Shumai (Cantonese Pork and Shrimp Dumplings)

Ingredients

• 300g ground pork (around 20% fat)
• 200g shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and minced
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 0.25 tsp white pepper
• 20 round yellow wonton or shumai wrappers
• 20 fresh or frozen peas, for garnish

Before you cook

• Chop half the shrimp into a fine paste and the other half into small pieces.
• Stir the ground pork vigorously in one direction for 5 minutes until it turns pale and sticky.
• Fold the shrimp, minced shiitake, ginger, scallion, Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and white pepper into the pork.
• Cover and refrigerate the filling for 15 minutes.

Steps

1. Hold a wrapper flat in one hand and spoon a tablespoon of filling into the center.
2. Gently gather the edges of the wrapper up around the filling, pleating them so the top stays open.
3. Squeeze lightly around the middle so the dumpling cinches in like a little cup, then tap the base flat on the counter so it stands upright.
4. Press a pea into the top of the filling.
5. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
6. Line a steamer basket with parchment or cabbage leaves and arrange the dumplings with space between them.
7. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 9 minutes until the filling is firm and glossy.
8. Serve hot, straight from the steamer.