Best Sew Mai Dumplings Recipes

SEW MAI DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• For the filling: Reconstitute the mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Rinse them, remove the stems and chop them into small dice.
• In a large bowl, combine the mushrooms with the pork, shrimp, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper and mix until well combined. (You may also use a mixer with a paddle attachment.) Cover the mixture and let it rest for at least 1 hour and up to overnight in the refrigerator.
• To assemble the dumplings: Lay a dumpling skin on your work surface. Place about 2 tablespoons filling in the center. Hold the filling in place with your fingers and use the other hand to twist the skin around the filling. While twisting, make sure to flatten the top of the filling into the skin. Place the bottom of the dumpling on the work surface and flatten it out. Repeat this process until all the filling is gone.
• Steam the dumplings in a steamer basket on high heat until cooked through, about 7 minutes.
• I love eating these with soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and hot mustard.

SHAO MAI (PORK DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Combine the pork, water chestnuts, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, sugar, ginger, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine (hands work well for this). Place a dumpling wrapper in the palm of one hand and cup it loosely. Place a generous tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. With your free hand, gather the sides of the wrapper around the filling, letting the wrapper pleat naturally. Squeeze the middle gently and tap the dumpling to flatten the bottom so that it can stand upright. The meat filling will show a little at the top. Make the remaining dumplings in the same manner.
• Arrange filled dumplings about 1/4 inch apart in two steamer trays that have been lined with wet cheesecloth. (At this point, you can refrigerate dumplings, covered, for 24 hours.)
• When ready to steam, fill a wok or lower part of a steamer with water so that it comes within an inch of the steamer tray, and bring to a rolling boil. Stack the steamer trays in the wok or steamer, cover tightly, and steam dumplings for 20-25 minutes over high heat, reversing the trays after 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer dumplings to a platter and serve with Spicy Dipping Sauce.
• Combine ingredients in a small bowl and serve with Pork Dumplings.

SHRIMP SIU MAI (DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Dumplings: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white, sesame oil and arrowroot until frothy. Stir in the bell pepper, carrot, peas, chives, ginger, salt, and shrimp. Put 1/2 of the mixture in a food processor. Blend until the mixture forms a chunky paste. Return the paste to the bowl and combine it with the remaining vegetable mixture. Cut each egg roll wrapper into 4 equal-sized squares. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the center of each piece of dough. Gather the sides of the egg roll wrapper around the filling leaving the top of the filling uncovered. If necessary, use a little water to help secure the wrapper in place. Spray the bottom of a bamboo or stainless steel steamer with vegetable oil cooking spray. Working in batches, stand the dumplings, uncovered filling side up, in the steamer and cover. Steam until the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, hot sauce and garlic.
• Arrange the dumplings on a platter and serve the dipping sauce alongside.

DUMPLINGS WITH A CRISPY SKIRT

Steps:

• Soak the mushrooms in a medium bowl with 3 cups cool water. Stir to moisten the entire surface of the mushrooms. Set aside at room temperature for at least 3 hours and up to 4 hours.
• When the mushrooms are nearly rehydrated, toss the cabbage with 1 tablespoon salt in a medium bowl and let sit until liquid pools at the bottom, about 15 minutes. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the cabbage in between two hands and transfer the cabbage to a large bowl. Add the pork, 1/2 cup of the mushroom soaking water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix only in one direction using chopsticks until the pork-and-cabbage mixture starts to become sticky. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the neutral oil until evenly mixed.
• Remove and discard the stems from the mushrooms. Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the pork filling. Stir until combined.
• Set up a dumpling wrapping station with the following: a small bowl of cold water for sealing, the pork-and-cabbage filling, gyoza wrappers kept in the package and a large plate or baking sheet lined with plastic wrap to prevent the dumplings from sticking.
• Place one gyoza wrapper in your palm, add 1 tablespoon of the filling to the center, then lightly dab the perimeter of the wrapper with cold water (I use my index finger). Fold into a half-moon shape and seal the midpoint, leaving the sides open. Make 2 pleats starting from the left side of the half-moon folding towards the midpoint then firmly press the pleated side to seal. Repeat the pleating on the right side. Firmly press to seal the dumpling and thin out the edge of the wrapper slightly. Place the finished dumplings on the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling (see Cook's Note).
• Whisk together 1/2 cup cold water, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of the flour and 1/4 teaspoon of the white vinegar in a small bowl until the slurry is smooth and free of lumps.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons neutral oil in a large nonstick skillet (about 11-inch) over medium-high heat until shimmering. Arrange 10 dumplings in a concentric circle or flower pattern (place the pointy end of each dumpling in the center of the skillet with the pleated side of the next dumpling facing the flat side of the previous one). Fry until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir the slurry before pouring into the skillet, cover with a lid, and cook over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat, moving the skillet as needed for even browning, until the skirt looks dry, crisp and golden brown. Remove from the heat, place a large dinner plate over the skillet and carefully invert the dumplings onto the plate with the skirt-side up. Serve immediately with Chinese black vinegar, for dipping.
• Repeat making the slurry and frying the remaining dumplings or freeze the dumplings on the plastic wrap-lined plate until frozen, then transfer the frozen dumplings to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

SHRIMP AND GINGER SIU MAI DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Special equipment: wok, bamboo steamer
• To make the shrimp filling: Pulse all the ingredients in a food processor until partly smooth but not completely pureed. It should have a little texture. Season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble dumplings: Hold a wonton wrapper in your hand. Dip a spoon in cold water and then drop 1 tablespoon of the filling onto the center of a wrapper (dipping the spoon in cold water first will make the filling come off easier). Gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling and squeeze the sides slightly with your fingers. The sides will naturally pleat, leaving the filling slightly exposed. Tap the dumpling on the table so the bottom is flat and it stands upright. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. (You can freeze the leftover filling for 2 or 3 weeks.)
• Lightly oil the bottom of a 10-inch bamboo steamer and line it with the whole cabbage leaves. Stand the dumplings in the steamer in a single layer and don't let them touch. You should be able to get 12 siu mai in the steamer at a time. Bring 1 to 2 inches of water to a boil in a pot. Set the bamboo steamer over the pot, then cover it with the bamboo lid. Steam for 10 to 12 minutes or until the filling feels firm and is cooked through. Serve in the steamer basket and garnish with micro arugula and soy sauce.

SIU MAI (DIM SUM)

Steps:

• Put the water chestnuts, ginger, spring onion, light soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, prawns, pork, egg white and potato flour in a bowl and mix throughly with your hands to combine. Leave to marinate for 20-30 mins for the flavours to mingle.
• Stack the wrappers on a work surface covered with a damp cloth and line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment. Put a wrapper in the palm of your hand and add 1 tbsp of the filling into the centre. Bring up the sides of the wrapper around the filling to make a basket shape, but don't squeeze the top together - you should still be able to see the filling.
• Add more filling if needed until it's reached the top of the gap, pressing down gently with a damp finger until flat. Tap the dumpling on the bench to flatten the base and put on the prepared tray. Add a goji berry, if you like. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling until you have about 20 dumplings.
• Put a disc of non-stick parchment into a steamer and fill with some of the dumplings, leaving a little space between each. Cover and steam over a wok of simmering water for 8-10 mins, or use an electric steamer. Repeat with the remaining dumplings. Serve with the dipping sauce.