Siomai a la Kam

As mentioned in one of my previous posts, we love shu mai. I remember celebrating Piano man's birthday with 6 orders of Hen Lin shu mai rather than eating at a fancy resto. I figured creating my own version shouldn't be that bad. Nothing that a good garlic chili with toyomansi can't fix. 

The first batch I made was not a big success, Piano man's comment was, the wrapper was too thick, making the shu mai a bit chewy and too starchy-tasting (though he still finished the whole thing).  And then I came across this article in the LA times about how they searched for the best shu mai/dumpling wrapper in terms of thickness and quality. Thanks to that article, the next shu mai batches I made were a hit and I love seeing Piano man's eyes lit up whenever I tell him shu mai's the ulam (dinner).

What you need:

1 lb. ground pork 

1/2 lb. shrimp, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

around 4-5 stalks of green onions, chopped

1 small can of water chestnuts, chopped

1/4 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped

1 tbsp. Lee Kum Kee chicken powder

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. oyster sauce

1 tsp. Chinese cooking wine

1 tbsp. flour

Pinch of salt and pepper to taste

One egg beaten, for sealing

1 pack Dynasty gyoza wrappers

How it's done:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure your hands are clean because, just like Paula Deen says it, the best mixing tool are your hands. Mix well.

Prepare your workstation. A clean counter top or a huge chopping board will do. I usually place 1 heaping teaspoon per wrapper. Get a small pastry brush, and brush the sides of the wrapper and then seal. Don't close totally, you want a bit of meat showing on top. 

Low quality pic from my camera phone :b

To cook, you can use the steamer in your rice cooker. I found a great bamboo steamer from a garage sale  that I place on top of a wok with boiling water. I also bought a steaming cloth from a Daiso, that works great so that the shu mai does not stick. I think cheese cloth, wax paper or foil would also do fine. 

Steam for 30-40 minutes. Serve with soy sauce, lime and chili garlic sauce. 

Kam's Tips:

- Healthier option: Use ground chicken on ground turkey instead of pork. 

- Shrimp can also be substituted with crab or scallops.

- Have extra wrappers? Here are more great recipes using gyoza/dumpling wrappers:

  * Crab Rangoon

  * Pansit Molo

  * Edemame Dumplings

Kitchen Gadgets Used:

- Black and Decker mini-chopper

- Bamboo Steamer