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Siu Mai Chinese Steamed Pork Dumplings
Siu mai, which is also spelt shu mai, is a Chinese dim sum appetizer. There are many regional variations of these delicious little dumplings. Cantonese siu mai are made with ground meat but Shanghai siu mai are made with glutinous rice or sticky rice. You can use any toppings on this Chinese dumpling recipe you like, including the appealing egg, mushroom, green onion, and bell pepper garnish used in this one.
This recipe is colorful and looks very tempting. Asian appetizers are popular at buffets and parties and your guests will adore these. Siu mai dumplings are usually steamed but they can also be fried. Hot appetizer recipes like these Chinese dumplings are great served with a dipping sauce - sweet chili is a great choice.
If you want to make shrimp appetizers, you will love the way the flavor of tiger prawns and pork combines in this siu mai recipe. Perhaps you think that pork and shrimp is an odd combination but these two ingredients actually feature together in a lot of Chinese recipes and the flavor is great. If you do like this flavor pairing, what about making some bacon wrapped shrimp too, for a similar taste?
Chinese Pork and Shrimp Appetizers
Ingredients -
30 wonton wrappers
4 water chestnuts, finely chopped
18 tiger prawns
¼ lb ground pork
4 green onion stalks, finely chopped
4 minced cloves garlic
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 egg yolks, hard-boiled and finely chopped
¼ cup mushrooms, finely chopped
Preparation:
Chop the pork and shrimp into very fine pieces and combine them.
Add the water chestnuts, garlic, and half the green onions.
Pour in the sesame oil, soy sauce, mirin, and Chinese rice wine and add the cornstarch and white sugar.
Stir the mixture well.
Spoon a teaspoon of this filling into the centre of each wonton wrapper, gathering the wonton wrappers up and forming a "waist" and press all four sides in towards the center.
Arrange the 4 toppings on top of the pork mixture - the egg yolk, green onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper - so the siu mai look like the ones in the photo.
Brush the edges of the wonton wrappers with water and press them together so the fillings stay in.
Keep the wonton wrappers under a damp towel so they do not dry out before you use them.
Put some foil or parchment paper in a bamboo steamer and put the siu mai on top.
Steam them over a high heat for about 12 minutes.
Serve them hot with sweet chili sauce on the side for dipping.
(Makes 30)
Photo Description:
These delicious little Chinese appetizers are really stunning looking. If you want to serve something colorful and impressive, these siu mai dumplings are ideal. They are quite healthy too and this version of siu mai is steamed rather than being fried. Serve these on a buffet table as finger food or give each person a couple on a small plate if you are having a sit-down dinner. They are small enough to eat as finger food or, if you are at the table, you can serve chopsticks for an authentic Asian eating experience. Some chili sauce, satay sauce, or soy sauce on the side is a nice touch.
