by Karen Soo, Newsletter Editor

Hey Fellow Chefs,

Have you seen the prices of Dim Sum these days? Prices has sky rocketed from $5.00 to 6.00 for a plate of Shumai/ 4 pieces.

Here’s a simple recipe that you can make at home. You just need determination and a good appetite.

Shumai or Siu Mai is a dim sum favorite, with an easy pork/shrimp filling. This is mom’s traditional recipe. You can make this in advance and freeze it for future consumption.

Bon Appetite – Julia Child and Karen Soo share the same birthday.

Ingredients

Ingredients

For the Pork Marinade

  • 10 oz. ground pork (280g)\
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • For the Shrimp
  • 8 ounces shrimp (225g, peeled, deveined, roughly chopped)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon oil

To Finish the Shumai

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

Instructions

1.To make the filling, start by mixing the pork with all the marinade ingredients. Stir the ground pork in one direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) for 5 minutes, until it resembles a fine paste. In a separate bowl, mix the chopped shrimp with salt and oil. Mix one direction for 1 minute and set both mixtures aside in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Chop the shiitake mushrooms, ginger and scallions. Add these to a large bowl along with the pork mixture and shrimp mixture. Add the oyster sauce to the bowl, and stir the whole thing together in one direction for 5 minutes. You can also do this in a food processor, but I think mixing by hand gives it a better texture. The filling is ready.

3. Lightly brush the bottom of your steamer with oil or line it with damp cheesecloth. You’re ready to assemble the shumai. Take a wonton skin and add about 1 ½ teaspoons filling to the center. Follow the photos and turn up the sides of the wonton skin around the filling. Lightly squeeze to shape the shumai. Add the green peas to the top for decoration, if using, and place in the steamer. Space the shumai about 1 inch apart.

4. Steam the shumai for 12 minutes over medium to high heat. Enjoy them while they’re hot!

Tips & Notes

Recipe makes about 20 dumplings. I would double this recipe and freeze the extras for another day.