Siu Mai 燒賣 Steamed Pork Dumplings - Yum Cha Special 2

For many, a yum cha meal is incomplete without ordering both siu mai (燒賣, steamed pork dumplings) and har gau (蝦餃, steamed prawn dumplings), the two most popular dim sums (點心, yum cha dishes) classics on offer. Lucky for us the former also happened to be the easiest to replicate at home, so it is only fitting that I share this with you as my second installment of yum cha special.

This is not the dim sims served at your local fish and chips shops but rather one that inspired the creation of the supersize deep fried version so familiar to most Aussies. In contrast these healthy steamed dumplings are  dainty and won't have you feeling guilty afterwards.

I have some leftover filling which I will turn into some equally delicious fu  pi guen (腐皮卷, beancurd skin rolls) so please stay tuned!

makes about 20

for the filling you'll need;

500 g of minced pork

250 g of banana prawns, shelled, chopped

8 water chestnuts, chopped

2 spring onions (white parts only) minced

2 cm piece of ginger, grated

3 tbs of light soy

1 tsp of white pepper

2 tsp of sesame oil

a dash of Chinese cooking wine

1 egg white, lightly beaten

3 tbs of corn flour

you'll also need;

20 wonton wrappers

prawn roe

Place all ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix well.

Place a heaped tbs of filling on a piece of wonton wrapper, gather the edges around the filling.

Hold the dumpling between your index finger and your thumb, gently squeeze it to form a barrel shape dumpling.

Flatten both the top and the base and you'll get something like this. Repeat with the rest of the wonton wrappers.

Line a bamboo steamer with a piece of grease proof paper that has been pieced with holes, arrange dumplings in the steamer and top each dumpling with a small piece of prawn roe. Cover and steam over simmering water for around 15 minutes.

Serve the delicious siu mai with some chili sauce on the side.

Geong Chung Har Kok 薑蔥蝦角 Ginger, Spring Onion And Prawn Dumplings － Yum Cha Special 1

At last we had a relatively low key Sunday for a change. I spent a better part of the day catching up with my reading and  composing new posts for the blog. When it was time to plan for dinner, Tummy suggested a yum cha favourite of ours that we always order at yum cha.

If you are a big yum cha fan like we are, the chances are you might be familiar with this delicious dish too. Steaming with a light sauce after deep frying the dumplings might sound weird to some but such a process creates the most agreeable texture and mouthfeel so prized in Chinese cooking.

I will share with you our other yum cha favourites in the near future, hopefully you'll be able to have a cosy yum cha lunch at the comfort of your own home soon.

P.S Another of my lovely reader turned up the the restaurant last night. It was a very nice surprise indeed, thank you again!

makes 12

you'll need;

500 g of prawns, shelled and roughly chopped

6 water chestnuts, roughly chopped

2 spring onions (white parts only), minced

2 cm piece of ginger, grated

dash of Chinese cooking wine

1 tbs of light soy

1 tbs of oyster sauce

1tsp of sesame oil

1/2 tsp of white pepper

1 tbs of corn flour

12 wonton wanton wrappers

oil for frying

2 spring onions, julienned 

3 slices of ginger, julienned

for the sauce;

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 cup of chicken stock

1 tbs of light soy

a dash of Chinese cooking wine

corn flour solution

Peel the prawns, reserving the heads and shells for curry laksa or prawn noodles.

Roughly chop the shelled prawns.

Place chopped prawns, water chestnuts, minced spring onion, grated ginger, seasonings and corn flour in a bowl and mix well.

Place ~ 1.5 tbs of the prawn filling in the middle of the wonton wrapper, gather all edges to form a plum dumpling. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers.

Fry dumplings in batches until golden.

To make the sauce - saute garlic with a little oil, add stock and soy and allow to come to a simmer, thicken with a little corn flour solution.

Place dumplings in a bowl that fit nicely in a steamer, pour the sauce over, top with julienned spring onion and ginger and steam over high heat for 5 minutes.

I served the dumplings as an appetizer with some Cantonese chili oil on the side.