of us are all trying our best to manage whatever comes, taking it one step at a time. However, at the end of this whole viral episode, many of us are just going to burn out and break down and call it a day.
And I only have one kid. I can’t even imagine those with two or more in the house. Trying to stay sane at home without going out is challenging enough. Trying to stay at home and keep sane with kids who have boundless energy is another thing all together. It’s no longer possible to dedicate the same amount of commitment to work anymore. Everyone needs to acknowledge that, as well as the fact that health and safety of our family and loved ones are our only priority now. Not work. Not meetings. Not conference calls.
It was a great respite to be able to have a short week this week, all thanks to the Good Friday public holiday. After a really hard week struggling with the WFH + HBL combo, I decided to call it a week and take some time out for myself. We still have so many more weeks to go (who knows whether this lockdown is going to be extended eventually?) so it’s important that we keep our emtional and mental needs in check. I say – keep the weekdays short during this critical period so that we could all have more time to rest and turn around for the next work week.
This is a German recipe of semolina dumpling which makes for a really simple and nice lunch. It is a very common dish found not just in Austria, but also in many parts of Germany. I’ve tried making these before, but I tend to fail at the stage where the dumplings are boiled, either because the dough couldn’t stick together, or the boiling water was too aggressive. This time round, I made a mental check on all aspects and watched loads of recipes and videos before I decided to give this recipe another go. It worked well, and the taste was great. Hope all of you would like it too!
Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter: 100g, softened at room temperature
- Egg: 2
- Semolina: 160g
- Salt: a pinch
- Water: 1 liter
- Chicken stock cube: 2
- Chive: 1 stalk, finely chopped
Method:
- Beat butter with whisk at medium speed till pale and light.
- Add in eggs and continue whisking for 1min.
- Add in semolina and salt. Whisk till well-combined. Chill in fridge for 3omin to set.
- In the meantime, cook broth by boiling water with chicken stock cube.
- Use two tablespoons to spoon and shape the dumplings into the broth. Dip them into hot water prior to each scoop.
- Bring the stock to a simmer. Cook the dumplings on low heat for 15min till pale and floating.
- Scoop dumplings into serving bowls. Spoon stock over dumplings.
- Garnish with chives to serve.
Tricks:
- The semolina dumplings will soak in the flavours of the stock so you do not have to worry about it being tasteless at all.
- Make sure the heat is at a low simmering level as boiling water will cause the dumplings to break down very easily!
Serving:
4 – 6 persons as appetiser
