Last Updated on 17 December 2023 by cooksimply
It’s always a treat for us to go to dim sum. What is classed as essentially breakfast/brunch in China is much more of an event here in the UK, because there aren’t (unless we head to Chinatown in London), that many restaurants that do it properly close by. I particularly like choosing from the trolleys that wheel round to each table, groaning with an assortment of different dishes that all look so tasty. And ever since I was a kid, one of my favourite dim sum is siu mai. These little dumplings are filled with tasty prawns and pork and steamed. I can easily eat several in one sitting.
If you’re a fan like me and think that these might be too difficult to make at home, then think again! Here’s my easy Chinese siu mai pork recipe – and the hardest part is having to wait for them to cook.
What is siu mai?
Traditionally, shumai is made from only pork, but Cantonese-style siu mai has ground prawns/shrimp in it too mixed with staple Chinese ingredients including soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and ginger. Then the filling is wrapped and then steamed. They are fantastic as a snack, appetiser, or part of a larger meal but however you eat these siu mai pork dumplings, it will be impossible to have just a few!
How to prepare the siu mai
You’ll come across lots of different variations of siu mai recipes, some dotted with orange fish roe on top (I’m not so keen) and filled with mushrooms and chopped chestnuts. And while my siu mai pork may not be traditional or even wrapped as delicately as some you may find in restaurants, they are bursting with flavour. Whenever I make these, my father always laughs and tells me my siu mai are so much bigger than the ones he normally orders. Perhaps it’s my inexperience in wrapping, or my overzealous filling, but I like big dumplings!
The filling is so easy to make. Literally, throw all the ingredients together and using your hand, combine well. I like to use lean pork mince, as find it much easier, but more old-school methods include chopping up pork belly finely with a cleaver or large knife. I also chop the prawns roughly too with my cleaver as it’s quick and easy. If you are really short on time, you can throw all of the ingredients into a food processor to make the siumai filling.
Round wonton wrappers or square?
To make this siu mai recipe you will need wonton wrappers that can be brought from Asian supermarkets but should you get round ones or square? Well, traditionally they are made with round wrappers, but you will find it easier to buy square ones. And, having actually made siu mai with both shapes, I find it easier to use the square wrappers and then tuck the edges down with a little water. They still look the same.
For wrapping, you can find how I do it in the full recipe below.
How to cook siu mai?
I like to use a bamboo steamer over a wok with boiling water, however, you can also use an Instant Pot or any type of steamer, even a microwave steamer. You could even use a deep large pan, and place something solid and heat resistant, like an upside-down ramekin, to raise a plate of dumplings above the water, and cover and cook that way.
You need to use oiled grease-proof paper in a steamer, so the siu mai won’t stick while cooking. However, the paper needs to be perforated to allow the steam to penetrate the dumplings. How do you do this? Well, you can watch this video to see how. I promise it will be so much easier than me explaining! Or even better, you can buy bamboo steamer liners here.
Can I freeze siu mai?
If you want to batch cook a lot in one go, you can freeze them raw, and then steam straight from frozen for around 12 minutes. You can also store them in a suitable container in the fridge for two days, and then reheat them again for 1-2 minutes. But I’ll be honest, I’d be very surprised if you had any left going spare.
Easy siu mai pork dumplings
Ingredients
- 300 g of pork mince or ground pork
- 250 g of raw prawns peeled, deveined and chopped
- 2 spring onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons of shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon of sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
- 24 won ton wrappers
- 3 tablespoons of water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the pork, prawns, spring onions, light soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, ginger, sesame oil and pepper with your hand. It will take a few minutes, but eventually, the mixture will become paste-like. Once you’re happy with the consistency, your siu mai filling is ready to wrap.
- To see how I wrap my siu mai watch the video below. Keep a small bowl of water nearby. Add a heaped teaspoon to the middle of the wrapper and then roughly wrap the sides up against the filling, folding over as you go. Forming an O with your thumb and forefinger, push the wrapper through the O, forming a tight seal around the top of dumpling. Using a knife, push the filling to the edges and push down like you're pushing the filling in to a pocket. And then using some water, neaten the edges and push them down, all the while keeping the dumpling held tightly. Place the dumpling on a flat surface and push down to flatten the bottom so it will stand upright.
- Put the dumplings in a steamer, lined with oiled greaseproof paper (see notes above for greaseproof paper method). In a large wok or pot, fill with 3 inches of boiling water and steam the siu mai over a high heat for around 8-10 minutes. Eat hot, and serve with soy and chilli sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make these dumplings?
Please let me know if you gave this siu mai recipe a try. Leave a comment below and tag @cooksimplyathome on Instagram. You can find other delicious meal ideas here.
Amazing and so tasty
I’d never attempted dumplings as I thought they’d be way too complicated, but love how all your recipes make them so achievable.