C – One of my favorite shops on Clement St. in San Francisco is a small dim sum shop.
It’s a clever shop that markets their dim sum differently than the others on the street. Instead of displaying beautiful baked goods, they show their amazing cooks working effortlessly to make incredible creations.
Every time I have walked by, there is another beautiful thing they are creating. I always watch in amazement. I try to watch their hands. They move so quickly to create each individual piece of dim sum. It’s like magic. So quickly that you really can’t catch how they fold the dim sum.
It’s such an amazing spectacle. I can see why they have a line out the door on weekends.
I wish I could make my dim sum as beautiful as theirs. I am sure I could do it, if I made dim sum everyday for about 20 years or so. Like the cooks have at that shop.
I wanted to try making some pork and shrimp siu mai. It’s a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I first bought very thin wrappers. They didn’t work out well. Too big. I ended up putting too much filling in them, which took a really long time to cook. I ended up overcooking the wrapper and making them mushy. So, I bought new wrappers that were a little thicker and smaller. They were perfect.
The folding was also a little harder than I thought it was going to be. But, after a few tries I finally got the hang of it.
These siu mai dumplings actually turned out pretty. I was happy. I loved the taste test. Each one was filled with lots of meat. Dipped in some soy sauce, they are perfect.
| Dim Sum Week: Pork and Shrimp Siu Mai |
- 3 dried Chinese black or Shiitake mushrooms
- 6 ounces peeled, deveined large shrimp
- 1 green onion
- 1 tsp minced ginger
- ¾ cup ground pork
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- about 20 gyoza wrappers (or won ton wrappers cut into circles).
- ½ carrot, finely chopped
- Soften the mushrooms by soaking in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess water. Cut off the stems.
- Soak the shrimp in warm, lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Pat dry.
- Mince the mushrooms, shrimp and green onion. Combine with the ginger and pork. Stir in the seasonings. Mix the filling ingredients thoroughly.
- Lay a gyoza wrapper in front of you. Wet the edges. Put 2 to 3 teaspoons of filling in the middle, taking care not to get too close to the edges. Gather up the edges of the wrapper and gently pleat so that it forms a basket shape, with the top of the filling exposed.
- Steam over boiling water until the filling is cooked through (5 to 10 minutes).
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
I know I can’t be like the cooks at that dim sum shop making those beautiful dumplings. But, these didn’t turn out too bad.
Maybe, with a few years of training, I should apply to work there. Just kidding. There’s no way they would hire me.
Adapted from: http://chinesefood.about.com/od/dimsumdumplings/r/siumai.htm