How to make shuumai / shumai dumplings
Shuumai or shumai dumplings are a
standby for
dim sum,
and are very well suited to bentos. They are small, freeze very well,
and are a lot easier to make than
gyoza
dumplings.
You’ve probably encountered shuumai
dumplings in the freezer section of Asian or Japanese grocery stores.
Frozen ones are usually pretty good, but if you make them yourself
you know exactly what you put in them. I just make a double or triple
batch whenever I decide to make shuumai for dinner. (I sit myself
down in front of the TV with my dumpling ingredients and go at it.)
Just follow along with the photos and you’ll be turning out lots of
shuumai yourself.
Step-by-step: Basic shuumai
You will need:
Shuumai skins. Shuumai skins are
square, and are a bit smaller than wonton skins. This is a Japanese
brand, but there are Chinese brands too. They are made simply of
flour and water. (I guess you could make your own skins, but to me
that crosses the line into Too Much Work.)
- Filling of your choice. I made two type of shuumai here,
shrimp and vegan tofu. The recipes for both fillings are at the end
of this article. Whatever filling you use, it should sort of stick
together when formed into a ball.
Place a skin on your hand. (The skins do tend to dry out and
become brittle quickly, so keep the rest covered with a damp cloth or
under an upside down bowl while you work.)
Put about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in
the middle of the skin.
Make a circle with your thumb and
forefinger.
Push the shuumai skin down into the
circle formed by your finger and thumb.
Squeeze the dumpling gently from the
sides, while pressing the top and bottom.
Here is a shuumai from the side.
A completed shuumai. It should be a
little cylinder shape that is taller than it’s wide, since it will
spread out a bit horizontally when you cook it.
Optionally decorate the top with a
green pea or an edamame. Frozen is fine.
To cook, oil the bottom of a steamer
and place the shuumai in there so that don’t touch. (If you squish
them in too tightly they will get stuck to each other.) Steam for
10-15 minutes.
Alternatively, you can steam-panfry them in a non-stick frying
pan. Add a little oil to the pan, put in the shuumai, add water to
about half the height of the shuumai, and cook with a lid on for
about 10 minutes. This steam-panfrying method is similar to the one
used for
gyoza
dumplings.
Here are the two types of shuumai I made. The vegan ones are
decorated with green peas to differentiate them from the undecorated
shrimp shuumai.
Recipe: Shrimp shuumai filling
This makes about 25 to 30 shuumai, depending on how much you pack
into each skin.
225 g / 1/2lb uncooked shrimp
(fresh or frozen), roughly chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
120 g / 4 oz ground pork
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. shaoxing wine or mirin
1/2 Tbs. sesame oil
Pinch of salt
Ground pepper
- 1 Tbs. cornstarch or potato starch
Combine the pork, ginger, seasonings and cornstarch, and mix well
until it forms a paste. Add the onions and shrimp and mix very well.
Use to fill shuumai skins.
(Shaoxing wine is type of Chinese rice wine. Mirin or sake can be
substituted, or sherry.)
Recipe: Vegan tofu filling
This makes enough to fill 25-30 dumplings.
1/3 cup cooked whole grain (such
as brown rice, barley, wheat berries)
120 g / 4 oz extra firm tofu, very
well drained
4 large fresh shiitake mushrooms,
finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 Tbs. miso
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. sesame oil
Ground pepper
Pinch of sugar
- 1-2 Tbs. cornstarch or potato starch
Lightly fry the cooked grains in half of the sesame oil until the
grains are a bit toasty. Let cool.
Mash the tofu until it’s quite smooth. Add the rest of the
ingredients and mix well. If it seems too wet, add a little more
cornstarch or potato starch. Use to fill shuumai skins. Shuumai made
with this filling will be softer than the shrimp shuumai. This
mixture has quite a lot of flavor so you probably don’t need a
dipping sauce.
Any filling that holds together when formed into little balls will
work as a shuumai filling. Experiment!