Shumai Recipe Steamed Shrimp Pork Dumplings

Although there are many different styles of these steamed dumplings today, my Shumai recipe uses hand-chopped shrimp, pork, and cuttlefish to make these succulent shrimp and pork dumplings. The resulting Japanese-style Shumai is chock full of contrasting textures and tastes with a reservoir of juices that burst out of each dumpling with every bite.

Why This Recipe Works?

A mixture of various proteins, including shrimp, cuttlefish, and pork, provides a contrast in textures and tastes, along with a ton of umami to the filling. Adding finely minced pork fat into the filling mixture allows it to slowly render out as the Shumai steam. This enables the dumplings to baste themselves, keeping them juicy and tender while adding a ton of flavor. Hand chopping the filling ingredients creates texture variations that keep the dumplings exciting. Egg and potato starch help to gel and bind together the juices from the filling, which keeps them from leaking out as the Shumai steams.

Ingredients for Shumai

Shrimp - There’s no need to use fancy shrimp here as it’s going to get chopped up. I used peeled frozen shrimp and used my toothpick method to clean and devein the shrimp. Cuttlefish - Cuttlefish are a mollusk closely related to squid, but they tend to be shorter and fatter with thicker meat that’s more tender. In the US, I’ve seen cuttlefish sold as “calamari steaks” sometimes, but I’ve also seen this used to describe other types of squid. While I like the texture and flavor it adds to Shumai, you can substitute an equal amount of shrimp if you can’t find it. Pork fat - This is my secret ingredient. By mincing up cold pork fat and mixing it into the filling, it allows the fat to slowly render as the dumplings steam. This keeps the Shumai nice and juicy while infusing them with the savory flavor of pork. I used a fatty cut of pork belly for this, but back fat will also work. If you want to make these lower fat, you can use ground pork instead. Scallion - Scallions add flavor and sweetness, but I only use the stems to keep the filling from becoming speckled. I used Japanese naganegi for this, but the white part of ordinary scallions or even onions will work. Egg - The egg white helps to bind the juices being released by the proteins in the filling, preventing them from leaking out into your steamer. This keeps the Shumai juicy. Potato starch - Potato starch also helps minimize the loss of juices in the filling by gelling some of the liquids as they leak out. Oyster sauce - This is the primary seasoning for my Shumai, and I like using it because it adds a ton of umami while balancing everything out with a mild sweetness. Soy sauce - Oyster sauce alone can make the Shumai a little too sweet for my tastes, so I usually add a little soy sauce to shift the balance back to the savory side. Ginger - I like adding ginger juice to the filling to take any fishy edge off the seafood. Ginger juice is made by grating fresh ginger and squeezing the juice out from the pulp. This allows you to add the flavor of the ginger without the fibrous pith. Shaoxing wine - Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine with a malty caramel flavor and a boatload of umami that’s a wonderful compliment to the seafood in the Shumai filling. Toasted sesame oil - I include some toasted sesame oil in my Shumai filling for the nutty flavor it adds. White pepper - I know not everyone is into white pepper, so this is optional. If you use white pepper, I highly recommend grinding it freshly, though, as the pepper loses its good aroma quickly once ground, and old white pepper can smell like a barnyard. Wrappers - If you can find them, it’s best to use wrappers meant for making Shumai as they tend to be smaller and thinner than other types of dumpling wrappers. Garnish - In Japan Shumai are often garnished with green peas, but I’m personally not a fan. I prefer using tobiko (flying fish roe) as a topping and I usually add it to the cooked dumplings after they’ve been steamed. It won’t have the same texture, but you can also use minced up carrots as a garnish as well.

How to Make Shumai

The first thing you need to do is chop up the seafood. For the shrimp, I like to chop up a third of it into chunks about the size of a peanut M&M. Then I mince up the rest into a chunky paste. For the cuttlefish, clean it and then peel off any skin or membranes attached to the surface. Cut it into thin strips and then chop the strips up. Then you want to mince it up with a knife until you have a rough paste that’s about the same texture as the shrimp paste. Make sure the pork fat is very cold, or it will be challenging to get it cut small enough. Slice it up into 1/16-inch slices and cut them into equally thin strips. Then you want to turn the strips 90 degrees and cut them into 1/16-inch cubes. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl along with the scallions, egg white, potato starch, oyster sauce, ginger juice, Shaoxing wine, toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, and white pepper. Use your hand in a whipping motion to mix everything together until the mixture has a slightly frothy consistency. Cover and refrigerate overnight. This helps firm up the filling so it’s easier to handle, but it also allows all the seasonings to marinate with the ingredients. To make the Shumai, you’ll need a steamer. I like using a bamboo steamer for these, but you can use a steamer basket or even improvise one by setting a round wire cooling rack over a few wadded-up balls of aluminum foil. Next, add some water to the pot for your steamer and bring it to a boil. Line the steamer rack with lettuce leaves. You want it to be flat, so remove the thicker stems and overlap the leaves slightly, so the bottom of the rack is fully covered. The lettuce acts as natural parchment paper, keeping the dumplings from sticking, and you can also eat the lettuce once the Shumai are steamed. To wrap the Shumai, make a hollowed-out fist with your non-dominant hand, and place a wrapper centered on the opening. Next, use a spoon to scoop a generous tablespoonful of filling into the center of the wrapper and use the bottom of the spoon to press it into the wrapper. This should force the wrapper down into the hole you’ve created with your hand, and the sides of the wrapper should form pleats around the edge of the Shumai. Once you’ve filled the wrapper, turn the dumpling a few times in your hand, flattening off the bottom while setting the pleats. Place the Shumai onto the lettuce-lined rack and repeat the process until the steamer is full. Be sure to leave room around each dumpling because they will expand a bit while cooking. When your steamer is full, cover it with a lid and set it on your pot of boiling water. If you’re using a basket type of steamer, just lower the basket into the pot of boiling water and then cover the pot with a lid. Let you Shumai steam for 7-8 minutes, adjusting the temperature up or down to maintain a gentle stream of steam escaping from the lid. Shumai is best when it’s still hot so serve them right away.