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Chinese Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

The filling for the dumplings will all be made in the food processor, one step at a time. Follow the directions and everything will come out perfectly.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 1 pound fresh peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • 1 2-3 inch piece fresh ginger peeled
  • 1 can whole water chestnuts drained
  • 2 bunches scallions both white and green parts cut into fourths
  • 12 dried Chinese mushrooms rehydrated in hot water and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons Chinese sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Assembly:

  • 72 shiu mai wrappers or wonton wrappers about 2 12 ounce packages
  • Boston or Bibb lettuce for lining the steamer basket
  • 72 frozen peas

Soy and Vinegar Sauce:

  • ¼ cup light soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • Hoisin sauce purchased

Instructions

For the filling:

  1. Pulse the shrimp in a food processor until they are chopped, but not pureed. About 6-7 pulses. You want to have recognizable pieces. Remove to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add the ground pork to the mixing bowl with the shrimp.
  3. With the lid on the food processor, and the feed tube open at the top, turn on the food processor and drop the fresh ginger in from the top. This is the best way to chop ginger evenly. With the ginger still in the bowl, open the lid and add the scallions, water chestnuts, mushrooms and cilantro. Pulse about 12 times until everything is just chopped and add the mixture to the shrimp and pork.
  4. To the mixture in the bowl, with a rubber spatula, stir in the soy sauce,cornstarch, sesame oil, sherry, sugar and salt until well blended. Use a light touch so as not to pack the mixture down.

Assembling the dumplings:

  1. Put a small dish of water on your table. Working with one wrapper at a time, and keeping the remaining wrappers in the package, place one tablespoon of the shrimp and pork mixture in the center of each circle or square. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, dab a bit of water around the edge of the wrapper. Gather the wrapper up and around the filling, squeezing and pleating it with your fingers to bring the wrapper together like a pouch.

  2. Place the dumplings on a large piece of waxed or parchment paper covered lightly with plastic wrap, and repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling until all the dumplings are formed. You can steam the shiu mai immediately or freeze and steam them later. To freeze them, transfer the dumplings, still on the waxed paper to a cookie sheet and place in the freezer, lightly covered with plastic wrap for 2-3 hours. Put the dumplings in plastic ziplock bags and freeze until ready to steam them.

  3. Set a steamer over a wok with 3 inches of water in the bottom. Line the steamer with lettuceleaves to keep the dumplings from sticking. Cover the steamer and turn the heat to medium-high. When steam begins to escape from the steamer, arrange the fresh or frozen dumplings in the steamer so that they don’t touch. Steam until the pork is cooked through (cut into one to check), about 10 minutes. When done, remove from the steamer and make another batch, if more dumplings are needed.

For the Soy Vinegar Sauce:

  1. Serve with soy sauce mixed with rice vinegar and sugar with a dish of hoisin sauce on the side.