Pork and prawn shumai
Open-topped shumai hold pork, prawns and shiitake inside thin wrappers. The filling stays visible, so there is no complicated top seam to master.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Rest / wait
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Makes
- Makes about 20 shumai
Your new skill: Forming open-topped dumplings and steaming the filling through
For a little background, read Is dim sum a single dish?.
Your ingredients
Get ready: Mixing bowl, steamer and food thermometer.
- 225 g pork mince
- 200 g raw peeled prawns, finely chopped
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 45 ml strained mushroom-soaking water
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp unsalted stock instead of cooking wine
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- ½ tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp salt
- A pinch each sugar and white pepper
- 20 thin shumai or wonton wrappers
- 20 thin carrot slices for lining
- A little finely chopped carrot for topping
Let’s make it
-
Soak and chop
Soak mushrooms in hot water for about 30 minutes until soft, following the packet. Remove tough stems and chop. Reserve 45 ml soaking water, leaving any grit behind.
-
Mix a sticky filling
Beat pork, prawns, mushrooms, measured liquid, ginger, cornflour, stock, soy, sesame oil, salt, sugar and pepper together for several minutes until sticky. Keep chilled while you organise wrappers and steamer.
-
Form open cups
Put a spoonful of filling in the centre of a wrapper. Cup your thumb and forefinger around it and push the filling gently down to form a cylinder, leaving the top open. Flatten the base so it stands upright. Trim square wrapper corners if they are excessive.
-
Steam in batches
Stand shumai on carrot slices in the steamer, leaving gaps. Add a little chopped carrot on top. Steam over boiling water for about 10–12 minutes, until wrappers are tender and filling reaches 75°C for 30 seconds. Open the lid away from your face. A secure base is more useful than perfect pleats.
What to try next
Try Blanched lettuce with oyster sauce or Mango and coconut sago cups for your next kitchen project.
Keeping it: Freeze uncooked shumai promptly in one layer, then bag. Steam from frozen for longer, checking 75°C for 30 seconds in the filling. Cooked leftovers: refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 48 hours.
