Shumai

Have you ever had that one dish that always seems to find its way to your table? For me, that dish is shumai. Even though it wasn’t always at the top of my list, it always had a special spot in my heart (and stomach!) during Sunday dim sum outings.

We’ve already shared a shumai recipe on the site; it’s a vegan version that uses shiitake mushrooms and sticky rice. You can make authentic restaurant-quality siu mai dim sum at home with this tried-and-true recipe. The filling consists of ground pork and shrimp and is flavored with ginger and scallion.

This weekend, why not try your hand at making some shumai? They’re fantastic—dare we say, on par with what the dim sum ladies are selling (and, of course, light years ahead of anything you’d find in the freezer section of an Asian supermarket).

I dare you to try them and enjoy the weekend!

Ingredients:

For the Pork & Marinade:

• 10 oz. of ground pork(280g)
• 1 1/4 tsp. of sugar
• 1/4 tsp. of white pepper
• 1 tsp. of cornstarch
• 1 tbsp. of shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp. of light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. of water
• 1 tsp. of sesame oil

For the Shrimp:

• 8 oz. of shrimp(225g, peeled, deveined, roughly chopped)
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of oil

To Finish the Shumai:

• 3 pcs. of shiitake mushrooms (soaked and finely chopped)
• 2 slices of ginger (grated; may substitute 1 teaspoon pressed ginger juice)
• 2 scallions (very finely chopped)
• 2 tsp. of oyster sauce
• 20 pcs. of egg dumpling wrappers (circular shaped)
• frozen peas (optional)

Instructions:

1. Gather all the marinade ingredients and combine them with the pork to begin making the filling. To make a fine paste, stir the ground pork in one direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) for 5 minutes. Chop the shrimp and combine it with salt and oil in a separate bowl.
2. While prepping the rest of the ingredients, mix everything for one minute in one direction and then set both mixtures aside in the refrigerator.
3. In a food processor, combine the shiitake mushrooms, ginger, and scallions and pulse until finely chopped. Combine these with the pork and shrimp mixture in a big bowl. Toss in the oyster sauce and mix everything in one direction for 5 minutes. Of course, you can also use a food processor, but mixing by hand results in a more uniform texture. Assemble the filling; it’s done.
4. Use a small amount of oil to coat the bottom of your steamer, or line it with damp cheesecloth. Now you can start putting together the shumai. Put about 1 1/2 teaspoons filling in the middle of a wonton skin. To make wonton dumplings, follow the pictures and bring up the sides of the skin around the filling. The shumai can be formed with a gentle squeeze. Top with green peas, if using, and put everything in the steamer. Refrain from crowding the shumai; leave about an inch between each one.
5. Cook the shumai in a pot of boiling water for 12 minutes. Enjoy them while they’re hot!