烧卖
Siu Mai
Some siu mai purists consider the addition of seafood to the traditional all-meat filling to be outrageous. However, the prawns (shrimp) add depth and contrast to the flavour of the pork and it is now common practice in dim sum kitchens.
makes 30
FILLING
180 g (6 oz) prawns (shrimp)
80 g (2¾ oz/½ cup) peeled water chestnuts
450 g (1 lb) minced (ground) pork
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1½ tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine
2 teaspoons roasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 spring onion (scallion), finely chopped
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
To make the filling, peel and devein the prawns. Place in a tea towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible, then roughly chop.
Blanch the water chestnuts in a pan of boiling water for 1 minute, then refresh in cold water. Drain, pat dry and roughly chop them. Place the prawns, water chestnuts, minced pork and the remaining filling ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the centre of a dumpling wrapper. Gather up the edges of the wrapper around the filling. Holding the dumpling between your thumb and index finger, lightly squeeze it to form a ‘waist’, while at the same time pushing up the filling from the bottom with the other hand to create a flat base. Smooth the surface of the filling with a knife dipped in water.
Place the dumplings well apart in four steamers lined with greaseproof paper punched with holes. Put a small dot of shrimp roe in the centre of the filling in each dumpling if using. Cover and steam over simmering water in a wok, reversing the steamers halfway through, for 15 minutes. Serve with a dipping sauce.
Hold the siu mai firmly in your hand and smooth the surface of the filling with a knife dipped in water to prevent it sticking.
