P
Chinese
Siu Mai (烧卖) — Open-Top Dumpling: Cantonese Assembly Technique
Siu mai (烧卖) are the open-topped dumplings of dim sum — a thin round wrapper gathered and pleated around a filling of minced pork and shrimp, the top left open and often decorated with a single roe or small piece of carrot. They are one of the two canonical dim sum dumplings (alongside har gow) and appear on every traditional dim sum menu. The Cantonese version — pork and shrimp with bamboo shoots — differs from the northern Chinese version (plain pork), the Yunnan version (pork with Yunnan ham and mushrooms), and the Mongolian version (lamb and onion).
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
20
round siu mai wrappers
thin, store-bought or freshly rolled
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the filling
200 g
minced pork
20–30% fat
Your own market
100 g
shrimp
peeled, roughly chopped
Your own market
30 g
1 tbsp
dried shiitake mushrooms
soaked until soft, diced fine
Your own market
1 tbsp
oyster sauce
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
soy sauce
1 tsp
sesame oil
Your own market
1 tsp
Shaoxing wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
sugar
Your own market
¼ tsp
white pepper
ground
Your own market
1 tbsp
cornstarch
Origin · ChinaWismettac · Vancouver →
To finish
20
flying fish roe (tobiko) or small carrot pieces
one per dumpling, for decoration
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine the minced pork, chopped shrimp, bamboo shoots, shiitake, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, Shaoxing wine, sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix until the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Throw the mixture forcefully against the interior of the bowl 10–15 times. The filling is ready when it holds together as a single cohesive mass and feels slightly tacky to the touch.
From the canon — Oyster sauce was invented by accident in the 1880s in Guangdong province when a cook named Lee Kum Sheung left oyster soup simmering too long and discovered … Oyster Sauce (Cantonese — Original Method vs Commercial) →
2
Cover the filling and refrigerate for 30 minutes. It is ready when it is firm, cold throughout, and holds a clean edge when scooped.
3
Lay one wrapper flat in the palm of the non-dominant hand. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the centre. With the thumb and forefinger of the other hand, gather the wrapper up around the filling in small, successive pleats, rotating the dumpling slowly, while pressing the filling down with a spoon so it sits flush with the top of the wrapper. This is where the dish lives or dies: the wrapper must be gathered snugly enough to hold upright without the filling breaching the rim — overfilling prevents the pleats from setting and the gathered shape from holding. The finished siu mai stands upright, the filling level with the top of the wrapper, with no filling spilling over the edge.
4
Press a single piece of roe or carrot onto the exposed filling surface of each siu mai. Line a bamboo steamer with perforated parchment or lightly oiled cabbage leaves. Arrange the siu mai with a small gap between each.
5
Set the bamboo steamer over a wok of vigorously boiling water. Steam for 8–10 minutes. The siu mai are done when the wrapper has turned from opaque white to a translucent, slightly shiny surface, and the filling has visibly firmed and pulled slightly away from the inner wrapper wall.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Freshly hand-rolled wrappers from high-gluten flour; wild-caught shrimp; heritage-breed pork shoulder hand-minced to order at 25% fat; Yunnan or Jinhua dried shiitake.
02
Estate — Good-quality store-bought round wrappers; fresh market shrimp; butcher-minced pork at 20–30% fat; whole dried shiitake soaked at home.
03
Market — Packaged siu mai wrappers; frozen shrimp, thawed and patted dry; supermarket minced pork; pre-sliced tinned bamboo shoots, rinsed.
04
House — Gyoza wrappers trimmed to round (thicker, but serviceable); any peeled shrimp; standard supermarket pork mince; all seasonings from pantry staples.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. After mixing and throwing, the filling coheres as a single mass and feels distinctly tacky — it clings lightly to a clean finger rather than crumbling.
◇Touch. After chilling, the filling is firm and cold throughout, holding a clean edge when scooped with a spoon.
◇Sight. The assembled siu mai stands upright without support, the filling flush with the wrapper rim and no filling overflowing the pleated edge.
◇Sight. After steaming, the wrapper is translucent and shiny, no longer chalky white, and the filling has visibly firmed.
◇Where it lives or dies. The wrapper must be gathered and pleated snugly around the filling without overpacking — filling that breaches the rim prevents the pleats from holding and the dumpling from standing upright.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Baijiu
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance