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Shrimp Dumplings
(Ha Gow)

This recipe is for 32 dumplings.

Ingredients for the filling:

  • 3/4 lb. (340 g) medium shrimp
  • 1/3 cup (40 g) minced bamboo shoots, water chestnuts or jicama
  • 1 green onion (optional)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 teaspoons sake
  • 1 teaspoon Mirin (sweet sake) or 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil [1]
  • 1/2 teaspoon black bean garlic sauce or soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
Ingredients for the dough:
  • 1 1/4 cups (150 g) wheat starch
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca flour/starch or wheat starch
  • 1 cup (240 cc) boiling hot chicken broth
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Instructions:

  1. Peel and devein the shrimp. Cut the shrimp into 1/2-inch segments. Mix with the rest of the filling ingredients and set aside.
  2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients for the dough. With wooden chopsticks, stir in the boiling hot chicken broth and the vegetable oil.
  3. Sprinkle wheat starch over a wooden cutting board or other appropriate kneading surface. When the dough is still hot, start kneading the dough until it becomes smooth. If the dough is sticky, you may need to add more wheat starch.
  4. Cut the dough into 4 sections and roll each section into an 8-inch cylinder, using the palms of your hands. For this recipe, cut each cylinder into 8 pieces. Cover with plastic to keep the dough moist while you flatten each piece.
  5. The trick to making the wrapper into a near-perfect circle is to sandwich the piece of dough between two pieces of parchment paper and flatten it using the bottom of a pan. Then you can use a rolling pin to roll them out more. You want your wrappers to be at least 3 1/2" wide.
  6. Fold 8 narrow pleats, where each pleat overlaps the previous pleat halfway. You should leave about 1/3 of the edge without pleats.
  7. While avoiding the edges of the dough, use a small spoon to place a teaspoon of filling into the center of the wrapper.
  8. Press the edges of the dough together, forming a half circle. Put it on your working surface, pressing the bottom of the dumpling. Fill the remaining wrappers until you have about 32 dumplings.
  9. Using a steamer, cook the dumplings over high heat for 7 minutes. Remove the steamer from the heat and let the dumplings settle for 3 minutes before moving them. Serve dumplings hot.

Notes:

  • [1] There are two main types of sesame oil: Cold-pressed sesame oil and toasted sesame oil. Cold-pressed sesame oil has a light yellow color while toasted sesame oil is dark brown.
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