The Benchmark Har Gow
蝦餃·(haa gaau)
Chapter 1: The Wrappers & Doughs
A dim sum house is judged by its har gow. Dedicate three hours of a Saturday morning to rolling and folding, mastering starch gelatinization by forcing translucent wheat starch to bend to your will with violently boiling water and a heavy tortilla press. Shape the dough with an oiled cleaver blade into an impossibly sheer wrapper yielding to an unadulterated filling of washed shrimp and pure pork fat; nail that tension so the shrimp snaps, and the rest of the bamboo steamer falls in line.
Before you start
Mince and chop the shrimp.
Take half of the dried shrimp and smash them flat with the side of a cleaver, then mince into a fine paste. Chop the remaining half into coarse, pea-sized chunks. You need the paste to bind, but the chunks for that vital snap.
Agitate the filling matrix.
Combine the shrimp paste, chunks, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. Stir vigorously in one direction only for 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture turns highly sticky and gelatinous.
Fold and chill.
Fold in the diced pork fat, bamboo shoots, and sesame oil. Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or ideally overnight, to solidify the fat for easier wrapping.
Ingredients
- fresh raw shrimp8 oz
- pure pork backfat1 oz
- canned whole bamboo shoots1 1/2 oz
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- granulated sugar1 tsp
- cornstarch1 tsp
- toasted sesame oil1 tsp
- ground white pepper1/4 tsp
- wheat starch130 g
- tapioca starch50 g
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- water200 ml
- rendered pork lard1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Hydrate and gelatinize the starches.
Whisk the wheat starch, tapioca starch, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a heat-proof bowl. Bring the water to a hard, rolling boil (90°C+). Immediately pour it over the starches and stir rapidly with chopsticks until a shaggy mass forms. Cover tightly and let sit for 5 minutes to trap the steam.
- 02
Knead in the fat.
Uncover the hot dough, add the lard, and turn out onto a clean surface. Knead vigorously for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and pliable. Roll into a 1-inch thick cylinder and cover immediately with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.
- 03
Press the wrappers.
Cut a 12-gram piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Place it inside a lightly oiled, split zip-top bag, and press firmly in a heavy cast-iron tortilla press to yield a uniform, 3.5-inch translucent circle. Keep the remaining dough covered at all times.
- 04
Fold the fourteen pleats.
Place the wrapper in your hand with a scant tablespoon of cold filling in the center. Pinch the right edge together. Using your thumb and index finger, push a tiny fold of the front edge to the left, pressing it against the flat back edge. Repeat counter-clockwise for 12 to 14 pleats, squeezing the top ridge to seal the dumpling.
- 05
Steam to order.
Bring 2 inches of water to a rolling boil in a wok. Line a bamboo steamer with perforated parchment, arrange the dumplings 1 inch apart, and steam over high heat for exactly 6 to 8 minutes until glistening and perfectly translucent.
Notes
The Tortilla Press Hack.
Professional chefs use a specialized broad cleaver to smear the dough into paper-thin wrappers against an oiled marble board. The heavy Mexican tortilla press is the ultimate, foolproof equivalent for the American home cook. Don't skip the plastic bag liner.
Orchestrating the Dim Sum Cart.
If hosting a 3-hour Sunday brunch, make the filling and press the dumplings on Saturday. Freeze the raw, folded dumplings immediately on a parchment-lined baking sheet. On Sunday, steam them straight from the freezer (adding 2 minutes to the cook time) so you can drop multiple steamer baskets on the table at once without breaking a sweat.
From Cook Dim Sum at Home.