Cantonese Shumai (Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai)

A bamboo steamer filled with cantonese shumai.

Cantonese Shumai (Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai)

Cantonese shumai dumplings are a classic dim sum favorite! Made with juicy pork, shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms and a thin golden dumpling wrapper this shumai recipe is better than the ones at a dim sum restaurant.

Course Appetizer, Appetizer & Sides, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Recipes, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword dim sum siu mai, pork and shrimp shumai, pork shu mai, pork siu mai, shao mai, shrimp shu mai, shu mai, shumai, shumai dumpling, siu mai, siu mai dumplings, siu mai recipe

Prep Time 45

Cook Time 15

Total Time 1

Servings shumai

Calories 54kcal

Author Megan

Equipment

Ingredients

4 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in boiling water, finely chopped
8 oz (225 g) shrimp shelled and deveined, finely chopped
12 oz (340 g) ground pork
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon ginger grated
2 tablespoon green onions finely diced
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pack round shumai wrappers

Garnish

Carrot finely minced

Instructions

Prep

Prepare the shiitake mushroom. In a medium mixing bowl, soak the shiitake mushrooms in boiling hot water for 30 minutes. Squeeze as much water out of the shiitake mushrooms and mince them into fine bits.
Prepare the shrimp. Finely chop the shrimp into small pieces. If you prefer to have larger shrimp chunks then cut 3-4 shrimps into larger chunks.

Filling

Tenderize the pork. In a large mixing bowl, add the ground pork and cornstarch. Mix until fully combined and the meat is a paste-like consistency. this will tenderize the pork.
Combine the filling. Add the shrimp, grated ginger, and green onions. Stir to combine. Then add the sugar, chicken bouillon, salt, white pepper, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, water, and sesame oil. Mix until fully incorporated.

Assemble

Assemble shumai. Lay a round wrapper in your palm. Add 1 tablespoon of filling into the center of the dumpling wrapper and gently flatten the filling so it evenly covers almost to the edge of the wrapper. Then form an “O” with your forefinger and thumb. Using a butter knife or spoon press the wrapper down into the “O” hole of your hand. Gently push the filling into the dumpling wrapper and add more filling so that it reaches the top of the dumpling. Place the dumpling on your work surface and gently push down to flatten the base so it stands upright. Repeat until all the filling is used.
Top with diced carrots. Top the center of the dumpling with a pinch of finely diced carrots.
To Freeze (optional). Place a parchment-lined tray of uncooked shumai covered with plastic wrap into the freezer. Once they freeze, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. To cook, place the frozen shumai on a bamboo steamer lined with parchment. Cook the frozen shumai for 10-11 minutes or until it reaches 165ºF (75°C). Do not defrost before steaming.

Steam

Prepare steamer. Line a steamer with parchment paper and heat about 3 inches of water into the pot or wok that will sit underneath the steamer over medium-high heat until boiling.
Steam. Place the siu mai on the parchment-lined steamer about 1-inch apart from each other. Cover with the lid and steam for 7-8 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF (75°C).
Enjoy! Remove from the steamer, and enjoy!

Notes

Use round, thin, pre-made wonton wrappers. For the most authentic Cantonese shumai, use Hong Kong-style dumpling wrappers that are thin round wrappers that are tinted yellow. You can find them in the refrigerated or freezer section at Chinese markets or other Asian markets like HMart.
Spread the filling to the edges before pushing the wrapper down through the “o” cylinder of your hand. This will ensure that the Cantonese shumai dumpling is filled to the brim and makes it a lot easier to top it off with more filling for a perfectly stuffed dumpling.
Line your steamer! It is important that you line your steamer either with parchment paper or cheesecloth so the shumai wrapper will not stick to the steamer.
Do not let the siu mai dumplings touch each other in the steamer. Make sure that the dumplings sit about 1 inch apart from each other to prevent them from sticking when steamed.
You can cook multiple racks of shumai at a time. If you have a steamer basket that can be layered, you can steam all the dumplings at the same time. However, the top layer may need an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute to cook.
Storage Instructions: Refrigerate: You can store any leftover shu mai in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat: reheat in the steamer or covered in the microwave until warm.
Freeze: Alternatively, you can freeze the raw shumai dumplings on a parchment-lined baking tray 1 inch from each other until they are frozen and then you can put them in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat: steam the frozen dumplings directly from the freezer for 10-11 minutes or until cooked. You do not need to defrost them!

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