The Best Pork Siu Mai Recipe | Dim Sum Central (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between dim sum and siu mai? ›

Dim Sim is the name of a Chinese-inspired snack that is shaped like a Siu Mai – i.e. a cylinder of meat and vegetable filling, partially wrapped in a pastry. Although the appearances are similar, Dim Sims and Siu Mai have different ingredients and taste completely different to one another.

Wrappers for siu mai, like dumpling wrappers, are round-shaped, but they are yellow-colored, thinner, and extra slippery, similar to Cantonese-style wonton wrappers, which are square-shaped. The yellow color comes from lye water, an alkaline solution that gives the dough a springy texture.

Do your steamed dumplings always come out soggy? That's a result of too much moisture in the filling.

Sauce for Siu Mai

You'll find dumpling joints provide a selection of soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar or white vinegar and some kind of Chilli Paste, then you make your own. I usually do: 3 parts soy sauce. 1 part vinegar.

As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, siumaai is also referred to as "pork and mushroom dumpling".

Siu mai. The most famous of all dim sum, this pork, shrimp and mushroom dumpling also comes in a fish variety that is commonly sold as street food. In Hong Kong, we recognise siu mai by its yellow skin and orange adornments of either fish eggs or diced carrot, but this dumpling has many incarnations.

The classic approach is to pleat the wrapper so that the dumpling curves and is stable enough to stand up and brown on its flat side. Traditionally, you gather one side of the wrapper into a series of pleats and seal them to the other side, which remains flat.

Siomai. Another widely cherished dish is siomai, a type of traditional Chinese dumpling. Filipino siomai, however, is unique. Its filling is a combination of ground pork, shrimp, mushrooms, and finely chopped vegetables.

Put the steamer into the pot and steam the siomai for 15 to 20 minutes. Lower the steamer basket into the pot or place the bamboo steamer directly onto the skillet. Cover the pot or put the lid on the bamboo steamer. Steam until the filling inside the siomai reaches 165 °F (74 °C) with an instant read thermometer.

The better quality shumais will likely use a fish roe as a topper, which steams into tiny orange pearls. You won't taste it; it's purely ornamental. Some dim sum parlors, however, may choose to save money by using minced carrots or dried goji berries. Other times you may see shumai topped with a green pea.

Is hoisin sauce good for dumplings? ›

These Easy Asian Dumplings with Hoisin Dipping Sauce are one of our favorite appetizers to serve a crowd. The filling is packed with salty cabbage, crisp carrots and shiitake mushrooms, then stuffed into wonton wrappers and pan-fried. They're delicious and completely addictive!

I would serve Siu Mai (Shu Mai) with perfectly fried Fried Shrimp Balls , Gai Lan with Oyster Sauce (my go-to vegetable dish at Dim Sum) and some kind of Fried Rice! If you are in the mood for more dumplings, I would make my Pork and Chive Dumplings!

Siu mai, also known as shumai, literally means 'cooking and selling'. The name shows that it was originally a restaurant dish, something to sell, not to make at home. Siu mai were first prepared and sold in teahouses along the Silk Road, where hungry salesmen stopped for tea.

Siu mai has a very savoury and umami taste. The lye water dough that wraps the filling makes the siu mai chewy.

While the “shumai” is commonly filled with a mixture of both meat, mushrooms, and other ingredients, the local siomai is predominantly known to be all meat. Whether it's also got shrimp in the mix, too, or not is a matter of preference but it's commonly flavorful ground pork that's stuffed into the dumpling wrappers.