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an overhead shot of a bamboo steamer four pieces of crystal shrimp dumplings (har gow or xia jiao), with delicate translucent wrappers and plump filling.

Crystal Shrimp Dumplings (har gow, xia jiao)

Chewy, thin, translucent dumpling wrappers, filled with sweet shrimp, seasoned with fragrant sesame oil and white pepper.
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Prep Time 50 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Seafood
Servings 20 Dumplings

Ingredients
 

Filling

  • 1 lb shrimp peeled, deveined
  • 1/4 can bamboo shoots drained, minced (optional)
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp finely ground white pepper
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp lard

Wrappers

  • 2 cups wheat starch
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • A little over 1 cup hot water
  • 1/4 cup neutral oil for shaping

Instructions
 

  • Filling | Place the drained bamboo shoots onto a cutting board. Using two chef knives, finely mince the shrimp in a chopping motion. Transfer into a bowl.
    Place the peeled and deveined shrimp in a pile onto a cutting board. Slice the shrimp into smaller pieces. Using two chef knives, finely mince the shrimp by chopping them until they are finely ground. Add it to the bowl with the bamboo.
    To the bowl of bamboo and shrimp, add in the cornstarch, sugar, salt, white pepper powder, sesame oil, and lard into a bowl. Mix evenly, seal the bowl, and refrigerate. While the filling is marinating, start preparing the dough.
  • Dough | Boil water.
    Mix wheat starch and potato starch in a large bowl.
    Pour hot water into the mixture and stir until it becomes clumpy. Then, using your hands, gently squeeze and knead the mixture just until it forms a dough ball. To avoid an uneven texture, be sure not to mix in any leftover crumbles. The ideal dough should exhibit a smooth, white, and supple appearance. It should feel adequately hydrated, yet not overly wet to the point where it sags.
    Place the dough onto the counter. With one hand, anchor the bottom of the dough ball while lifting the top half with your other hand. Use your palm to gently fold the dough in half towards you. Once folded, apply firm pressure with the heel of your hands, pushing the folded dough away from you.
    Now, rotate the dough a quarter turn, and repeat the folding and pushing process. Continue kneading for 5 minutes.
  • Wrappers | Fold a paper towel square into a small square and soak it in oil.This oiled paper towel will prevent the dough from sticking.
    Divide into portions. Shape the dough into a cylinder. Brush the dough cylinder with oil to keep it moist. Divide the oiled dough cylinder into 20 18 gram portions.
    Oil the counter where you'll be working and one side of a cleaver or bench scraper. Place one of the dough portions on the oiled counter. Using the oiled side of the cleaver or bench scraper, apply medium-firm pressure to the front half of the tool and smear the dough in an arc motion, flattening it. Rotate and repeat until you get a 3-inch 1mm thick circle.
    Aim for a uniform thickness of about 1mm (which is very thin). Repeat this process for each of the 20 dough portions, ensuring that they are all of the same size and thickness.
  • Fill | Take one of your prepared dough wrappers. Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the center of a wrapper.
    With one hand, gently lift and push the edges of the wrapper towards the center, folding them over the filling. Continue this process until you have created 10-12 pleats around the filling.
    Gently pinch together the top edges of the wrapper that are now pleated, forming a "C" shape. Be careful not to pinch too much of the wrapper together at the top, as this could lead to breakage or a closed dumpling.
    If the top of the shrimp dumpling is a little long, you can go in with a scissor to trim off the top. Pinch with your fingers and reshape as needed.
  • Steam | Soak the bamboo steamer in cold water before use if needed. Fill a steamer with an appropriate amount of water, ensuring it won't touch the dumplings when boiling.
    Line your steamer with parchment paper. Place the har gow dumplings in the steamer, making sure to leave about 1 inch of space between each dumpling.
    Depending on the size of your steamer, you may need to cook the dumplings in batches of 3 or 4. Be sure to only steam as much as you will eat because once steamed, they need to be consumed immediately.
    Cover the steamer with its lid. Steam the dumplings for approximately 10 minutes or 12 minutes if previously frozen. They should become translucent and appear slightly translucent when done.
    Serve them hot with a side of sweet soy sauce for dipping.
    If you've tried this recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments below! Your feedback is greatly appreciated and it helps me improve my recipes for future cooking adventures. And if you enjoyed it, don't forget to give it a thumbs up or share it with your friends! You can help my channel by tagging @vocabularyoffood in your cooks. ۶(◠ 。◠)۶

Notes

* When forming the dough, refrain from incorporating any leftover crumbles of the starch and water mixture that may have adhered to the bowl, as they tend to be too dry to blend seamlessly back into it.
* When shaping the dumplings, ensure your nails are trimmed to prevent any breakage.
* Shrimp is lean. For juicy dumplings, I add bamboo and lard into the filling.
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