Whether listed on the menu or featured on the dim sum cart at your local Chinese restaurant, har gow (xia jiao), or steamed shrimp dumplings, are often the most popular item ordered, and one of the classic dishes on which dim sum chefs used to be judged. Silky on the outside with a chewy and flavorful filling, these dumplings are made of translucent wrappers that hold a shrimp and vegetable mixture seasoned with rice wine and sesame oil. It makes for a flavorful, delicate, and light-tasting pocket of food.
The most challenging part of har gow is handling the dough, which is very sticky and can break apart easily, but as long as you follow the instructions, get multiple people involved, and don’t rush, it’s a rewarding effort.
These steamed dumplings are a perfect appetizer or a side dish with other dim sum classics such as buns, other dumplings filled with pork, or lotus leaf wraps. You’ll need a bamboo steamer and a heat-resistant plate that fits inside it, but you can find those in most kitchenware stores, Chinese supermarkets, or online. Serve fresh from the steamer with hot chili oil or soy sauce for dipping.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
6 ounces shrimp, peeled, deveined, and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped bamboo shoots
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped green onion
3/4 teaspoon Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons cornstarchFor the Dough:
3/4 cup wheat starch
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 cup boiling water, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oilFor Shaping the Dough:
1/3 cup vegetable oil, or as neededFor Serving:
Hot chili oil, to taste
Soy sauce, to tasteSteps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
Make the Filling
In a medium-sized bowl, place the shrimp, bamboo shoots, green onions, rice wine, sesame oil, salt, pepper, egg white, and cornstarch. Mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to give the flavors a chance to meld.
Make the Dumpling Dough
In a medium bowl, combine the wheat starch, tapioca starch, and the salt.
Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of the boiling water. Add the oil and carefully use your hands to shape into a dough.
Add the remaining boiling water if the dough is too dry. Don’t overwork the dough, but continue shaping it for about 2 minutes, until it is smooth and shiny.
Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Form the Dumplings
Coat a paper towel with vegetable oil and use it to oil your cutting board or work surface and the broad side of a cutting knife or cleaver. Keep the dough covered to prevent it from drying out while preparing the dumplings.
Break off 1 teaspoon of the dough and roll into a ball. Flatten the ball of dough by pressing it in the palm of your hand.
Lay the dough on the oiled work surface and press down on it with the oiled side of the knife or cleaver to form a circle that is 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide.
Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper, spreading it out evenly, without it touching the edges.
Carefully lift the top edge of the wrapper and fold it over the filling toward you to obtain a half-circle shape. Use your thumb and forefinger to form pleats in the dough, and pinch the edges closed.
Repeat the process until you have used all of the dough and filling, always greasing the work surface with vegetable oil when needed. Place the completed dumplings on a plate and cover with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out while preparing the remainder of the dumplings.
Cook the Dumplings
Add 2 inches of water to a wok that is at least 2 inches wider than the bottom of your steamer; bring to a boil.
Arrange an oiled plate inside the steamer. Place a few har gow on the oiled plate, cover, and place the bamboo steamer on top of the boiling water in the prepared pan. Steam the dumplings in batches, until the wrapper is translucent and the shrimp appear slightly orange, around 13 to 15 minutes per batch.
Serve the har gow with chili oil and soy sauce for dipping. Enjoy!
Is the Dough for Dumplings Gluten-Free?
Most doughs used to make dumplings are wheat-based and thus not suitable for a gluten-free diet. Some doughs, like the one used in this recipe, are made out of wheat starch and tapioca starch, which are technically two gluten-free ingredients. Sourced from wheat, wheat starch is a carbohydrate used to stabilize many baking products, as is tapioca starch, but it can still contain traces of gluten depending on where it was sourced from and therefore, not suitable for people who adhere to a strict gluten-free diet.
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