paper-thin siu mai

siu mai is a traditional Chinese snack that should be familiar to everyone. It's commonly sold at many street food stalls and can also be found in various restaurants of different levels. This snack has a long history. The name "paper skin" speaks for itself – the skin is very thin, to the point where you can even see the filling through it. When you take a bite, despite the thin outer layer, it has a resilient texture. The filling inside is typically a mixture of pork and mushrooms, with tender and juicy meat, making it incredibly flavorful and unforgettable.

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POSTED:20/05/2024

Level:Easy

Yield:2-3 servings

Total:30 min

(includes chilling time)

Active:5 min

The outer skin of the paper-thin siu mai is crystal clear, so thin that light shines through! The dark sauce-colored sticky rice filling is visible to the naked eye, almost bursting out! Before making paper-thin siu mai, let's first learn some tips and tricks!

1、How can you make the filling more flavorful?

Frying the filling and rice before steaming allows the rice to absorb the broth fully, enhancing the flavor. If the rice is steamed before mixing with the filling, even though it absorbs some broth, it's mostly on the surface, affecting the moisture of the filling. This method increases the difficulty, especially for paper-thin siu mai skins.

2、How do you choose the skin for paper-thin siu mai?

You can buy ready-made dumpling wrappers, but homemade ones made from scratch are tastier.

3、How long is the suitable cooking time for paper-thin siu mai?

Because all the ingredients except the wrapper are already cooked, and the dumpling wrapper is very thin, the steaming time for this type of siu mai doesn't need to be too long, about 10 minutes should be enough. If you can't finish them, you can let them cool and store them in the refrigerator. When you want to eat them, just reheat them, and they'll be ready to enjoy.

4、How do you store paper-thin siu mai?

If you have siu mai that you can't finish in one meal, you can freeze the remaining paper-thin siu mai. Just spray some water on them before steaming each time, and the siu mai wrapper will become soft and tender.

With these tips in hand, I believe everyone can quickly make an authentic paper-thin siu mai. You can also adjust the seasoning and change the additional ingredients according to your own taste preferences. Next, let's get hands-on and make them together!

INGREDIENTS

MAIN INGREDIENTS

500 grams of glutinous rice

ACCESSORIES

50-100 grams of pork belly
8-10 dried shiitake mushrooms
half a carrot
half a pound of dumpling wrappers

SEASONINGS

Some oil
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons of light soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
a sprinkle of five-spice powder
a small amount of white sugar
some salt

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Let's start by preparing the ingredients. For making siu mai, you'll need dried shiitake mushrooms. Soak them in water beforehand, and save the soaking liquid. After they're soaked, chop them into small pieces. Peel the carrot and dice it into small pieces as well.

STEP 2

Cut the pork belly into small pieces or simply buy ground pork. Heat oil in a pan, then add the pork and stir-fry until fragrant and browned. Add the chopped mushrooms and carrots, stir-fry until evenly mixed. Season with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, five-spice powder, sugar, and salt. Add a small amount of the soaking liquid from the mushrooms. Stir-fry all ingredients until partially cooked, then set aside for later use.

STEP 3

Wash the glutinous rice thoroughly and place it in a basket. Put the basket in the inner pot of the rice cooker and add water until it reaches the same level as the glutinous rice. Steaming the rice in this way will result in rice with a good texture and distinct grains.

STEP 4

After the glutinous rice is steamed, use a spatula to stir it evenly to let it cool down.

STEP 5

Once the glutinous rice is cool enough to handle, add it to the previously prepared filling and mix well. The siu mai filling is now ready. You can taste it and make final adjustments to the saltiness as needed.

STEP 6

Take several store-bought dumpling wrappers and stack them together, rolling them out to about twice their original size. Shape the filling into small balls, approximately 65 grams each. Use the rolled-out dumpling wrappers to wrap the filling, similar to making dumplings, sealing them tightly. Now, each paper-thin siu mai is wrapped and ready.

STEP 7

Once all the siu mai are wrapped, you can steam them. When there's steam coming out of the pot, steam for about 8 minutes. The steamed paper-thin siu mai wrappers are almost transparent, allowing you to see the filling clearly, which looks appetizing and appealing.