🥟 Har Gow - Pork and Prawn Dumplings

This is a challenging but fun Yum Cha item to make. Make sure the water is completely boiling. 

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Execution time: 1 hours 

INGREDIENTS 

For the filling 

• 170g prawn meat, finely chopped 

• 1 tbsp pork lard 

• 1 knob of ginger, minced 

• ½ tsp sugar 

• ½ tsp soy sauce 

• ¼ tsp salt 

• ¼ tsp sesame oil 

• 1 pinch white pepper 

For the dough: 

• 75g wheat starch 

• 35g tapioca starch 

• ½ tsp salt 

• 175g boiling water 

•  30g corn flour 

• 10g pork lard 

METHOD

1. Using a chopstick, mix the wheat starch and hot water in a mixing bowl until the dough starts to come together. Allow the dough to rest, covered for 15 minutes. 

2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, add in half of the corn flour and knead it for 2 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth. Knead in the rest of the corn flour. Knead in the lard. Rest the dough for 10 minutes covered.

3. Divide the dough into 12 pieces. 

4. Dusting the surface of the table with a little flour, use a rolling pin, pushing forward only to roll the dough out. After every push with the rolling pin, rotate the dough 45 degrees and continue until the dough is 3mm thick. 

🥟 Chee Cheong Fun - Steamed Rice Rolls with Pork, Prawns and Spring Onions 

These rice rolls are a quintessential part of the Yum Cha experience. You can fill them with a variety of different toppings. The important thing is to make the batter in advance.  

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Execution time: 1 hours 

INGREDIENTS 

Rice Batter: 

• 60g rice flour 

• 5g wheat starch 

• 5g tapioca starch 

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil 

• 2g salt

• 250ml Water 

Prawn: 

• 3 pieces prawn, diced 

Seasoned Pork Mince: 

• 100g pork mince 

• 2 tsp vegetable oil 

• 1 tsp soy sauce 

• 1 tsp sesame oil 

• 1 tsp sugar 

• 1 pinch white pepper 

• 1 clove of garlic, minced 

• 2x2x2cm knob of ginger, mince 

For the Sweet Soy Sauce: 

• 60ml chicken stock 

• 45ml  soy sauce 

• 2 tsp sugar 

• 1 tsp sesame oil 

For the Spring Onion Oil: 

• 1 spring onion, finely chopped 

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil. 

METHOD 

1. To make the batter: Whisk together all the ingredients in a mixing bowl until combined. 

2. Mix the batter at least 1 hour before you cook with it so that rice flour has a chance to hydrate. 

3. Seasoned Pork Mince: Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Add in the vegetable oil and pork mince and cook for 2-3 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula until all of the water has evaporated, and it begins to brown.

4.  Add in the garlic and ginger, and cook for 1 minute. Add in the remaining ingredients, and cook until the mince has absorbed nearly all of the liquid. 

5. For Sweet Soy Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mix to ensure that the sugar is dissolved. 

6. For the Spring Onion Oil: Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat until it is 180C. Place the spring onions in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the hot oil over the spring onions. 

7. For the rice rolls: Place 1cm of water in a wide frying pan fitted with a lid. Heat the water to a simmer. 

8. Find a stainless steel tray or non-stick tray that is smaller than the diameter of the base of the pan. Spay the inside of the pan with oil. Place 25ml of the batter into the pan. Place a piece of prawn, a very small amount of the pork mince, spring onion oil and a piece of prawn on top of the batter. Steam for 1-2 minutes until the prawns are cooked and the batter has set. Using a spatula, roll the rice roll around the fillings. Pour a little bit of the sweet soy sauce over the rice rolls to serve. 

🥟 Shumai - Open-face Pork and Prawn Wontons  

These are classic dumplings from Hong Kong or Guangzhou.  

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 20 minutes 

Execution time: 1 hours 

INGREDIENTS

For the filling 

• 80g prawn meat, dice 

• ¼ tsp baking soda

• 140g minced pork belly 

• 2 dried shiitake mushroom, rehydrated in water for 1 hour, minced

• 1 spring onion, minced finely

• 1 tsp soy sauce 

• ½ tsp sugar 

• ¼ tsp white pepper 

• 16-18 Wonton wrappers- cut with a circular cutter. 

To garnish: 

• 40g tobiko (flying fish roe) for garnish

• 4 sheets of banana leaf (cut to the size of steamer basket) 

METHOD 

1. Mix the filling ingredients together in a mixing bowl. 

2. Using a metal ring cutter, trim the wonton wrappers into a circular shape. 

3. Prepare a steamer, and steamer basket line with either baking paper or banana leaf sprayed with vegetable oil. 

4. To fill the dumplings, place about 1 tbsp of the filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. 

5. Press the wonton wrapper around the filling and use the back of a spoon to press the remaining dumpling filling into the wrapper. The final shape should be cylindrical. Garnish with ½ tsp of tobiko roe on top. 

6. Steam the shumai for 7-8 minutes.