Siu Mai

Siu mai dumpling held by chopstick

September 26, 2021

Happy National Dumpling Day! Although this is an artificial holiday created as a marketing campaign by a food company, I can’t help but celebrate one of my favorite types of foods. From pierogi to empanadas to gyoza to madombi, most cuisines have some form of a dumpling. They can be sweet or savory and can be steamed, boiled, baked, or fried. While most have some type of filling – meat, fish, vegetable, or fruit – some do not (think chicken & dumplings).

Dim sum – a celebration of dumplings

For me, there is no meal where dumplings are more celebrated than dim sum. Other dishes are served but dumplings are the star. Going for dim sum with Popo (my maternal grandmother) was special. As we walked to our table to be seated, Popo would start ordering from the different carts as she walked by. Within 30 seconds of sitting, our table was filled with steaming baskets of dumplings. It was magical!

Today I share with you one of my favorite and possibly one of the easiest dim sum dumplings to make, siu mai. Unlike other dumplings that require some practice to correctly fold and pleat, siu mai are open-topped, simple to form, and fairly forgiving. Siu mai was and is one of my favorites and a must-have at dim sum.

A word about wrappers

If you aren’t making your own wrappers (which I never do) it is important that you find the thinnest wrappers available. Gyoza and mundoo wrappers are too thick.

Wonton wrappers

Traditionally siu mai wrappers are round but if you can’t find round wrappers, buy the ones made for won ton. These are square but made of the same dough and in the same thickness as the round wrappers. Some people will cut off the corners of square wrappers or use a round cutter to get the correct shape. Others will fold down the corners when shaping the siu mai. Truth be told, I don’t do either and leave the points sticking up. It may not have the traditional siu mai shape but they taste just as good.

Steaming siu mai

Siu mai are traditionally steamed in a bamboo basket over a wok but these items are not required. At the moment I don’t have a wok so I place my bamboo basket over a stock pot that allows it to sit above the water. If I didn’t have a bamboo basket then I would use the steamer basket that came with my multipurpose pot. In fact, many commercial kitchens use metal steamer baskets rather than bamboo.

Bamboo steamer basket of siu mai

Regardless of the type of steamer you still need to line the basket. You can purchase pre-perforated sheets (my bamboo basket came with a set of these sheets). But you can easily make your own using waxed paper or parchment paper. RecipeTin Eats has a great tutorial for making your own perforated sheets. Just be sure to lightly spray the sheet with cooking spray before placing the siu mai.

Plate of siu mai and dipping sauce

At dim sum, siu mai are just one of several dishes we enjoy. At home, we sometimes only eat siu mai or buy some siu ji yuk (crispy skin roast pork) to eat on the side. In Hawaii, the preferred dipping sauce is a mixture of soy sauce and Chinese hot mustard (similar to Colman’s English Mustard). Use your favorite Asian dipping sauce suited to your preferences.

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Bamboo steamer basket of siu mai

Siu Mai


  • Author: She’s Almost Always Hungry
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 30 1x

Description

These pork and shrimp filled steamed dumplings are a dim sum favorite. This recipe is adapted from Nina Simonds’ Classic Chinese Cuisine, 1982


Ingredients

Units Scale

1/4 pound raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

1/2 cup sliced water chestnuts

4 dried Chinese black mushrooms (optional)

1 pound ground pork

30 wonton wrappers*

1 teaspoon carrot, finely grated, for garnish (optional)

Siu mai seasonings

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon scallions, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced (optional)

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

1 egg white

2 tablespoons cornstarch


Instructions

Prepare the wok and steamer baskets

Line the bottom of the steamer baskets with waxed paper or parchment paper punched with holes.** Lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Fill a wok or pot big enough to hold the steamer baskets with about 2 cups of water. The water should not touch the bottom of the baskets.

To make the filling

Rinse the shrimp lightly then place in a clean dishtowel and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Mince the shrimp to a coarse paste.

Rinse the water chestnuts to remove the tinny flavor. Chop finely.

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water (enough to cover) for 5 minutes to rehydrate. Carefully remove from the hot water and squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Chop coarsely.

Place the shrimp, water chestnuts, mushrooms, ground pork, and siu mai seasonings in a bowl and stir vigorously to combine. You can use your hand like a paddle to mix and blend the ingredients together. The mixture should be pasty, not crumbly.***

To form the siu mai

Form an “O” with your forefinger and thumb and place a wonton wrapper over the “O”.

Place a tablespoon of filling on the wrapper and push down into the hole. Squeeze lightly to form a “waist” (about a third of the way from the top). Lightly flatten the bottom of the siu mai to create a flat base. If needed, use a butter knife to smear more filling to be level with the edge of the wonton wrapper.

Top each siu mai with a tiny bit of carrot (optional).

To steam siu mai

Bring the water in the wok to a boil.

Arrange the siu mai in the lined steamer baskets so they aren’t touching, about ½” apart.

Stack the steamer trays in the wok. Steam the siu mai for about 15 minutes, switching the steamer trays halfway through.

Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Notes

*Traditionally made with round wrappers but square wrappers will also work (don’t bother with snipping off the corners).

**You may be able to find paper liners cut to size with holes pre-punched in Asian markets.

***Unlike a meatball or meatloaf you don’t need to worry about overworking the filling. You want to breakdown the fat in the pork. This method, along with the cornstarch, helps the filling bind together.

You can easily double the recipe. Freeze uncooked siu mai immediately if you aren’t eating right away. Don’t put them in the refrigerator (the wrappers will absorb moisture from the filling and get mushy).

You can freeze the filling on its own for use at a later time too.

  • Prep Time: 45 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dumplings
  • Cuisine: Chinese

Nutrition

  • Calories: 54.63
  • Sugar: 0.19 g.
  • Sodium: 125.16 mg.
  • Fat: 3.49 g.
  • Saturated Fat: 1.22 g.
  • Carbohydrates: 0.79 g.
  • Fiber: 0.08 g.
  • Protein: 4.60 g.
  • Cholesterol: 19.06 g.

Keywords: pork, shrimp

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