I can't say how authentic pan fried har gow (Chinese shrimp dumplings) are, but this was today's lunch experiment. Inspired by the crispness of pan-fried gyoza, I first steamed my har gow in bamboo steamers and then fried their bases until crispy before serving. Yum-ay!
1. I began by combing 1 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 3/4 cup boiling water in a mixer and combined until a firm, smooth dough. I then added a few drops of peanut oil to the exterior and kneaded by hand briefly. This was set aside in a bowl with a wet cloth over the top.
2. In the meantime I combined chopped shrimp, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 egg white, 1 tsp sherry, 3 tsp ginger juice, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, and a handful of green onions in a bowl. I then added 1 tsp corn starch, mixed again, adding a little more corn starch until the mixture began to firm.
3. I then cut the dough into 12 pieces, rolled into balls, flattened each with my hand, and then rolled out each ball to form a flat wrapper. In the middle of each, I placed a spoonful of the shrimp mixture and then pulled up the side, twisting the top to form a dumpling. These were then steamed in bamboo steamers for 9 mins.
4. After steaming, I then heated a skillet with peanut oil and fried the har gow until their bases were crispy.
For a dipping sauce, I combined soy sauce with a little rice vinegar and chili sauce (Sriracha). I also placed a dab of Chinese mustard on my plate and dipped into that as well.
This was an easy dish to prepare and requires no special flours or ingredients. Only standard wheat flour was used. Feel free to replace the stuffing ingredients with anything you might have on hand, but be aware that greens and mushrooms release a lot of moisture and may require more corn starch than normal. Enjoy!
Comments
looks sinfully evil :D
Posted by: Nags | November 4, 2007 12:37 AM
Yer know.. ! if i weren't married.. i would have fallen in love with you easily.. hahhaa!!! i can't do 10% of what you do.. nor am i as adventurous either..!
Posted by: Mama BoK | November 4, 2007 05:12 PM
Ugh! It's six in the morning and I'm already starving!
I love your blog. Your images are amazing and compelling.
Posted by: Princess Gemma | November 5, 2007 05:58 AM
I think my mom would be highly surprised that a man can cook Asian foods this well. My mom is old-school Korean and still thinks this is woman's work! Hence my brother not having to make a single eggroll, batch of kimchi, seaweed soup, fresh noodle, or etc. in his life.
Aww jeez...I've got an hour till lunch and this is putting me over the hunger edge...*SIGH*
Posted by: kitanablade3 | November 5, 2007 08:56 AM
Those look really good. Nice a golden brown and crispy.
Posted by: Kevin | November 5, 2007 06:06 PM
They look so good EvilJ. Makes me feel like breaking my diet! Damn!
Posted by: Grant | November 5, 2007 07:10 PM
you know, looks kinda like chinese "pot stickers". my mom does that with her dumplings.. i think in korean they're mandoo. hehehe i went out to a dumpling house tonite and was drooling (again) when i saw your post. food on the mind.. all the time *sigh*
Posted by: deborah | November 5, 2007 07:11 PM
Lovely "jiao zi". I love them. Yours are so well shaped, mine usually fall apart while steaming... Whats your trick?
Posted by: Zlamushka | November 8, 2007 11:01 AM
I just stumbled on your page and the first post I see is about my favorite food! Very nice! I'm recommending these recipes to my friends!
Posted by: Stephen | November 8, 2007 02:50 PM
Nags: oh it was!!
Momabok: oh gosh I'm just a crazy ang moh trying my best to fulfill my Asian food cravings. Thanks for the proposal though, always nice to receive those for ego boosting. :-)
Princess Gemma: oh yeah I would eat these for breakfast too any day!
Kitanablade: I have a feeling that Korean moms maintain control over their men through their cooking?
Kevin: oh yeah it tasted great too.
Grant: hey why not enjoy life... just eat half is much, you'll be alright.
Deb: oh yeah me too. All I think about. Well. Not everything, but almost?!
Zlamushka: I just twist the tops really really tight.
Stphen: good luck with your job contract. Make sure you don't take any blacklisted schools... I've heard so many nightmares. Do stay in touch once you get over to Korea..!
Posted by: Evil J | November 10, 2007 12:41 PM
These look fantastic, and I just happen to have some shrimp on hand from yesterdays dinner..tonight it is!
What are your thoughts on using kimchi in these? I'm guessing you a ton of corn starch would be used to firm the mixture up a little..
Anyhow thanks again for all the culinary inspirations!
Posted by: Brian | November 11, 2007 06:21 AM
Stoopid.fly: kimchi would be tasty, I'd just adjust the dipping sauce accordingly to something Korean: soy sauce, sesame oil, chili, rice vinegar, garlic, and sesame seeds. I'd also be tempted to add some drained tofu in there too.. but make sure it's drained first or the liquids would be too much for the dumpling. Tip: don't use too much corn starch or the inside will turn out dry. Start with a tsp and add just a little more if you need it if the mixture is liquid. But try not to use too much.
Posted by: Evil J | November 11, 2007 07:20 AM