Shrimp Shumai
 
 
Shumai is a Chinese import that's a popular dish in casual restaurants, and is also a staple of Japanese homes, where it is enjoyed as snack or a dinnertime side dish. Leftovers hold up well and can be polished off the next day. You can also freeze uncooked Shumai for up to a month. Follow the instructions to steam frozen shumai--no need to defrost; simply add a couple of minutes to the cooking time.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Soy-Mustard Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons Japanese Soy Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Mustard Powder (or Mustard Paste)
  • 1 teaspoon Cold Water
Filling
  • 8 ounces Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off (frozen 16/20 shrimp)
  • 1 Scallion, both white and green parts, minced
  • ¼ cup minced canned and drained water Chestnuts (use fresh if you can find)
  • ¼ cup minced stemmed Shiitake Mushrooms
  • 1½ teapspoons lard (or vegetable oil)
  • 2 Tablespoons Sake
  • 1 Tablespoon Ginger Juice (see recipe)
  • ½ teaspoon Sesame Oil
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Potato Starch (or corn starch)
  • 4 Baby Bok Choy
  • 24 square Wonton Wrapper/skins
  • ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
  • Pinch Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Black Sesame Seeds
Instructions
To make the Soy-Mustard Sauce:
  1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
To make the Filling:
  1. Cut the shrimp into bite-sized pieces, then roughly chop until the shrimp become almost paste-like but with some small pieces visible. You can also use a food processor, which will give it a smooth texture, but the chef prefers the coarse texture you get from chopping by hand.
  2. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and mix with a spatula until the shrimp become very sticky.
  3. Add the scallions, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the shrimp and mix well.
  4. Then add the following ingredients, mixing well between each addition: lard, sake, ginger juice, sesame oil and egg white.
  5. Finally, mix in the salt, pepper, and potato starch.
  6. Meanwhile, place the baby bok choy in a bowl and cover with cold water; let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
To Assemble the Shumai:
  1. Lay wonton skin on the counter (cover the remaining skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying out).
  2. Place 1 Tablespoon of the filling in the center of the wonton skin. (Soak the spoon in water while you are assembling a shumai. This will make it easier to transfer the filling to the wonton.)
  3. Hold the wonton skin with the filling with your fingers and gently press the skin to form a small cup.
  4. Set the shumai on a cutting board and turn it clockwise while carefully pressing the sides together, creating a tighter cup.
  5. Wet a finger with water and use it to gently smooth the top of the shumai.
  6. Repeat with the remaining wonton skins and filling.
To Cook the Shumai
  1. Heat a stove-top steamer over high heat, bringing the water to boil.
  2. Brush the bottom of the steamer basket with a small layer of the vegetable oil and add shumai, leaving 1 inch of space between each.
  3. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, then drain the bok choy and add to the steamer.
  4. Cover and cook for 3 minutes longer, or until shumai are cooked through.
  5. Remove the bok choy from the steamer and gently squeeze inside a towel to remove excess moisture. Top with a pinch of salt.
  6. Place each bok choy in the center of 4 small plates and arrange 6 shumai around it.
  7. Garnish the plates with a pinch of black sesame and serve with soy-mustard sauce on the side.
To make Ginger Juice:
  1. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and grate the peeled ginger over it.
  2. Pull up the sides of the plastic around the pile of ginger to create a small packet.
  3. Poke a hole in the bottom of the packet with the tip of a knife and gently squeeze over a clean bowl to gather the ginger juices, continue squeezing until you have extracted 1 teaspoon of liquid.
Recipe by Still Blonde After All These Years at https://stillblondeafteralltheseyears.com/shrimp-shumai-chef-takashi-yagihashi-macys-culinary-council/