Cantonese Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)
Cantonese crystal shrimp dumplings, aka Har Gow (shui jing xia jiao / 水晶虾饺), are one of the most iconic dim sum dishes in tea house restaurants. Since first tackling this dish, the author has continuously improved it, picking up insider tips and tricks, and finally perfecting it, so consider this a true culinary dim sum demo to help you achieve restaurant-quality results.
Ingredients
| 142 g | skinless pork belly | |
| 300 g | peeled and deveined shrimp | |
| 1/2 tsp | 2.5 ml | salt |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | sugar |
| 1 Tbsp | 15 ml | soy sauce |
| 1/3 tsp | 1.7 ml | ground white pepper |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | minced baby bamboo shoot |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | minced carrot |
| 1.5 tsp | 7.5 ml | minced ginger |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | minced garlic |
| 1.5 Tbsp | 23 ml | diced scallion |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | sesame oil |
| 185 g | wheat starch (for wrapper) | |
| 57 g | tapioca starch (for wrapper) | |
| 1/4 tsp | 1.3 ml | salt (for wrapper) |
| 300 g | water (for wrapper) | |
| 11 g | room temperature pork lard | |
| 2 tsp | 10 ml | vegetable oil (to apply on the cleaver) |
Instructions
Make the filling: 1) Slice the skinless pork belly into 1/8-inch slabs, stack, cut into thin strips, then dice; set aside. The bit of fatty pork belly brings a rich taste. 2) Smash the shrimp one by one with a heavy cleaver or meat tenderizer, then roughly chop with the cleaver for about 40 seconds. 3) Add the chopped shrimp, soy sauce, white pepper, and sugar to a bowl and stir in one direction for a few minutes; grab the shrimp paste and throw it against the bowl with force for a minute to gelatinize the protein and bind everything. 4) Add the diced pork belly, carrot, bamboo shoots, minced ginger, garlic, scallions, and sesame oil. 5) Stir in one direction until well combined, then chill in the fridge while you work on the wrappers.
Make the wrapper dough: 1) Combine the wheat starch and tapioca starch and mix well. 2) Add the water and salt to a non-stick pot, cover, and bring to a boil over medium heat. 3) Move the pot off the stove and quickly add half the starch mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula until no dry flour remains. 4) Add the other half and stir for a couple of minutes; cover and let the starch rest in its own steam for 10 minutes or until lukewarm. 5) Scrape onto a work surface and knead until a rough dough forms; add the pork lard and knead until the oil is absorbed and the dough is smooth, non-stick, and elastic. 6) Test by slowly pulling it – it should stretch long. Adjust with more starch if sticky or more water if hard. 7) Roll into a long log and divide into 32 even pieces (16g each); cover to prevent drying.
Press the wrappers: 1) Place one piece cut-side vertical and flatten into a small round pancake. 2) Rub a thin layer of oil on the cleaver with kitchen paper; put the oiled blade on the dough and apply heavy pressure until pressed into a round disk (2.5in / 6cm). 3) Move the cleaver in a circular motion with steady pressure 8-10 times until you make a round wrapper about 4in / 10cm in diameter. (Why not a rolling pin: the starch dough lacks gluten so it won't form a perfect circle with a pin; a cleaver is more professional, or use a tortilla press.)
Wrap and steam: 1) Put 1 Tbsp filling on the wrapper, slightly off-center, and pack tight. 2) Mark 2 points 1.5 inches apart on the far edge and start folding pleats. 3) Repeat pleats until 1.5 inches of wrapper is left, then push the unpleated part toward the pleats and seal. 4) Place flat-side down and gently pull back the belly for a classic shrimp dumpling; repeat with the rest. 5) Cut small holes in parchment or a banana leaf and place in the steamer to prevent sticking. 6) Add the dumplings. 7) Fill the steamer pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat, set the steamer above, and steam 8 minutes. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Meal-prep tip: Make a lot and freeze before cooking for up to 2 months; steam without defrosting (it takes a bit longer). Ingredient tips: bamboo shoot gives an essential crunchy texture – if unavailable, substitute jicama, celery, kohlrabi, or broccoli stems. Pork lard can be replaced by vegetable oil or butter.