Author: Spoon Fork Bacon

What are Shrimp Shumai?

Shrimp shumai (also pronounced siu mai or shao mai) are a popular Cantonese steamed dumpling  often served at Chinese, dim-sum restaurants.

How to make Shrimp Shumai

1. In a food processor pulse together garlic, ginger and lemongrass.
2. Add half of the shrimp and the remaining filling ingredients and pulse together until a paste forms. – This will help to keep the shumai together.
3. Add remaining chopped shrimp to the paste mixture and fold together. This will give the shumai filling some nice texture.
4. Place 1/2 tablespoon sized amount of filling onto center of each wonton wrapper and form, using dabs of water to fold edges down.
5. Fill a steamer with water and top basket with a single layer of lettuce leaves.
6. Arrange shumai onto lettuce leaves, about an inch apart.
7. Cover, place over heat and steam for 8 to 10minutes.
8. Remove from heat and serve with a simple dipping sauce.

How do you form Shumai?

Have ready a stack of your wonton wrappers, your shrimp mixture, a spoon, a towel in case you need to wipe your fingers off, and a small bowl of water.

1. With your non-dominate hand, form a circle with your fingers. Place the wonton wrapper over the hole you have made with you hand.
   
2. Gently press the wonton wrapper into your hand to create a cavity for the shrimp mixture to sit in.
   
3. The cavity should be deep enough to hold about half a tablespoon of the shrimp mixture inside. The edges of the wonton wrapper that lay on top of your hand will be folded down later. Be sure to not make your cavity too deep, that will just leave your edges messy.
   
4. Using a spoon, place the shrimp mixture in the cavity. We like to use a gently scraping method when we do this. You can use the spoon to gently pack the mixture down and create a clean top.
5. Gently wet your fingers in your bowl of water. Stick the edges of the wonton wrapper that are resting on top of your hand down to the sides on the shrimp shumai. You may need to re-dip your fingers. The water works as an adhesive between the layers of wonton.
6. Place a scallion slice on the top of each shrimp shumai.

Steaming

When you are steaming shrimp shumai, you always line the basket with lettuce leaves (or steamer linrs) to prevent the shu mai from sticking to the basket. You also want to ensure that the shumai are not touching each other because they will stick together. I love my Jia Ceramic Steamer. It’s thoughtfully designed and so beautiful. For this entire recipe, you will have to cook them in batches. They are best served right away, but if you prefer to serve them all at once you can place them onto a plate and cover to keep the steam in until you are ready to serve. I love using a bowl upside down on a plate to cover them.

Freeze Ahead

To make ahead and freeze, fill and form shrimp shumai as directed. Place uncooked shrimp shumai onto a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart and place in freezer until fully frozen. Once fully frozen, transfer shumai to a resealable bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months.

How do you cook Frozen Shrimp Shumai?

When ready to use, steam frozen (do not thaw) as directed, but add an additional 8 to 10 minutes to the cook time.

What can you eat with Shrimp Shumai?

While these little bites are delicious on their own, you can also serve them with other dim sum dishes like our pork potstickers, which are just as delicious and also freeze really well. You can also serve these alongside our garlic noodles and our Asian style green beans with crispy pork belly for a complete meal!