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Har gow are traditional Cantonese shrimp dumplings with a signature translucent glutinous skin that becomes luminously clear when steamed. The filling combines diced shrimp, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and pea shoots for a delicate, herbaceous balance.
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Make the filling: In a large nonreactive bowl, combine filling ingredients except peas. Work the mixture aggressively with hands until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate.
Make the dough: Mix together wheat starch, tapioca flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Gradually stir in 1 cup plus 3 tbsp. boiling water a little at a time, then add 2 tbsp. oil. Mix until dough forms a ball. Knead dough on a lightly oiled surface until silky, about 1 minute. Quarter dough, roll into 10" ropes, cut each rope into 10 pieces, roll pieces into balls, then flatten balls with palm of your hand. Flatten skins further using the flat side of an oiled Chinese cleaver until very thin. Keep dough and skins covered with plastic to prevent them from drying out.
Spoon about 2 tsp. filling in center of each skin, folding dough over and pleating edges together until halfway closed; place two peas on the edge of the dumpling skin and fold dough around them to form "eyes."
Fit a bamboo steamer basket over boiling water; steam dumplings over high heat for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Serve accompanied with combined soy sauce, rice vinegar, and scallion.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Uncooked dumplings freeze well for up to 2 weeks on a parchment-lined tray before transferring to a container; steam from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to cooking time. Cooked dumplings do not reheat well and are best served immediately.
bamboo steamer basket · nonreactive bowl
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
The glutinous dumpling skin made from wheat starch and tapioca flour turns translucent when steamed due to the gelatinization of starches under high heat and moisture.
Yes. Form and fill dumplings, place on parchment, freeze on a tray uncovered for 2 hours, then transfer to an airtight container. Steam from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the 5-minute cook time.
Use a metal steamer basket or a heatproof plate elevated on a trivet over simmering water in a covered pot; results are identical.
Har gow is traditionally shrimp-based; substituting will change the dish fundamentally. A 1:1 swap to diced scallop works if needed, but pork or chicken will yield a different dumpling.
They are done after 5 minutes of steaming over high heat when the skin becomes fully translucent rather than opaque, and the filling is cooked through.
