Century-Old Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai
燒賣·(siu mai)
Chapter 1: The Wrappers & Doughs
feedback on the deleted transition: "Delete the sentence entirely; the transition from the parlor's cadence directly to the 'canonical siu mai' dough works perfectly without the sermon." The editor LIKES the direct transition from parlor to dough! So: "Carts rattle... cadence. This is the canonical siu mai..." is explicitly blessed by the editor! Therefore, I just need to put the action-first opener before the parlor sentence. "Cradle the yellow alkaline wrapper, press the hand-chopped pork shoulder into the center, and lock the pleats. Carts rattle, tea pours, and stacked bamboo steamers hit the table in an unhurried cadence. This is the canonical siu mai of places like Nom Wah and Jing Fong..." Wait, does Opener A fit the "three-beat-parallel" rhythm? 1. Cradle the yellow alkaline wrapper, 2. press the hand-chopped pork shoulder into the center, 3. and lock the pleats. Yes, three verbs (Cradle, press, lock). Let's ensure the author's voice is matched. The author uses strong, punchy verbs. "Cradle", "press", "lock". Let's refine the opener to match the voice: "Cradle the yellow alkaline wrapper, press the hand-chopped pork shoulder into the center, and turn the dumpling to lock the pleats." (Advisor's exact A). Let's adapt: "
Before you start
Rehydrate the shiitake mushrooms.
Pour boiling water over the dried mushrooms and let them steep for 30 minutes before rigorously squeezing out all excess liquid.
Ingredients
- unbleached all-purpose flour250 g
- egg yolk1 large
- cold water110 g
- fine sea salt1/4 tsp
- turmeric powder1/4 tsp
- cornstarch1/2 cup
- raw shrimp9 oz
- baking soda1 tsp
- cold water1 cup
- ground pork9 oz
- pork belly or shoulder5 oz
- dried shiitake mushrooms4 med
- water chestnuts3 tbsp
- cornstarch1 tbsp
- Shaoxing rice wine1 tbsp
- light soy sauce1 tbsp
- oyster sauce1 tbsp
- toasted sesame oil2 tsp
- granulated sugar1 1/2 tsp
- chicken bouillon powder1 tsp
- ground white pepper1/2 tsp
- fine sea salt1/2 tsp
- carrot1 pinch
Method
- 01
Whisk the dough liquids.
In a small jug, vigorously whisk together 110g cold water, the egg yolk, 1/4 tsp sea salt, and the turmeric until the salt dissolves and the liquid is uniformly bright yellow.
- 02
Hydrate and knead the dough.
Make a well in the flour and gradually stir in the liquid using chopsticks until shaggy flakes form, then aggressively knead the stiff dough by hand for 5 to 8 minutes until it forms a rough ball.
- 03
Rest the dough.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to relax the gluten network, transforming the tough mass into a pliable dough.
- 04
Laminate and roll the wrappers.
Pass the dough through a pasta machine, folding and laminating a few times, until reaching a setting of 5 or 6 to achieve a thin but resilient 1mm thickness.
- 05
Punch and dust the wrappers.
Generously dust both sides of the dough sheet with cornstarch, punch out 3-inch circles using a cutter, and keep the stacked wrappers covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.
- 06
Crisp the shrimp with an alkaline bath.
Dissolve the baking soda in 1 cup cold water, gently massage the peeled shrimp in the bath, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before meticulously rinsing under cold running water for 2 minutes and patting completely, bone-dry.
- 07
Chop the shrimp.
Cut the dry shrimp into rough, coffee-bean-sized chunks, taking utmost care not to mash them into a paste so they retain their oceanic snap.
- 08
Combine the foundational meat matrix.
In a large, heavy mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, the hand-diced pork belly, the chopped shrimp, the minced shiitakes, and the water chestnuts.
- 09
Emulsify the filling in one direction.
Add 1 tbsp cornstarch, the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, bouillon, white pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt, then vigorously stir the mixture with your hand in one single direction for 3 to 5 minutes until it becomes a heavy, sticky paste.
- 10
Slam the meat to extract the gel.
Gather the entire mass of filling, lift it about a foot above the bowl, and physically throw it down into the bowl with force 10 to 15 times until the mixture looks cohesive, slightly pale, and holds together in a tight, bouncy ball.
- 11
Chill the filling.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight, to solidify the pork fat and make the filling manageable to fold.
- 12
Execute the master fold.
Place a wrapper flat in your non-dominant hand, scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of filling into the center, and make an O shape with your thumb and index finger to gently push the filling and wrapper down through it.
- 13
Flatten and garnish the cylinder.
Use a butter knife to press the top of the filling down flush with the edges of the wrapper, tap the bottom against your cutting board to create a flat base, and crown the exposed meat with a tiny pinch of minced carrot.
- 14
Steam over a rolling boil.
Place the siu mai in a parchment-lined bamboo steamer, leaving 3/4-inch of space between each dumpling, and steam on high heat over a wok of boiling water for exactly 8 to 10 minutes before serving immediately.
Notes
Orchestrating the three-hour brunch.
Dim sum is an endurance sport of timing. Make your fillings and low-hydration doughs the day prior. Keep everything chilled overnight so the proteins relax and fats solidify, making Sunday morning assembly vastly easier. Drop your bamboo steamers in tiers over the wok just as guests arrive.
Sourcing and substitutions for the pork.
If you cannot access whole pork belly or shoulder to hand-dice, purchase ground pork with a stated fat content of at least 20 percent. Lean pork produces a dry, crumbly dumpling that completely misses the point.
The wonton wrapper fallback.
If the weekend project timeline derails, commercially produced Hong Kong style wonton wrappers found in the refrigerated section of most Asian grocers are an acceptable alternative. Punch them from squares into 3-inch circles using a biscuit cutter.
Make-ahead freezing.
Siu mai freezes exceptionally well. Freeze the raw, assembled dumplings on a parchment-lined baking sheet until rock solid, then transfer to a ziplock bag. Steam straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the cooking time.
From Cook Dim Sum at Home.