Dim Sum Shumai – A Classic Cantonese Steamed Dumpling

Dim Sum Shumai is one of my favorite Cantonese cuisines! Similar to Thanksgiving gatherings in the US, the Chinese Spring Festival celebrates family and is a “must” reunion for all daughters and sons to return to mother and father and grandparents’ homes—if at all possible. One of my family traditions during Spring Festival is to enjoy a big feast and celebrate in a dim sum restaurant in Guangzhou! Shumai (烧卖) is absolutely one of our favorites and is must-order dish. It is commonly known as Shaomai (Chinese Pinyin) or Siumai (Cantonese)! Shumai is a traditional Cantonese steamed dumpling delight that has many variations in East Asian countries.

With the approach of Chinese Lunar New Year in 2021, and being unable to return to China for the festival this year, I have decided to make this Dim Sum Shumai and bring back my wonderful childhood memories!

The Filling

The classic version of Shumai is usually filled with juicy ground pork and shrimp! You can add your vegetable of choice. Many recipes call for Shiitake mushrooms, but I prefer to use a carrot for its chewy and crunchy texture. Some cooks grind the pork and shrimp, but I recommend cutting the shrimp into small pieces and adding it to the ground pork. That way, the flavor of shrimp gets a small boost and increases the taste. The caviar also heightens the flavor and is beautiful as well.

My Special Dipping Sauce

There is no official dipping sauce for Shumai. But if you have homemade Red Chili Oil (check out my Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles for the recipe) at home like me, you should surely give it a try! All you need is 1 tbsp Red Chili Oil, 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce, 1/2 tbsp Chinese Black Vinegar, 1/4 tsp Sugar, and 1 minced Garlic!

Chef’s Notes

I use Wonton Skins to make Shumai. Buy the round ones if you can find them in the Asian store, or buy the square ones and cut them into octagons for easier shaping.  This is easy to do. No fancy skills required for Shumai! Check out my video for clear visual instructions.

I hope you will enjoy making this Dim Sum Shumai – A Classic Cantonese Steamed Dumpling!

Here is the Recipe:

Dim Sum Shumai – A Classic Cantonese Steamed Dumpling

Shumai is always a dim sum favorite! It has a wonderfully chewy and crunchy texture with a delicious pork and shrimp filling. It has a lovely appearance and a wonderful taste!

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Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Chinese

Keyword: Dim Sum, Shaomai, Shumai

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 people

Author: Haini

Ingredients

• 300 g Ground Pork
• 150 g Shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut in small pieces
• 100 g Carrot, diced finely
• 2 Green Onions, chopped
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ginger, grated
• 1 Garlic Clove, grated
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 30-32 Wonton Skins (or Shumai Skins)
• some Fish Eggs for garnish

My Special Dipping Sauce

• 1 tbsp homemade Red Chili Oil
• 1 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Chinese Black Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp Sugar
• 1 Garlic, minced

Instructions

• In a large mixing bowl, mix together ground Pork, Shrimp, Carrot, chopped Green Onions, Egg, Ginger, Garlic, Light Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Sugar, Salt and Sesame Oil. Set aside.
• If you have square Wonton Skins, cut off the corners to make an octagon shape (check out my video for a better visual understanding).
• Sprinkle some flour onto your countertop as a place to rest the Shumai once they are made. 
• Add about 1 tbsp of filling to the wrapper. Use your thumb and forefinger to hold the wrapper into an "O" shape and slowly rotate (see video).
• Use a butter knife (or the bottom of a spoon) to flatten the filling and firm up the shape.
• Repeat with the rest of Shumai.
• Place Shumai in a bamboo steamer over a wok of boiling water. Steam for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat.
• Garnish with some Fish Eggs (I prefer the red salmon caviar!) on top.
• Prepare the dipping sauce. Mix together the Red Chili Oil, Light Soy Sauce, Chinese Black Vinegar, Sugar and Garlic in a bowl.
• Ready to serve and enjoy! Or you can enjoy Shumai without any sauce.

Video

Notes

• I made 30-32 Shumai in this recipe. You can make them small or big.
• The leftover Shumai, uncooked, can be stored in the freezer and they are ready to steam when you need them.

Did you make this recipe?Tag @hainisblog and hashtag it #cookcookgo on Instagram!