Shumai (Shrimp and Pork Dumplings)
Flavorful Pork Dumplings with crunchy shrimps, bouncy pork, and fragrant mushrooms. Great make-ahead freezer meals
Flavorful Pork Dumplings with crunchy shrimps, bouncy pork, and fragrant mushrooms. Great make-ahead freezer meals
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 pound tiger prawns (finely chopped or shrimps)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon oil (optional)
- 2 tablespoons chicken stock (unsalted)
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (ground)
- 3/4 stalk green onions (finely chopped)
- 2 slices ginger (grated)
- 1-2 shiitake mushrooms (dried re-hydrated and finely chopped (see tips))
- 20-24 wonton wrappers (round)
- Carbohydrate 0.304890259368952 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.225478051335502 g
- Fiber 0.00492474398470432 g
- Protein 0.0469222620289379 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0320279756469045 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -24 piece (25g)
- Sodium 66.8123209350394 mg
- Sugar 0.299965515384248 g
- Trans Fat 0.00998124104061007 g
- Calories 4 calories
Step-by-step
- Pat dry the shrimps with paper towels. Place the chopped shrimps in a medium mixing bowl. Add in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Place the ground pork in a large mixing bowl. Pour in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, white pepper, sugar, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, and chicken stock.
- Squeeze and mix the seasoned ground pork with your hands, then throw it against the mixing bowl until it resembles a paste-like consistency. Wash your hands and do the same with the seasoned shrimps. Put the pastes into the fridge and prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Finely chop green onions and re-hydrated shiitake mushrooms. Grate the ginger slices.
- Remove the pork and shrimp pastes from the fridge. Pour all the ingredients into the ground pork paste mixing bowl. Squeeze and mix the ingredients with your hands until blended. Remember to throw the paste against the mixing bowl!!
- Place a wonton wrapper on one hand. Scoop roughly 3/4 - 1 tablespoon of mixed paste on the wonton wrapper with a butter knife or the dull end of a spoon. Then, wrap it into a cylinder shape with an open top.
- Place a parchment liner into the bamboo steamer, then place the Shumai on the liner. Close the bamboo steamer lid.
- Place a steamer rack and pour one cup of water into the Instant Pot. Place the bamboo steamer filled with Shumai into the pressure cooker. Close lid and cook on Manual at High Pressure for 3 minutes. Wait for another 5 minutes and do a Quick Release.
- Remove the bamboo steamer from the pot and enjoy them immediately!
Replacing Shaoxing wine with dry sherry or pale dry vermouth alters the volatile aromatic profile by introducing different ester compounds, though the acidity remains comparable for tenderizing the pork proteins. Achieving the signature bouncy mouthfeel of these dumplings requires mechanical agitation, a process where myosin filaments in the ground pork are extracted through hand-kneading and forcefully throwing the paste against the bowl until the mixture develops a sticky, cohesive matrix. This physical manipulation cross-links the proteins to trap moisture efficiently, preventing the filling from drying out during the three-minute high-pressure steaming cycle in the Instant Pot. Cooling the separated shrimp and pork pastes in the refrigerator before combining them keeps the animal fats solid, ensuring distinct pockets of moisture and a better textural contrast against the finely chopped re-hydrated shiitake mushrooms and crisp green onions. Scaling the batch upward requires dividing the final mixture into smaller working portions to maintain internal refrigeration temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit during the wrapping stage, which preserves food safety and prevents premature fat rendering.
