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Har gow is a delicate steamed shrimp dumpling with a translucent crystal skin wrapper, shrimp-bamboo filling, and 13 signature pleats forming a half-moon shape. The standout trait is the thin, elastic wrapper and one-directional stirring of the filling for a silky paste that steams in just 5 minutes.
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Prepare the Filling: Peel shrimp shells and devein shrimp if needed. Use the flat of a cleaver or a food processor to just mash up the shrimp meat. Slice bamboo shoots to very thin 1/2 inch matchstick slices.
Add fatty pork and bamboo shoots to shrimps and stir the mixture in one direction only until a paste forms.
Add in salt, sugar, starch and stir, again in one direction, until combined. Add in oil and sesame oil and stir, again in one direction, until combined. Cover and chill in fridge while making the wrapper dough.
Prepare the Wrapper: Make the dumpling wrapper dough according to our recipe for Crystal Skin Dumpling Wrapper Recipe 水晶皮製作.
Roll out wrappers: Divide dough into 20 equal portions or weigh out into 10g portions. Roll into balls and cover.
Take one ball and roll out into 3 1/4 inch circle wrapper. Carefully peel up rolled out dough wrapper and place into middle three fingers of dominant hand.
Add the Filling to Wrapper: Weight out 1/2 oz/15g of filling and place in a line along the middle of wrapper, just over your middle finger beneath. Let your middle finger drop a bit and see a 'taco' shape form. This shape is the beginning of your har gow.
Pleat the Wrapper: To close up the dumpling, make pleats by using the thumb of hand holding the dumpling to push out a fold from right to left, starting the first pleat at the furthest side of the taco from your hand. Use the fingers of the other hand to press the pleat to the other side firmly.
Continue to push the pleat out, secure the pleat, etc. until you have either made 13 pleats (the traditional no) or reached the other side of the 'taco'. Press the pleats again to make sure they are secure. Repeat for rest of the dumplings, making sure to cover the finished dumplings to keep them from drying out. Check out our video of How to Wrap Har Gow for a closer look at wrapping and pleating.
Cook the Dumplings: Prepare a steamer first by adding an oiled sheet of parchment paper. Don't forget the oil cuz the dumpling will stick! Place dumplings on oiled parchment paper with 1/2 inch space in between. Steam over medium heat for 5 mins. Serve hot and yummilicious!
Prepare for Storage: If not eating right away place uncooked dumplings onto a tray and freeze. Once frozen you can put the har gow in a ziplock bag. Keeps for 2 months in the freezer. To cook place frozen dumplings in the steamer and steam over medium heat for 7-8 mins.
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
Freeze uncooked dumplings on a tray, then transfer to a ziplock bag for up to 2 months; steam from frozen for 7–8 minutes over medium heat.
steamer basket or bamboo steamer · cleaver or food processor · kitchen scale (for 15g filling portions)
Written automatically by CookOS, not by the creator.
One-directional stirring develops the protein structure in the shrimp paste, creating a cohesive, silky texture that holds together during steaming instead of becoming grainy or separating.
Crystal skin (水晶皮) is a translucent, slightly elastic wrapper made with tapioca starch and wheat starch, giving har gow its characteristic glossy, delicate appearance when steamed.
Yes. Place frozen dumplings directly in an oiled steamer and steam over medium heat for 7–8 minutes instead of 5 minutes for fresh.
Uncooked har gow keeps in the freezer for up to 2 months when stored in a ziplock bag after freezing on a tray.
The oiled parchment prevents the dumplings from sticking to the steamer surface and tearing when you remove them.
