Shumai | Shrimp & Pork Dumplings Recipe

These open-faced dumplings or Shumai 燒賣 are juicy and flavorful. Filled with ground pork, shrimps, and mushrooms, they are often served at dim sum and can be easily made at home.

Compare a map of China to any other country in the world to understand how a filling dish like Shumai (or Shu Mai 燒賣) has earned several different names. It basically comes down to which part of the world they’re prepared and served.

What is Shu Mai?

Shumai or (Shu Mai) 燒賣 is synonymous with Dim sum, mention steamed dumplings to give others an idea of what’s for dinner and you’ll bring up memories of lamb shumai from Mongolia or Cantonese dumplings filled with shrimp (Shrimp Shumai). Some recipes use a thin outer layer of unleavened, round dough for each dumpling. You can watch the video below.

Wrappings

This is one of my favorite styles because of the decorative pleat border that leaves the shumai filling partially in view after steaming.

Creating shumai wrapping is much easier than potsticker wraps. Simply leave a bit of space at the top of the dumpling and press the top to get the pleats. Be sure to leave an open space for perfect steaming!

If you're a visual learner, you can watch the video below on how to wrap the shumai, it's super easy and simple to make.

If you prefer to skip the pleats, add filling and press it so it leaves an open spot for the steam to vent.

There are more reasons to add a favorite shumai recipe to your file of cooking favorites. Chinese food is a popular dish and these small dumplings are perfect as an appetizer or snack.

Not only are they simple to prepare, they:

• Look and taste delicious.
• Have fillings that can be changed to fit the occasion.
• Can be stuffed to the brim to make them more filling.



Fillings

When buying ground pork or chicken, choose the fattier mix that contains at least 20% fat, this way your shumai will end up tender and juicy once cooked.

You can use a food processor to make the filling when pressed for time, However, I enjoy hand-chopping the filling ingredients. It’s a great way to get a variety of textures and size.

Shrimp, mushrooms, and veggies like carrots and green onion make a flavorful filling.

Prepare the mix the day before, cover it, and place it in the refrigerator to give the flavors time to blend. Wrap the shumai just before they are steamed since the wrappers absorb moisture from the filling. You don’t want them to get mushy.



Store and cook frozen

My favorite part of making these delicious dumplings is that they freeze well. Do you have a dinner party or other special event in store?

Wrap the Shumai 燒賣 and freeze them until they are ready to cook. There’s no need for them to thaw. Just steam and serve. They’ll taste fresh and savory.

What a delicious way to be prepared for a special event!

How long do you steam siu mai

When cooking this dish, just boil enough water into the pot that is approximately 1 inch below the bottom of the steamer. Arrange the dumplings in batches to avoid overcrowding the steamer basket and steam the fresh Siu Mai until cooked through for about 8 minutes. Steam the frozen Shumai (no thawing needed) for about 15 minutes or until cooked.

Ingredients

Filling Ingredients:

• 10 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
• ½ lb shelled and deveined raw shrimp finely chopped
• 1 lb ground pork 20% fat
• 1 carrot grated (yields about ½ cup)
• 4 green onions finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder

Step by step instructions

1 Soak the mushrooms in hot water until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water. Mince into small pieces.
2 In a bowl, combine the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix well, until the paste becomes sticky.
3 Take a Shumai wrapper and add about 1 tablespoon filling to the center. Turn up the sides of the wrapper around the filling and lightly squeeze to form a pleat shape, leaving the top open. Space the Shumai about 1 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
4 Line your steamer with a clean, wet dish towel or lightly greased paper parchment. Transfer the Shumai into the steamer, one finger’s width apart. Cover and steam over boiling water for 8 - 12 minutes or until cooked through.
5 Serve with dumpling dipping sauce of your choice. Store and cook frozen (no thawing needed).

Notes

• You can prepare these shu mai ahead of time and store in the freezer.
• When reheating, place them in a lightly greased baking sheet and steam without thawing or defrosting. Just bring the water to a boil and steam until thoroughly cooked around 12-15 minutes.

Watch the video how to wrap (Chinese Style):


Credit: NYTheCook

 
 

Full Recipe


Pork and Shrimp ShuMai
5 from 2 votes
These open-faced dumplings or Shumai 燒賣 are juicy and flavorful. Filled with ground pork, shrimps, and mushrooms, they are often served at dim sum and can be easily made at home.
Servings: 30
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 53 minutes
Ingredients:
Filling Ingredients:
• ▢ 10 medium dried shiitake mushrooms
• ▢ ½ lb shelled and deveined raw shrimp finely chopped
• ▢ 1 lb ground pork 20% fat
• ▢ 1 carrot grated (yields about ½ cup)
• ▢ 4 green onions finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
Instructions:
• Soak the mushrooms in hot water until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze excess water. Mince into small pieces.
• In a bowl, combine the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix well, until the paste becomes sticky.
• Take a Shumai wrapper and add about 1 tablespoon filling to the center. Turn up the sides of the wrapper around the filling and lightly squeeze to form a pleat shape, leaving the top open. Space the Shumai about 1 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.
• Line your steamer with a clean, wet dish towel or lightly greased paper parchment. Transfer the Shumai into the steamer, one finger’s width apart. Cover and steam over boiling water for 8 - 12 minutes or until cooked through.
• Serve with dumpling dipping sauce of your choice. Store and cook frozen (no thawing needed).
Notes
1.) You can prepare these shu mai ahead of time and store in the freezer.
2.) When reheating, place them in a lightly greased baking sheet and steam without thawing or defrosting. Just bring the water to a boil and steam until thoroughly cooked around 12-15 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 60.54kcal | Carbohydrates: 1.38g | Protein: 4.61g | Fat: 3.99g | Saturated Fat: 1.36g | Sodium: 75.57mg | Fiber: 0.27g | Sugar: 0.19g
Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Did you make this?I would love seeing what you've made! Tag me on Instagram @theforkbitedotcom or leave me a comment or rating below.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keywords: pork and shrimp shumai, shrimp shu mai, shrimp shu mai recipe, shrimp shumai recipes, Shu Mai, Shumai, shumai recipe