SHUMAI (SUI MAI) Through Annie’s Window

Shumai, or Sui Mai, are steamed pork dumplings that are a favorite at dim sum restaurants.

Growing up, my family would have dim sum on Sunday and I was always excited when the cart arrived at our table. The first few items I would pull are - shumai, steamed pork dumplings, har gow (shrimp dumplings), and chicken feed (yes, you read that correctly). All very delicious and must try! If you are heading to dim sum for the first time, I recommend ordering a couple of the shumai. They are super juicy and a great combination of pork and shrimp.

Compared to other dumplings in Chinese cuisine, shumai are relatively easy to make. You just need to prepare the filling, stuff the dumplings, and steam. So let’s get stuffing, wrapping, and make some shumai.

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Yield: 22-24 shumai

Equipment: bamboo steamer and liner papers for bamboo steamer

INGREDIENTS

½ lb 80% lean ground pork 1 ½ tbsp tapioca starch ¼ cup water 1 ½ tbsp cooking oil ½ tbsp sesame oil ½ lb chopped shrimp ⅔ cup chopped shiitake mushroom ½ cup chopped water chestnuts 2 tbsp minced ginger ¼ cup sliced green onions 2 tbsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp granulated sugar 2 tsp kosher salt 2 tbsp white pepper ¼ cup of fish roe

22 - 24 thin round yellow dumpling wrappers

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Place your ground pork in a large mixing bowl. Add tapioca starch and water to the bowl and start mixing. Keep stirring until your pork turns to a paste-like texture. 2. Add your cooking oil, sesame oil, chopped shrimp and mix it together. Add your chopped shiitake mushroom, chopped water chestnuts, minced ginger, sliced green onions and stir until combined. Lastly add all your sauce and seasonings. Stir to combine, mix the ingredients until well incorporated. Put your mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. 3. To make the dumplings, take one dumpling wrapper and place it on your non dominant hand (mine is my left). Place about 2 tbsp of the filling to the center of the wrapper and fold around the sides, while pressing the center down and as a bit of fish roe on top. Please see the image below. 4. Place the shumai in the bamboo steamer lined with liner papers and steamed for 15 minutes on medium heat. 5. Enjoy with some spicy chili sauce or soy sauce!

NOTES

Shumai dumplings can be made ahead of time and freeze to later enjoy.