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Shumai

While dumplings originated in China around 2,000 years ago, most cultures have their version of the savory tidbits wrapped in a simple wheat dough: the Polish pirogi, Turkish manti, Japanese gyoza, Indian kozhukkatta, Italian ravioli and many more. Shumai (from the Cantonese “siu mai,” which means “cook and sell”) is an ancient Chinese version, filled with minced pork, shrimp, mushroom, onion and ginger and seasoned with soy sauce, cooking wine, and sesame oil. 

What really sets shumai apart from other dumplings is that the filling is not completely enclosed, so you don’t have to worry about them exploding or coming undone while cooking. They are steamed gently and never fail to make it to the plate intact. The Japanese variations are typically smaller, and use a more finely ground filling with fewer ingredients. Here I incorporated Chinese and Japanese elements, using a pork and shrimp filling topped with juicy ikura and served with a mirin-based dipping sauce. 

The key to a perfect shumai is achieving a thin and delicate wrapper; not a beginner skill, but a fun challenge for the more experienced pasta maker. Prepare your pasta dough and your filling ahead of time. Chill for at least an hour and up to 24-hours before you assemble and steam your shumai. I also recommend cooking up a sample-sized of the filling before chilling to make sure the texture and seasoning are pleasing. You can always adjust to suit your taste.

  • Yield: 26 dumplings 1x

Ingredients

Scale

Shumai

  • 10 oz (or ½ batch) Perfect Pasta Dough 
  • 12 oz ground pork (I like using half pork belly and half pork shoulder)
  • 6 oz shrimp
  • ⅓ cup finally chopped shitake, Chinese black or other mushroom (we used black trumpets)
  • ⅓ cup scallions medium dice
  • 1/3 cup onion, medium dice
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing or mirin cooking wine
  • 1 tbsp ginger, fine dice
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 oz ikura or garnish of choice (tobiko, carrots, or peas)

Dipping Sauce

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • ½ tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • ½ tsp fresh garlic, grated (optional)
  • 4 tbsp water

Instructions

Shumai Wrappers (prepare 1-24 hours before assembling shumai) 

  1. Take one 3”x5”x1” dough block from the Perfect Pasta recipe and dust generously with flour, roll it out two double it’s length(12inches)and cut in half again. Roll through on the second-to-last setting, dusting as needed, until the second to last setting on your pasta roller.
  2. Dust your sheets with flour and cut into circles using a 3-inch biscuit cutter. Stack your circles, taking care to use enough flour so that they don’t stick together. Cover with plastic until ready to fill. Combine scrap dough and set aside to be resheeted later.

Shumai Filling

  1. Peel and devein shrimp. Coarsely chop.
  2. Dice vegetables. 
  3. If using ground pork, blend in a food processor with salt for about 20 seconds until it forms a paste. If you’re usually belly or shoulder, rough chop before adding to the food processor.
  4. Add ginger, scallions and onions and other ingredients except shrimp.
  5. Pulse for five to ten seconds until partially mixed, then add shrimp. Pulse lightly until shrimp is incorporated but there are still some chunks.
  6. Take a tablespoon and fry it in the pan for a taste test. Adjust texture and seasoning if needed. 
  7. Chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour and up to 24 hours before assembling shumai.

Assembly

  1. Line steamer baskets with cabbage or other leafy greens (we used Swiss chard from the garden)
  2. Place approximately  1 tbsp of filling in the center of each wrapper while the wrapper lays on top of the circle created by your thumb and forefinger touching at the tips. Press the filling into the hole created by your thumb and forefinger, bringing the edges of the wrapper to the top of the filling. You’re essentially forming a filled cup with an open top. With a little practice this becomes very easy.
  3. Place shumai in steamer baskets. Steam for 7-10 minutes until internal temperature reaches 150°.
  4. Garnish with ikura, peas, diced carrot, tobiko or other topping of choice and serve with dipping sauce.

  • Author: Ben Lester
  • Category: recipes
  • Cuisine: Asian

Find it online: https://localgrain.org/shumai/