Dim sum are Chinese snacks. It is traditionally eaten in the morning for breakfast. Nowadays one can get dim sum for breakfast, lunch, dinner and also supper.
In any Chinese Restaurant that serves dim sum, there will be many varieties, ranging from savoury to sweet, with steamed and fried items. One can also get Chinese pastries, fried noodles, and in full-fledged restaurants, even roast meats.
Making dim sum is time-consuming and restaurants offer a wide variety. Part of the fun of eating dim sum is to try all the different types.
This is a simple dim sum recipe.
Dim Sum: Siu Mai
Siu mai is normally made with pork. However, I am making a leaner version using minced chicken or turkey breast. The dim sum that you get in restaurants have a crunchy bite as it has bits of lard in it. It gives texture and taste, but bad for health.
For the crunch, you can use chopped water chestnuts. This can be replaced with some chopped carrots and cabbage, if you cannot find water chestnuts. Sometimes, I add both water chestnuts and carrot as well, for crunch and colour.
Quick Info:
Makes: About 20 pieces or more depending how much filling is used on each
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: ££
Time: 20 min to make. 10 – 15 mins to steam:
Smart Points: 20 SP per recipe. 3 pcs for 1 point, 6 for 3 points.
Ingredients:
Filling:
250g Chicken or turkey breast mince
1 tsp Chopped ginger
½ tin Water chestnut, chopped ( or replace with 1 tbsp chopped carrot and 1 tbsp chopped cabbage)
1 tsp Cornflour
1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine ( optional)
1 tbsp Water
1 sprig Coriander, chopped
1 tsp Soy sauce
¼ tsp Sesame oil
1/2 tsp Chicken granules
Salt and pepper to taste
20 pcs Wonton wrappers
1 tbsp Green peas or goji berry or other toppings for decoration
You will also need:
A Steamer with a steaming tray
- In a bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, and mix well.
- Place a piece of the wonton wrapper on your palm and place 1 tsp of the mixture in the centre.
- Bring your hand to a make a fist and gently push the wonton and filling into the gap formed between your palm and the fingers. Squeeze gently to form a cylindrical shape. Add in a little more filling if needed and smooth the top with a wet spoon.
- Open up the wonton edges to form ‘petals’.
- Take it off your hand and place it on an oiled plate or steaming stray.
- Top the centre of the siu mai with a pea or you preferred topping.
- Repeat for the rest of the filling.
- In the meantime, bring the steamer to a rolling boil.
- Place the siu mai on the steaming tray, if you have not done so, and steam for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Serve with chilli sauce and hoisin sauce. Some like it with hot chilli oil as well.
Enjoy!
Here are some photos:
Meat wrapped in wonton wrappers. These are topped with pieces of carrot stars.
I hope you like my recipes and photos. Do try it out and leave your comment.
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Until the next post,
Penang Lassie
