Siu Mai — Steamed Pork & Prawn Dumplings

Ingredients

• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 250g pork mince (at least 25% fat)
• 150g raw peeled king prawns, deveined and roughly chopped
• 1 spring onion, finely chopped
• 2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 20 round yellow siu mai or wonton wrappers (chilled or frozen, from Asian supermarkets)
• 2 tbsp finely diced carrot or defrosted frozen peas, to top
• To serve: light soy sauce, Chinkiang black vinegar and chilli oil

Method

1. Soak the dried shiitake in just-boiled water for 20 minutes. Squeeze dry, discard the stalks and chop the caps very finely.

2. Put the pork in a bowl with the sugar, salt and white pepper. Stir in one direction for 2 minutes until sticky. Add the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil, then stir in the prawns, mushrooms, spring onion, ginger and cornflour until well combined.

3. Cover and chill for 30 minutes so the filling firms up and is easier to shape.

4. Hold a wrapper in the curve of your hand. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre and gently push the wrapper up the sides with your fingers, pressing the filling so it forms a cylinder with a flat base and an open top.

5. Smooth the top with the back of a wet teaspoon and press a little carrot or a pea into the centre of each.

6. Line a bamboo steamer with perforated baking parchment. Arrange the dumplings 2cm apart and steam over a rolling boil for 10 to 12 minutes, until the filling is firm and cooked through.

7. Serve hot with soy sauce, black vinegar and chilli oil.