Shumai are traditional dumplings often served as part of dim sum. They’re part of Cantonese cuisine from the Guangdong province of China, a southeastern coastal region. There are many variations of shumai, both in China and around the world. This version uses a combination of pork and shrimp, as well as shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions, and seasoning. You can buy dumpling wrappers or make your own, as this recipe instructs. Making wrappers might seem intimidating, but it’s actually pretty easy and satisfying. This recipe makes 24 shumai.
On the Ingredients:
- Water chestnuts are not actually nuts but rather a type of aquatic vegetable that grows in marshes. The grass-like plant is native to Asia, tropical Africa, and Oceania. They have a wonderfully crisp texture, high water content, and mildly sweet flavor. They’re high in vitamin B6 and have moderate amounts of other B vitamins, manganese, and potassium.
- Oyster sauce is an Asian sauce made from cooking down oysters. It is commonly used in savory dishes from China and Southeast Asia. The flavor is sweet and salty, with a very mild fishiness.
Recipe Notes and Substitutions:
You can replace the shrimp with more pork. Traditionally, shumai is served with fish roe or tobiko on top, though that is difficult to source in Maine. You can dice some carrots and place them on top of each shumai before steaming to imitate the appearance of fish roe.
Cantonese Shumai
24
servings50
minutes25
minutes1
hour15
minutesShumai are traditional dumplings often served as part of dim sum. They’re part of Cantonese cuisine from the Guangdong province of China, a southeastern coastal region. There are many variations of shumai, both in China and around the world. This version uses a combination of pork and shrimp, as well as shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, scallions, and seasoning. You can buy dumpling wrappers or make your own, as this recipe instructs. Making wrappers might seem intimidating, but it’s actually pretty easy and satisfying. This recipe makes 24 shumai
Ingredients
- Wrapper Ingredients
250g flour (roughly 2 cups)
1/2 cup water
- Filling Ingredients
1 lb ground pork
3 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp peanut oil OR vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 lb shrimp (chopped into 1/4” pieces)
4.9 oz can water chestnuts (minced)
1 1/3 cups minced shiitake mushrooms
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup chopped scallions
4 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar OR monk fruit sweetener
1 tsp white pepper
Directions
- For the filling, weigh out the flour and place it in a mixing bowl. You can measure the flour in cups but know that it will not be as accurate as weighing, and you may need to adjust the amount of water to get the right consistency. Add the water a little at a time while stirring the flour with a wooden spoon. When you have a clumpy dry dough, use your hands to knead it until it comes together in a tight ball. Cover the dough and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then, knead the dough for another minute until you have a smooth texture. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30-60 minutes. While the dough is resting, make your filling.
- Place the ground pork in a mixing bowl and add a slurry made from the cornstarch and water. Mix the contents together, using a wooden spoon, until you have a smooth, paste-like consistency. Add the peanut and sesame oil and stir to incorporate. Add the shrimp, water chestnuts, shiitake, ginger, and scallions to the pork and mix thoroughly. Add the oyster sauce, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Mix again until completely incorporated.
- When the dough is done resting, poke a hole in the center of the ball to create a bagel shape. Slice the bagel into quarters and place three of the sections under a damp towel while you work on the fourth. Make it into a six-inch rope and slice the rope into six pieces. Use the palm of your hand to flatten each piece into a flat disk. Dust disks with flour and use a rolling pin to roll each one into a thin circle, about 3” in diameter. Dust the wrappers with flour so they don’t stick together, and stack them as you continue this process until all the dough is transformed into 24 wrappers.
- Line a large bamboo steaming with parchment paper. Make your non-dominant hand into an open fist/C-shape, thumb side up. Place a wrapper lightly on top, making a shallow bowl in the opening of your C. Scoop about 2 tbsp of filling into the center of your bowl, then continue to add filling as you press it downwards, making a deeper bowl, until filling is level, with the edges of the wrapper. Crimp the loose sides of the bowl, and you’ve created your shumai. Place on the parchment carefully but firmly so the bottom flattens and the shumai sits up. Repeat until you have used up your ingredients.
- You can freeze the shumai at this stage on a parchment-lined sheet and, once solid, keep in an airtight container in the freezer.
- To cook, cover the steamer with its lid and fill a wok with water. It should cover the bottom inch of the steamer in water. Bring to a boil. Let the shumai steam for 20-25 minutes until they have reached an internal temperature of 165° F. Remove the steamer from the wok and serve hot! If cooking from frozen, you can load the shumai, not thawed, into a steamer and cook a little longer until the temperature is reached.
