Cantonese Shumai (Siu Mai)

Cantonese shumai, also known as siu mai and shao mai, is one of the post popular dim sum items. They are stuffed with juicy, savory pork and shrimp filling speckled with fragrant shiitake mushrooms, wrapped in thin yellow wrappers, and garnished with tobiko (roe). These shumai are toothsome, bouncy, with delight mouthfeel and texture that makes you coming back for second, third, and fourth bites! Pair these shumai with some salt and pepper tofu, chinese garlic green beans, and some baked char siu bao to start your at-home dim sum!

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Jump to:

• What is shumai?
• How to eat shumai and what to eat with it
• Ingredient notes
• The secret ingredient: lard
• How to make Cantonese shumai (siu mai)
• Storage
• Reheating
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Feedback

What is shumai?

Shumai, also known as siu mai in Cantonese and shāo mai (烧卖) in Mandarin, is a classic and extremely popular dim sum item. It's a style of Chinese dumplings that's open-faced and encased in a yellow wrapper. The filling is usually made with a mixture of pork, shrimp, and sometimes shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions, and/or bamboo shoots.

So why is it called shumai? Shumai is most likely the Japanese adaptation of siu mai and later the term that became most popularly used in America. So feel free to use shumai, siu mai, and shao mai interchangeably.

How to eat shumai and what to eat with it

Because shumai is so flavorful and tasty as they are, you can totally enjoy them on their own without any dipping sauce. But if you're a sauce person, we recommend dipping in some Chinese black vinegar or chili oil, or a combination of both. Some people also like to add very finely julienned (sticks) ginger to their vinegar. Also, do enjoy the shumai while they are hot for the best flavor, juiciness, and texture!

Here are some are of our favorite foods to enjoy with shumai:

• Chinese smashed cucumber salad
• Dumplings - Pork and chive dumplings or pork and cabbage dumplings
• Cheung fun (rice noodle rolls)
• Lo bak go (turnip cakes)
• Char siu pork and baked BBQ pork bao
• Salt and pepper tofu
• Hot teas - Pu'er, chrysanthemum, jasmine, oolong, and green tea are some of the classic choices

Ingredient notes

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!

The main ingredients:

• Pork shoulder - This is the most ideal cut of meat for making shumai filling because it's got just enough fat to lean meat. We DO NOT recommend using lean cuts of pork like pork chops and pork loin. Another great cut is boneless country ribs.
  • Also, we highly recommend that you cut the pork by hand if possible to achieve the best shumai texture. But in a pinch, you can use ground pork instead. The drawback is that the shumai won't be as toothsome and bouncy and may be less juicy as well. If using ground pork, make sure to use at least one with 30 percent fat.
• Shrimps - Classic shumai are usually made with a combination of pork and shrimp. You can use whatever size shrimps you'd like.
• Dried shiitake mushrooms - These mushrooms will require rehydrating before use. They add a lot of flavor and fragrance to the filling. Along with shiitake mushrooms, sometimes water chestnuts, green onions, bamboo shoots, and/or black fungus mushrooms may be added as well.
• Shumai wrappers - Shumai wrappers can be hard to find, unless you live in the metropolitan cities like Los Angelos or NYC. Luckily, wonton wrappers are great substitutes. All that's needed is a quick trimming. Also, wonton wrappers come in deep yellow and a pale yellow. For the most classic look, deep yellow colored wrappers.

The rest of the ingredients:

• Water - To add extra moisture to the filling so that it's as juicy as possible.
• Lard - Not only does lard keep the filling juicier, it also ensure that the filling is tender and flavorful. You can use store bought lard or make it at home. Check out the overview in the next section!
• Potato starch - Starch is added for a couple of reasons. The main reason is to help bind and protect the filling, which gives the filling a tender, bouncy texture. The starch also absorbs the seasoning and the added moisture, which also helps the filling stay juicy and flavorful. Cornstarch can be used as a substitute.
• Shaoxing rice wine - Like for most Chinese recipes, the shaoxing rice wine makes the shumai more fragrant and flavorful, but more importantly, helps get rid of unwanted pork and shrimp flavors.
• Sugar, salt, white pepper - These three season the filling and help to round out the flavor. Using sugar may seem shocking, but it really helps to balance out the flavor, so don't skip it!
• Chicken bouillon powder - On top of flavoring the filling, bouillon powder enhances the flavor of the filling and makes it more fragrant and flavorful.
• Sesame oil - A little toasted sesame oil adds that subtle toasted, nuttiness to the shumai filling. Just another layer of flavor we're building.
• Roe, carrot, or peas - These are the optional garnishes you can put on top of each shumai. The roe should be added after the shumai are cooked, but the carrot and peas can be added before steamining.

The secret ingredient: lard

Yup! Lard is the secret ingredient that will bring your shumai from great to amazing! It adds flavor and protects the filling from drying out, keeping everything juicy. You can use store-bought lard or make it yourself, which is actually quite easy to make and all that's needed is some pork fat!

If you can purchase pork fat from your butcher, that will save you a step and some time. But if not, no fret! You can either save fatty trimmings from pork bellies or but pork skin from your butcher. Look for ones that have a lot of fat attached.

How to make Cantonese shumai (siu mai)

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe and instructions!

Prepare the ingredients and equipment:

1. Soak and mince the shiitake. Rehydrate the dried shiitake mushrooms by cover them in hot water. Let them soak for at least 15 minutes or until rehydrated. Once rehydrated, trim and discard the stem and mince the mushroom cap. Set aside.

2. Mince the pork. Cut the pork shoulder into no thicker than ¼ inch slices, then into no thicker than ¼ inch strips. Next, cut the strips into tiny pieces, no larger than ¼ inch or pea size. Place it into the stand mixer bowl.

📝 Note: If making the filing by hand instead of a mixer, give the pork a few chops, back and forth, until it's a little paste-like and the pork is roughly minced. Place it into a large mixing bowl.

3. Smash the shrimps. Place a shrimp flat on the cutting board and crush it with the flat side of your knife. You can simply place your palm on the knife and press down firmly. If you have a cleaver, one to two smacks with the flat side will do as well. Repeat with all the shrimps, then give the shrimps a few chops back and forth. Set aside.

4. Prepare trays and steam basket. Line a sheet tray or plates with cling wrap and a butter knife, spoon, or a small cake spatula. Also prepare a bamboo basket lined with perforated parchment circle. You can make your own or, if you prefer, cut thin slices if carrot to use as liners for each shumai.

5. Trim the wonton wrapper. If you're using wonton wrappers, cut the four corners off the wrappers to make it an octagon. The trimmed pieces can be fried up and enjoyed in soups like egg drop soup and wonton soup or enjoyed as chips with sweet and sour sauce.

Make the filling (stand mixer method):

1. Mix pork and shrimp. Place the finely chopped pork shoulder into the stand mixer bowl. Using a paddle attachment, mix the pork on medium speed until the pork starts to stick together.

Then add the crushed shrimp. Mix on medium speed everything is well combined and the mixture looks a little paste-like. Next, add the water and mix on low to medium low speed until the water is absorbed.

2. Season. To the pork and shrimp mixture, add the lard and potato starch. Mix on low speed until well combined.

Then add the remaining seasonings: shaoxing rice wine, sugar, bouillon powder, salt, sesame oil, and white pepper. Mix on low speed until well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides as needed.

3. Add shiitake. Finish by adding the minced shiitake mushrooms and mix on low speed until combined. If you have time, cover and allow the filling to marinate in the fridge for at least 15 to 30 minutes or even overnight.

Make the filling (by hand):

1. Mix pork and shrimps. Place the finely chopped pork into a large mixing bowl. Knead and mix the pork vigorously until the pork starts to feel sticky and a little paste-like. To the pork, add the shrimps and mix vigorously until well combined. Add the water and mix slowly to incorporate the water, then mix vigorously until water is absorbed and the filling is no longer loose.

2. Season. To the pork and shrimp mixture, add the lard and potato starch. Mix until well combined. Then mix in the remaining seasonings: shaoxing rice wine, sugar, bouillon powder, salt, sesame oil, and white pepper.

3. Add shiitake. To finish, add the minced shiitake mushrooms and mix well. If you have time, cover and allow the filling to marinate in the fridge for at least 15 to 30 minutes or even overnight.

How to wrap shumai:

1. Using a butter knife, place about 2 tablespoons of filling at the middle of a sheet of shumai wrapper. Spread the edge of the filling around the wrapper.

2. With your left hand, form an 'O' with your fingers and position the shumai wrapper over it. You can hold the wrapper upside-down on the spatula or butter knife while you make the adjustments.

With the butter knife in your right hand, gently push down at the center of the filling while shifting your left hand until the shumai forms a cup.

Gently squeeze the shumai to ensure that the wrapper sticks to the filling. Remove or add a little more filling as needed to fill up the wrapper and use the butter knife to smooth out the top of the filling. The shumai should be about 1 inch wide and a little more than 1 inch tall.

🌟 Pro tip: To make the bottoms of your shumai flat, gently drop or tap the shumai onto your work surface a couple of times.

3. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers and place the assembled shumai on the prepared sheet pan. Avoid letting the shumai touch. Assembled shumai can be cooked immediately or frozen for storing.

How to cook shumai:

1. Boil water. Add about 1 inch of water into a wok or a pot large enough to sit the steam basket over. Bring the water to to a boil.

2. Arrange shumai in steam basket. Meanwhile, place the shumai in the prepared steamed basket lined with perforated parchment, making sure there is at least ½ inch of space between each.

3. If garnishing with peas or finely diced carrots. Go ahead and place a small amount of the carrot or one pea at the center of each shumai.

4. Steam the shumai. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to keep the water at a high simmer. Place the steam basket over the water and cover with lid. Allow the shumai to steam until the filling is cooked through, about 10 minutes for freshly made ones or 13 to 14 minutes for frozen ones. Once cooked, remove the basket off the heat.

🚨Caution! Be very careful! The steam is HOT!

5. If garnishing with roe. Place small amounts of roe at the center of each shumai once they are cooked and off of the heat.

Storage

Shumai is best enjoyed fresh for the best texture and flavor. So it's highly recommended that you only cook as much as you will be eating. The most best way to store shumai is to freeze them while they are raw.

For leftover cooked shumai: Allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for up to 3 to 4 days.

To freeze: Arrange the uncooked shumai on a cling wrap lined sheet pan or freezer safe plate. Make sure the shumai does not touch. Place them into the freezer and allow them to harden completely, about at least 2 hours or overnight. Once the shumai are frozen, transfer them into an airtight container or a freezer bag. The shumai can be frozen for up to 2 to 3 months. To cook: Steam the frozen shumai as you would the freshly made ones, but for 13 to 14 minutes or until the filling is cooked through.

Reheating

Leftover shumai can be reheated in the microwave or by steaming.

Microwave method: Arrange the shumai in a loosely covered microwave safe container and heat until hot.

Steaming method: Place the shumai in steam basket lined with perforated parchment circle. Steam over high simmering water for about 5 minutes or until the shumai is heated through.

FAQ

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