Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Siu Mai (Shumai) – Chinese steamed dumplings Recipe
Siu Mai (shumai) is the very first thing you seize off the trolleys at Yum Cha. And now you may get your repair on demand with this simple to comply with recipe! These Chinese language steamed dumplings have a basic juicy pork and prawn filling, enclosed with wonton wrappers.
If you happen to’ve ever questioned the way to make Chinese language dumplings, right now is the day you’ll uncover that it’s completely doable by any house cook dinner! You don’t even want a bamboo steamer!
Siu Mai (Shumai – Chinese language Steamed Dumplings)
It’s so unsatisfying going to Yum Cha* with simply two folks. I imply, Yum Cha is all about ordering as many several types of dumplings you’ll be able to, sprinkled with a couple of crunchy deep fried issues (hey Spring Rolls!), some kind of fluffy steamed bun (Pork Buns all the best way for me), and I suppose we should always order one thing inexperienced (Chinese language Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is our commonplace) and fried rice makes a compulsory look, all the time.
So once you go along with solely 2 folks, you must be very selective and cautious about the way you spend your dumpling credit.
However Siu Mai all the time makes the lower!
* Referred to as Dim Sum over within the US 🇺🇸
What you have to make Siu Mai
Right here’s what you have to make Siu Mai. If you happen to’re in Australia 🇦🇺, you may get all of those substances at giant Woolies, Coles and Harris Farms.
Only a few notes on among the substances:
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Fish roe is for ornamental functions solely. Discovered at some Asian shops, good seafood outlets OR purchase one sushi topped with flying fish roe and use that – you solely want a small quantity, one sushi is sufficient! That’s what I did. 😇 Substitute: finely diced steamed carrot!
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Wonton wrappers aka Wonton Egg Pastry – about 8.5cm / 3.5″ squares OR rounds if you’ll find them. Rounds are tougher to search out so I simply use squares. No want to chop out rounds. Search for egg (yellow) pastry, there are additionally white wontons (used for Wonton Soup sort wontons). Substitute Gyoza wrappers (ie white spherical pastry);
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Dried shiitake mushrooms have an earthier, extra intense flavour than recent. They have to be rehydrated in boiling water for 20 minutes or so, then wring them out and finely chop. Bought in Asian aisle of enormous grocery shops or Asian shops. Sub recent finely chopped and sautéed in a little bit of oil, or pass over.
How one can make Siu Mai
Don’t be daunted by the considered stuffing / wrapping the Siu Mai. Firstly, if it’s a bit wonky and lopsided, so what? It is going to nonetheless TASTE simply pretty much as good.😇
Secondly, you’ll get the hold of it after a pair, it’s really not that arduous. The approach used is to make use of your forefinger and thumb to type a “O” then use that as a “gap” into which you stuff the filling.
Extra flappy bits
The aim of Step 5, so eloquently labelled as “fold down extra flappy bits”, is as a result of we’re utilizing sq. pastry for a spherical dumpling. Only a dab of water, then fold the pastry down and it sticks completely.
So in case you managed to trace down spherical egg pastry, then Step 5 isn’t relevant to you.
How one can Steam Chinese language Dumplings
Right here’s the way to cook dinner Siu Mai. I’ve used a bamboo steamer right here which is the standard option to cook dinner them, as you see at Yum Cha / Dim Sum eating places. The bamboo provides a refined perfume that’s authentically Chinese language.
However you’ll be able to steam Siu Mai in any steamer – you’ll be able to even use a microwave steamer!
This can be a photograph of the dumplings earlier than and after. You’ll be able to see the pastry turns into mushy and slippery, and that it holds its form properly as soon as cooked.
DIY Perforated Paper for Steamer
You’ll want perforated paper to your steamer. That’s a flowery title for “paper with holes in it”. It stops the dumplings from sticking while permitting the steam to rise by means of.
Don’t rush out to purchase them, make your individual. Easy, fast – and an amazing hack!
Sauce for Siu Mai
There’s no official dipping sauce for Siu Mai. You’ll discover dumpling joints present a choice of soy sauce, Chinese language black vinegar or white vinegar and a few sort of Chilli Paste, you then make your individual.
I normally do:
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3 components soy sauce
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1 half vinegar
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As a lot chilli as I feel I can courageous.
I all the time go overboard with the chilli. I boast that I can deal with it. Then two bites in, my mouth is on fireplace, I’m sweating, silently cursing (and making an attempt my very hardest to not let my mates see how a lot I’m struggling), and discreetly guzzling ice water.
It’s all a part of the dumpling ritual.
What to serve with Siu Mai
Siu Mai is a Yum Cha / Dim Sum dish so it’s meant to be served as half of a bigger banquet. If you happen to’re impressed to attempt to make your individual Yum Cha banquet, listed here are among the dishes in my Yum Cha recipe assortment:
Yum Cha / Dim Sum favourites
Having mentioned that although, it’s clearly simply as pleasurable because the star attraction for a meal!!
To serve this as a meal, strive it with:
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Fried Rice or Steamed Rice
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For some greens, strive Steamed Chinese language Greens with Oyster Sauce, a Vegetable Stir Fry. If recent greens are wanting, Ginger Smashed Cucumbers or Chinese language Lettuce with Creamy Sesame Sauce are nice alternate options.
In fact, you’ll be able to simply devour as I normally do. Straight up, neat! – Johnsat x
PS And since my mom will probably be cranky if I don’t let this – there’s a Japanese model of Shumai too, they’re smaller and topped with peas and right here is the recipe on my mom’s web site, RecipeTin Japan.
Watch the way to make it
Ingredients
- 3 dried shiitake mushrooms , soaked in boiling water, finely chopped (Note 1)
- 350g/ 13oz pork mince (ground pork) , fatty (Note 2)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2.5 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp light soy sauce (Note 4)
- 1.5 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (aka Shaoxing wine, sub Mirin or dry sherry) (Note 5)
- 150g/5oz prawns/shrimp , peeled and deveined, chopped 0.5cm / 1/5″ (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp white part of green onions , finely minced (Note 6)
- 20 – 25 wonton wrappers / egg wrappers 8cm/3.5" squares or rounds (Note 7)
- 50g/1.5oz flying fish roe (Note 8 for alternatives)
Instructions
- Place pork, salt, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar with the pork meat/mince in a large mixing bowl. Mix vigorously with a spoon or use your hands until it becomes pasty (initially it will be crumbly) – about 30 seconds.
- Add mushrooms, prawns and green onions, mix until just dispersed (don’t crush the prawn meat).
- Form an “O” with your forefinger and thumb.
- Place a wonton wrapper over the “O”. Push in 1 heaped teaspoon of Filling and push down into the “O” hole.
- Use a butter knife to smear more Filling into until level with edge of wonton.
- Place on work surface and push down to flatten base and use fingers to shape into a round.
- Line a 30cm/12" bamboo steamer (or stove steamer) with baking paper with holes in it (Note 9)
- Fill a wok big enough to hold steamer with about 2 cups of water (Note 10). Bring to rapid simmer over medium high heat.
- Place Siu Mai in steamer (20 – 25 fits). Place lid on, place on wok over simmering water.
- Steam 8 minutes, or until internal temperature of dumplings is 75°C/165°F. (If yours are bigger due to larger wonton wrappers are bigger, they will take longer).
- Remove steamer from wok. Remove lid and place a tiny bit of roe in the middle of each dumpling.
- Serve immediate with dipping sauce!
- Provide soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar or normal white vinegar, Chinese chilli paste (or Sriracha or other chilli). Let people mix their own to their taste (I do: 3 parts soy, 1 part vinegar, as much chilli as I think I can handle).
Notes
1. Dried shiitake mushrooms – sold in Asian stores and Asian aisle of some grocery stores. Soak for 20 min in large bowl with boiling water. Squeeze out excess water, then finely chop.
2. Pork – fatty is better because fat = flavour and keeps the filling juicy. I like to get it from a butcher and ask them specifically, rather than packets at grocery stores (which tend to be lean). If you want to impress me, get a piece of skinless pork belly and pass it through a mincer or cut into 2.5cm/1″ cubes and pulse in food processor to make your own. 😉
If using your own ground pork belly rather than mince, add 1 small egg white and 1 tsp cornflour into the Filling mixture with the pork to help the mix bind.
CHICKEN could be used too but I highly recommend using a fatty cut (usually chicken mince is lean meat) to ensure filling stays juicy. Ask your butcher to ground chicken thighs with skin on if you can.
3. Prawns (shrimp) – if peeling raw whole ones, you’ll need 300g/10oz. Otherwise, use raw peeled one (thaw frozen). Smaller is better if you can, otherwise just chop away (as I do, because I’d rather do that than peel loads of small prawns).
Seafood allergy? Skip it and use more pork!
4. Soy sauce – use Light or normal soy sauce. Don’t use dark soy sauce (will stain filling dark colour and flavour is too strong). If you have Dark Soy, bottle will be labelled as such.
5. Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) – key ingredient in Chinese cooking for that extra depth of flavour and complexity in sauces and fillings. If you can’t consume alcohol, sub chicken stock/broth.
6. White part of green onions – also pale green part is ok. Sui Mai doesn’t have visible green bits in it.
7. Wonton wrappers – 8cm/3.5″ squares or rounds. Sold in Asian section (fridge) of large grocery stores (Coles, Woolies, Harris Farms) and Asian stores. SUB round white gyoza wrappers.
Proper Chinese Yum Cha / Dim Sum restaurants make it with round wrappers, strangely not even sold in Asian stores here in Sydney. It’s the same wrappers as the square wonton ones, just cut round.
Don’t bother cutting rounds, totally waste of time! Just use the square ones, then use a bit of water to fold the edges down. End result looks EXACTLY the same!
Gluten free option – see if you can find Tapioca white dumpling wrappers (round), they will work beautifully for this! The white dumpling wrappers are the classic wrappers used for Chinese dumplings at Yum Cha / Dim Sum – the ones that become a bit see through once steamed.
8. Flying fish roe (aka tobiko) – tiny little bright orange fish eggs used to garnish Siu Mai. Sold at Asian stores – or buy a couple of fish roe sashimi from the sushi shop and use the roe! SUB finely chopped carrot. It’s just visual – too little for flavour!
9. Steamer paper liner with holes in it (“perforated paper liner”) – required so they don’t stick but steam gets through. Can buy from Asian stores, but I always make my own. Fold sheet of baking/parchment paper in half, quarters, then keep going to form pointy thin triangle. Line pointy end in middle of steamer, then cut the end off (this shapes the paper round). On the folded edge of the triangle, snip out tiny triangles, and snip middle off. Unfold – voila! Steamer liner!
10. Wok size – just needs to be big enough so steamer can sit in it. Mine is JUST big enough – the steamer literally sits 1 cm / 2/5″ from top of rim!
11. Microwave steamer (with water) will work too but you lose about 25% juiciness (because you’re not just cooking with steam, the microwave is also cooking the meat). 5 minutes on medium heat or until internal temperature of dumplings is 75°C/160°F. Note: If your dumplings are bigger because wonton wrappers are bigger, they will take longer.
12. STORING – 100% perfect for freezing raw! Best to cook from frozen: 11 minutes steaming on stove, 7 minutes microwave steamer on medium.
Cooked wontons can be kept in the fridge for a few days, reheat in steamer or microwave covered for 1 minute on high.
13. Nutrition per dumpling.
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