Har Gow Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺) — Translucent Cantonese Dim Sum

• 300 graw shrimp, peeled and deveined (use medium shrimp; pat very dry)
• 60 gcanned bamboo shoots, drained (finely diced)
• 20 gpork back fat (finely minced for traditional juiciness)
• 1 inchfresh ginger (finely grated and squeezed for juice)
• 1scallion (white part only, finely minced)
• 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
• 1 tspgranulated sugar
• 0.75 tspfine sea salt
• 0.25 tspground white pepper
• 2 tspcornstarch
• 125 gwheat starch
• 50 gtapioca starch
• 190 mlboiling water
• 2 tspneutral oil
• 1 sheetparchment paper (cut into small perforated squares)

Instructions

1. 1

   Chop half of the shrimp into small 5 mm pieces and mince the remaining half into a coarse paste. This mixture gives har gow its classic dim sum texture, with visible shrimp pieces suspended in a springy filling.

2. 2

   Place the shrimp, bamboo shoots, pork back fat, ginger juice, scallion, sesame oil, sugar, salt, white pepper, and cornstarch in a bowl. Stir firmly in one direction for 2 minutes, until the filling turns tacky and clings to the side of the bowl.

3. 3

   Cover the filling and refrigerate it for 20 minutes while you make the wrapper dough. Chilling firms the shrimp mixture, making it easier to portion and helping the dumplings hold a neat crescent shape.

4. 4

   Mix the wheat starch, tapioca starch, and salt in a heatproof bowl. Pour in the boiling water all at once and stir immediately with chopsticks or a sturdy spoon until the starches hydrate into a rough, translucent dough.

5. 5

   When the dough is cool enough to handle but still warm, knead in the neutral oil for 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. Keep the dough covered with plastic wrap or an inverted bowl at all times, because har gow dough dries and cracks quickly.

6. 6

   Roll the warm dough into a log and divide it into 20 equal pieces of about 16 g each. Work with one piece at a time and keep the remaining pieces covered so the wrappers stay supple.

7. 7

   Lightly oil a cleaver, bench scraper, or small rolling pin and press one dough piece into a thin 8 cm round. The wrapper should be thinner at the edge than in the center, which allows neat pleats while protecting the shrimp filling.

8. 8

   Place 1 level tablespoon of chilled filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper into a half-moon and make 7 to 9 pleats along one side, pressing the opposite edge against the pleats to seal without squeezing out the filling.

9. 9

   Arrange the dumplings on perforated parchment squares in a bamboo steamer, leaving at least 2 cm between them. Bring water to a vigorous boil in a wok or steamer pot before setting the basket in place.

10. 10

    Steam the har gow over high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the wrappers become glossy and translucent and the shrimp is fully cooked. Serve immediately, because the wrappers are most tender and elastic straight from the steamer.