Steamed Pork Baskets
Siu Mai - China
Makes about 48 dumplings
These tasty dumplings are
among the most popular and quickest selling of all Chinese appetizers, a fact
that has earned them the name siu mai, or “cook-and-sell” dumplings. Except
for their round shape, the thin dough sheets used for making them are identical
to square wonton wrappers, which may be substituted.
Filling
4 dried Chinese
black mushrooms, soaked in warm water to cover for 30 minutes
1 lb (500 g) coarsely
chopped pork
butt
3/4 lb (375 g) shrimp
(prawns), peeled, deveined, patted dry and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup (1 1/4 oz/37 g)
finely chopped bamboo
shoots
1 1/2 tablespoons light
soy sauce
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60 ml)
chicken stock
1 tablespoon cornstarch
(cornflour)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch of ground white pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame
oil
1/2 lb (250 g) siu mai
wrappers or wonton
wrappers (about 48 wrappers)
Vegetable
oil
To make the filling,
remove the mushrooms from the water and squeeze dry. Cut off the stems and
discard. Finely chop the caps and place in a bowl. Add the pork, shrimp, bamboo
shoots, soy sauce, chicken stock, cornstarch, salt, sugar, white pepper and
sesame oil. Stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or as
long as overnight.
Place 1 tablespoon of the
filling in the middle of a wrapper. (If using wonton wrappers, trim the corners
with scissors to make rounds.) Bring the edges of the wrapper up and around the
filling. With your index finger and thumb, pinch tiny pleats around the sides to
form a straight-sided fluted basket. Tap down the filling to firm it up and
leave the top open-faced. Wrap your index finger around the midsection to give
the basket a waist, then tap the bottom of the dumpling against the countertop
so that it flattens slightly and can stand on its own. Set on a baking sheet,
cover with a sheet of waxed paper and continue making the dumplings with the
remaining wrappers and filling.
Bring a wok half full of
water to a boil. Grease the bottom of a bamboo steaming basket or a heatproof
plate with vegetable oil. Arrange the dumplings in the basket or on the plate,
keeping them separate. Set the steaming basket in the wok or the plate on a rack
in the wok; cover and steam over (not touching) the boiling water for 15
minutes.
Remove the basket or
plate from the steamer and serve the dumplings hot or at room temperature. Store
any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat by steaming for 5
minutes or place in a microwave for 1 minute on high power.
Per
Serving
Calories: 222
Carbohydrates: 14g
Fat: 10g
Sodium: 412mg
Cholesterol: 81mg
Protein: 18g