Pork and Shrimp Shumai

Ingredients

• 24 wonton wrappers
• 350 g ground pork, not too lean
• 200 g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 80 g shiitake mushroom, stems removed
• 3 spring onion, very finely sliced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp white sugar
• ½ tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 carrot, cut into tiny dice

Method

1. 1.

   Chop the shrimp two ways — Pat the shrimp dry. Chop half of them to a coarse paste and the rest into pea-sized pieces, so the filling has both bounce and bite, then tip both into a large bowl with the pork and the finely diced shiitake.

2. 2.

   Stir the filling until springy — Add the spring onion, ginger, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, sesame oil, cornstarch, sugar, white pepper and salt. Stir hard, always in the same direction, for two to three minutes until the filling turns pale, tacky and springy and clings to the spoon in one mass.

3. 3.

   Chill for easier shaping — Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes. Cold filling holds its fat, which keeps the dumplings juicy, and it is far easier to shape.

4. 4.

   Shape the dumplings — Make a ring with your thumb and forefinger, drape a wrapper over it and push in a heaped tablespoon of filling. Squeeze gently to draw the wrapper into a waist, level the top with a wet spoon and tap the base flat so the dumpling stands upright.

5. 5.

   Crown with carrot and load the steamer — Press a few dice of carrot into the exposed filling of each one. Line a steamer basket with perforated baking paper or cabbage leaves and set the shumai out with about 2 cm between them, as they swell as they cook.

6. 6.

   Steam in batches — Steam over rapidly boiling water for about 9 minutes, until the wrappers look translucent and the filling feels firm and springy when pressed. Work in batches rather than crowding the basket.

7. 7.

   Rest, then serve with dipping sauce — Let the shumai rest in the basket off the heat for two minutes so the wrappers set and lift away cleanly, then serve hot with soy sauce and chilli oil for dipping.