Shumai, literally translated as to cook and sell, is a staple of dim sum cuisine consisting of an open-topped dumpling filled with steamed ground pork, and sometimes finely chopped shrimp or Chinese black mushrooms. When it's cooked, shumai is often garnished with a single pea, a fish egg, or a small piece of carrot on top.
It originated in tea houses along the Silk Road in Cantonese China, and since then, the dish has spread throughout the world. In China, there are numerous regional variations of this flavorful delicacy, but it is also extremely popular in Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines.
VARIATIONS OF Shumai
MOST ICONIC Shumai
View moreHar gow is a Cantonese dumpling characterized by a delicate, translucent wrapper enveloped around a shrimp filling. The dish was created out of necessity when the owner of a small, family-style teahouse from Guangzhou came up with an idea to buy the shrimp from local fishermen and use it to make dumplings that the locals would love.
The idea was a great success, and since the beginning of the 19th century, shrimp dumplings were a staple in many teahouses. Today, har gow dumplings are a part of dim sum where they are commonly paired with sieu mai, a Cantonese dumpling with pork and mushrooms.
MOST ICONIC Har gow
View moreCha siu bao are popular Chinese pork roast buns. Whether steamed or baked, they are always filled with a sweet and spicy grilled pork filling. Steamed varieties are delicate and soft, with a snowy white color, while baked chao siu bao have a light golden color and are usually covered in a glossy glaze.
The delicious filling inside the buns is usually traditional Chinese char siu pork - slowly roasted pieces of pork doused in a juicy barbecue sauce. The buns are an original Chinese invention, an authentic dish of the Cantonese region. Due to immigration and popularity of Chinese restaurants across the globe, pork roast buns have quickly spread to other parts of the world.
MOST ICONIC Cha siu bao
View moreWu gok are traditional dumplings originating from China, and they’re often served as a part of dim sum. In order to prepare the dumplings, taro root is steamed, mashed, stuffed with the fillings, and deep-fried. The dough for wrapping the filling is made with a combination of taro root, flour or wheat starch, lard, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
The filling contains Chinese mushrooms, shrimp, onions, garlic, and ground pork that’s been marinated in soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and five-spice powder. There’s also a thickening sauce made with a mixture of chicken bouillon, sugar, rice wine, cornstarch, and salt.
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