I am one of those people, probably like most others, who order dim sum instead of cooking it. Making dough for Har Gow, a shrimp steamed dumpling, is not an easy task and I acknowledge Marion’s Kitchen YouTube channel for the recipe. It requires patience and some skill to roll the dough into little blankets and then fold the edges just right.
The careful pairing of tea for this dish is both a necessity and a joy. A Hairy Crab oolong tea is floral, flavorful, and at the same time refreshing, like springtime after winter. The combination allows you to experience the integrity of the cooked shrimp with added refreshment. The tea flushes off the fat, leaving the flavors of shrimp and floral notes of the tea. Perfection!
Filling Ingredients
7 oz chopped prawns
1 teaspoon pork lard
1/3 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Dough Ingredients
7/8 cup wheat starch
2 oz cornstarch
1 teaspoon pork lard
6 oz boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
To make the dough, in a medium bowl combine wheat starch and salt. Add boiling water and stir a few times, allowing the water to incorporate with the dry ingredients. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. Place the thick consistency (as yet unfinished dough) onto a countertop and incorporate half the amount of cornstarch by folding and kneading it thoroughly. Add the rest of the cornstarch in the same way, creating a soft consistent dough. The last step is adding the lard. Fold the dough a few times until the lard is incorporated and the dough is softer. Roll the dough into a long log shape and cut it into 3 pieces, each about 4½ inches long. Place the dough logs in a bowl that will fit into your steamer, cover them with bio-plastic wrap, and rest for 15 minutes.
Moving on to the filling, mix together the chopped prawns, salt, white pepper, sugar, grated ginger, lard, and sesame oil. Set aside.
Place your bamboo steamer on top of the pot containing boiling water and turn the heat off. Place the bowl of dough in the steamer. Do not cover the steamer with a lid. This technique will make your dough easier to work with.
After 2 minutes, remove 1 log of pastry and slice it into six¾ inch pieces. Use canola or grapeseed oil on your hands, on both sides of the dough piece, on the countertop, and on the rolling pin. Use the rolling pin and your knife to roll and press the dough piece to be slightly thinner than a dime and 2 inches in diameter. Carefully lift the rolled little blanket of dough into your hand with ascraper and place a teaspoon of the filling in the center. Put the dough back on the countertop, fold the bottom over, and start pleating the left side of the dumpling first. Do the pleats on the right side and press both pleats to seal. Pick up the dumpling and cut the excess pleated edge with scissors. Repeat the process for the other dumplings. Cook for 6 minutes in a lid-covered steamer on medium heat. I hope you made it!
Serve immediately, accompanied by its perfectly made-in-heaven partner, Hairy Crab oolong.
