Siu Mai (Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe
International dishesSteamed DishesChina1 hour chilling the filling, 8 minutes steaming
Siu mai is at its best when the shrimp filling is firm and springy and the thin wrapper hugs it into a small cup. The hardest part is keeping the filling cold enough while you shape them.
The shrimp is rolled into a ball and slammed against the bottom of the bowl about 10 times, which is what makes the filling springy instead of crumbly. The filling then goes into the freezer under plastic wrap for an hour before shaping.
This batch weighs about 813g, at roughly 196 calories per 100g. Steam one basket to eat hot and freeze the rest to steam later.
Method
Soak the shrimp in ice water so they peel easily, remove the shells and heads and pull out the roe and the dark vein.
Put the shrimp in a colander with 10g salt and rub them to remove the slime, then rinse 3 to 4 times so they do not taste salty. Blot the shrimp dry with kitchen paper, split them lengthwise and remove any remaining vein. Dice half of them and mince the rest.
Put the diced and minced shrimp in a metal bowl, put on gloves, roll the mixture into a ball and slam it against the bottom of the bowl so the shrimp turns springy.
Add the ground lean pork and the finely minced pork fat, mix well, and repeat the rolling and slamming about 10 times.
Add 10g cornstarch, 9g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 3g seasoning powder, 2g MSG, 3g sesame oil and a little black pepper, mix well, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.
Cut the wonton wrappers into 5cm rounds. Place about 20g of filling in the center of each one and press it flat.
Gather the wrapper inward while turning it, squeezing gently with thumb and index finger to build the height, with the little finger and ring finger holding the base in shape. Press the filling down firmly with the back of a spoon. Set each dumpling on a lightly oiled tray.
Line a bamboo steamer with thin slices of carrot, arrange the dumplings on top, bring the water to a boil and steam for about 8 minutes.
Spoon flying fish roe over the dumplings after steaming if you like it raw, or add it beforehand and steam it with them.
Mix the dipping sauce: put 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend in a bowl and stir until dissolved.
Tips
Mix the filling quickly, since shrimp that warms up loses its spring.
When shaping a large batch, take the filling out of the freezer a portion at a time.
Gather the mixture into a ball and slam it down into the bowl about ten times, which is the step that gives the filling its bounce.
Thin slices of carrot under the dumplings keep them from sticking to the steamer.
Finely chopped carrot works in place of flying fish roe as a topping.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.