Modern Five-Color Har Gow and Soup Dumplings
五彩蝦餃與小籠包·(wǔ cǎi xiā jiǎo yǔ xiǎo lóng bāo)
Chapter 1: The Wrappers & Doughs
Translucency is the final judge of a proper dumpling wrapper. This is a deliberate, uncompromising weekend project for the cook willing to cover every counter in bamboo steamers, turning out all eighteen pleats and enduring how the hot water scalds bare hands to master the translucent, snapping bite of har gow. The crystal shrimp dumpling demands furiously boiling water to gelatinize the wheat starch, while the soup dumpling requires a meticulously extracted pork-skin aspic folded into an ice-cold meat matrix—so clear the counter, weigh the tapioca starch, and get the water boiling until the dumplings are ready to be lifted, steaming and intact, from the bamboo basket.
Before you start
Prepare the natural color extracts.
Juice the spinach, carrots, and beetroot separately. Strain each liquid meticulously to remove all pulp, ensuring the starch doughs remain smooth and pliable.
Ingredients
- raw medium shrimp1 lb
- kosher salt2 1/2 tsp
- baking soda1/4 tsp
- canned bamboo shoots2 oz
- pork back fat1 1/2 oz
- granulated sugar2 tbsp
- ground white pepper3/4 tsp
- toasted sesame oil2 tsp
- tapioca starch130 g
- wheat starch300 g
- lard3 tbsp
- raw pork skin1/2 lb
- fresh ginger3 slice
- scallions2 med
- Shaoxing wine1 tbsp
- water4 cup
- ground pork1 lb
- ginger-scallion water1/2 cup
- light soy sauce2 tbsp
- dark soy sauce1 tsp
- all-purpose flour500 g
- water280 ml
- spinach juice140 ml
- carrot juice140 ml
- beetroot juice140 ml
- squid ink1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Alter the shrimp's pH to achieve the canonical restaurant snap.
Massage the peeled shrimp with a teaspoon of salt and the baking soda for two minutes, rinse thoroughly under cold running water, and pat aggressively dry with paper towels to break down the proteins.
- 02
Mix the crystal dumpling filling.
Smash one-third of the shrimp into a paste with the flat of a cleaver to bind the mixture, then chop the rest into chunky half-inch pieces. Stir them vigorously in one direction with the bamboo shoots, pork fat, one tablespoon of sugar, a half teaspoon of salt, a quarter teaspoon of white pepper, one teaspoon of sesame oil, and two teaspoons of tapioca starch until the mixture turns sticky and cohesive, then chill.
- 03
Extract the pork-skin aspic.
Boil the pork skin briefly, aggressively scrape away all subcutaneous fat, and slice into thin matchsticks. Simmer with four cups of water, ginger, scallions, and Shaoxing wine for two hours until highly tacky, then strain and refrigerate overnight until it forms a hard, bouncy gel.
- 04
Build the gelatinous soup dumpling meat matrix.
Stir the ground pork in a single direction, gradually whipping in the soy sauces, one tablespoon of sugar, one teaspoon of salt, a half teaspoon of pepper, the remaining sesame oil, and the cold ginger-scallion water until the liquid is entirely absorbed and the meat smears cleanly against the bowl. Finely mince the cold aspic and fold an equal volume into the meat, then return the mixture to the refrigerator.
- 05
Hydrate the unfermented soup dumpling doughs.
Divide the all-purpose flour into five 100 g portions. For each of the five colors, warm 50 ml of the designated liquid to 50°C and slowly drizzle it into the flour while stirring. Knead for five minutes until smooth, then cover tightly with a damp towel and rest for thirty minutes to relax the gluten.
- 06
Gelatinize the wheat starch for the translucent wrappers.
Working one color batch at a time, whisk 60 g of wheat starch and 24 g of tapioca starch. Pour 90 ml of furiously boiling liquid (at least 90°C) directly over the starches, stir rapidly with chopsticks until shaggy, cover immediately to trap the steam for five minutes, then knead in a touch of melted lard until the dough transforms into a supple, smooth clay.
- 07
Flatten the crystal wrappers using a tortilla press.
Skip the traditional oiled cleaver and place a 15 g ball of hot wheat starch dough between two sheets of oiled parchment in a heavy cast-iron tortilla press. Press it into a three-and-a-half-inch circle with a slightly thicker center, keeping all unworked dough tightly wrapped in plastic so it doesn't dry out and shatter.
- 08
Pleat the crystal shrimp dumplings.
Cradle the flattened wheat starch wrapper in your left hand, add a spoonful of shrimp filling, and use your right thumb and forefinger to pinch and fold the front edge against the stationary back edge. Create thirteen to fourteen distinct pleats moving from right to left across the curve until sealed into a plump, uniform crescent.
- 09
Roll and seal the soup dumplings.
Roll a 10 g nugget of the rested all-purpose wheat dough into a circle with whisper-thin edges and a sturdy belly to support the soup. Add the chilled aspic-meat filling and pleat the edge eighteen times in a continuous circular motion, twisting the top together into a hermetically sealed knot.
- 10
Steam the dumplings in batches over a boiling wok.
Line a bamboo steamer with perforated parchment or cabbage leaves. Steam the har gow for exactly five to six minutes until brilliantly translucent, and steam the soup dumplings for eight minutes, serving immediately before the soup absorbs into the wrapper.
Notes
Plan your weekend dim sum service.
Create the aspic and purees on Friday. Mix the meat and fold all soup dumplings on Saturday, freezing them raw on a sheet tray. Sunday morning is dedicated exclusively to the hot-water dough and folding the har gow, ensuring you can run a smooth, multi-steamer service.
Source the correct wheat starch.
Authentic har gow relies on wheat starch, which is wheat flour stripped of its gluten, available in the baking aisle of Asian grocers. Do not substitute regular wheat flour, or the wrappers will be opaque and heavy.
From Cook Dim Sum at Home.