Pork dumplings, or siu mai, are an ubiquitous dish found in Cantonese dim sum restaurants. Preparing dim sum is an art, but there are some dishes that can easily be made at home. My go-to, easy-to-make dumplings are pork and shrimp siu mai. If you can make a meatball, you can make these siu mai! Tip: pat the shrimp dry to remove as much moisture as possible. That way your shrimp will have a nice crisp texture to them, not mushy.
Get yourself a bamboo steamer, if you don't have one already. It can go straight from steaming to the tabletop and makes for a nice presentation. Enjoy!
Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai Dumplings
Adapted from a recipe in Food of China by Kay Halsey
Makes 30 dumplings
Tip: double the recipe and freeze them for future use!
For the filling:
4 large shrimp
1/2 cup canned water chestnuts, finely minced
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ginger, finely minced
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cornstarch
For wrapping:
30 round egg dumpling wrappers
Fish eggs (caviar size) or salmon roe for garnish, optional
Peel and devein the shrimp, then pat them dry with clean paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible. Then, roughly chopthe shrimp.
Blanch the water chestnuts for 1 minute, drop into cold water, then roughly chop.
To assemble:
Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Form a circle with your thumb and forefinger and shape the dumpling within your fingers, so that it forms a cup with an open top. Pat the top and bottom of the dumpling to create a flat surface on the bottom and top of the dumpling.
To cook:
Place a circle of oiled parchment paper with holes poked throughout into a steamer, preferably bamboo. Add dumplings to steamer, taking care to not overcrowd, cover, and place steamer over a pot of simmering water. Steam dumplings for 15 minutes.
Just before serving, top with fish roe and serve with soy sauce and chili sauce for dipping.
