Creacipes

Pork & Prawn Siu Mai

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Pork and prawn siu mai are something we know pretty well.

Through POP UP Dumpling Bar, we steam and serve these every week at pop-ups, markets, weddings and events. After making more siu mai than I’d care to count, I wanted to put together a version that can actually be made at home.

The filling is mostly about texture. The pork needs to be mixed until it becomes sticky and springy, while I like to keep some of the prawn a little chunkier so you still get pieces of prawn rather than turning everything into a smooth filling.

Making siu mai isn’t particularly difficult. Making 30 of them just takes a little patience.

So here’s our Pork & Prawn Siu Mai recipe for when you feel like making them yourself.

And if wrapping 30 dumplings sounds like more effort than you had in mind, you can always come and find us at one of our POP UP Dumpling Bar locations and we’ll steam them for you.

Pork & Prawn Siu Mai

274kcal
Share Print Save
Prep 55 minutes
Cook 10 minutes
A home-friendly version of our Pork & Prawn Siu Mai, with juicy seasoned pork, pieces of prawn and mushroom wrapped in thin yellow siu mai wrappers and steamed until tender and springy.
Servings 6
Course Dim Sum
Cuisine Cantonese

Ingredients

  • Pork & Prawn Filling
  • 540 g pork mince preferably around 15–20% fat
  • 100 g raw prawns peeled and deveined
  • 50 g mushrooms very finely minced
  • 18 g potato starch
  • 1 large egg white approximately 30 g
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • Seasoning
  • 8 g fine salt
  • 6 g sugar
  • 2 g ground white pepper
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • Wrappers
  • Approximately 30 thin yellow siu mai wrappers

Equipment

  • Large mixing bowl
  • Kitchen scales
  • Sharp knife
  • Cutting board
  • Spoon or silicone spatula
  • Bamboo or metal steamer
  • Steamer liner or perforated baking paper
  • Large pot or wok suitable for your steamer
  • Instant-read thermometer, optional

Method

  1. Prepare the prawns
  2. Pat the prawns thoroughly dry with paper towel.
  3. Cut them into approximately 5–7 mm pieces.
  4. Don’t mince the prawns into a paste.
  5. Part of what I want in these siu mai is actual pieces of prawn distributed throughout the pork filling, so they should still be noticeable when you bite into one.
  6. Set aside in the refrigerator while preparing the pork.
  7. Prepare the mushrooms
  8. Finely mince the mushrooms.
  9. You want them considerably finer than the prawns.
  10. The mushroom isn’t there to create obvious chunks. It should disappear into the filling, contributing moisture, texture and savoury flavour.
  11. Start mixing the pork
  12. Place the pork mince into a large mixing bowl.
  13. Add the salt, sugar and white pepper.
  14. Mix vigorously in one direction for approximately 2–3 minutes.
  15. As you continue mixing, you’ll notice the pork change from loose mince into a much stickier and more cohesive mixture.
  16. This is important.
  17. Siu mai filling shouldn’t have the loose, crumbly texture of cooked mince. Developing that sticky mixture helps produce the springier texture we’re looking for.
  18. Add the egg and potato starch
  19. Add the egg white, potato starch and bicarbonate of soda.
  20. Continue mixing in the same direction for another 1–2 minutes, until completely incorporated.
  21. The mixture should now feel noticeably sticky.
  22. Add the mushroom and sesame oil
  23. Add the finely minced mushroom and sesame oil.
  24. Mix until evenly distributed.
  25. At this stage the filling should be soft, sticky and cohesive rather than dry or crumbly.
  26. Fold through the prawns
  27. Add the chopped prawns.
  28. Fold them through the pork mixture until evenly distributed.
  29. Don’t aggressively mix the filling once the prawns have been added.
  30. We’ve already developed the pork mixture. Now we’re trying to preserve those little pieces of prawn.
  31. Chill the filling
  32. Cover and refrigerate for approximately 20–30 minutes.
  33. This gives the mixture time to firm slightly and makes the siu mai considerably easier to shape.
  34. Cook a test piece
  35. Before wrapping the entire batch, take approximately a teaspoon of filling and cook it completely in a small frying pan or microwave.
  36. Taste it.
  37. Remember that the finished siu mai will also have a wrapper, so the filling should be well seasoned on its own.
  38. Adjust the salt or white pepper if necessary.
  39. Fill the wrappers
  40. Place a siu mai wrapper across the opening between your thumb and index finger.
  41. Spoon the filling into the centre.
  42. Gently push the filling downward while bringing the wrapper up around the sides.
  43. The top remains completely open.
  44. Shape the siu mai
  45. Gently squeeze the sides to create the characteristic siu mai shape.
  46. Flatten the bottom against your work surface so the dumpling stands upright.
  47. Use the back of a spoon to smooth the exposed filling.
  48. Aim for approximately 30 g total weight per siu mai, including the wrapper.
  49. I’d weigh the first several.
  50. Once you’ve made enough of them, you’ll quickly get a feel for how much filling each wrapper needs.
  51. Garnish
  52. If using carrot, place a tiny amount of finely diced carrot in the centre of each siu mai.
  53. It’s there primarily for colour, so you only need a little.
  54. Prepare the steamer
  55. Bring your steaming water to a strong boil.
  56. Line the steamer with perforated baking paper, a steamer liner or cabbage leaves.
  57. Arrange the siu mai upright with a little space between each dumpling.
  58. The steamer should already be producing plenty of steam before the siu mai go in.
  59. Steam
  60. Cover and steam for approximately 8–10 minutes, depending on the exact size of the dumplings and your steamer.
  61. The pork and prawn filling needs to be completely cooked through.
  62. When making the recipe for the first time, check one from the centre of the steamer. The filling should reach at least 75°C.
  63. Serve
  64. Serve immediately while hot.
  65. They’re good enough to eat by themselves, although chilli oil, chilli sauce, soy sauce or Chinese mustard all work alongside them.

Nutrition

Calories274kcalCarbohydrates4gProtein19gFat20gSaturated Fat7gPolyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat9gTrans Fat0.002gCholesterol86mgSodium763mgPotassium342mgFiber0.3gSugar1gVitamin A36IUVitamin C1mgCalcium25mgIron1mg

Private Notes

Click here to add your own private notes.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!
KEEP COOKING

More recipes to try

LEARN AN INGREDIENT

Ingredient guides for this recipe

Cooking with Mushrooms & Fungi Cooking with Honey

Cooked this recipe?

Sign in to post a short comment and photo as proof of your cook. Your contribution will be public on this recipe.

Sign in to add your cook

About the Author

POP UP Dumpling Bar
POP UP Dumpling Bar is a Sydney-based pop-up and catering business serving handmade-style dumplings, bao and Asian-inspired food at markets, events, weddings and private functions across NSW. We spend a lot of time cooking for crowds, so our recipes come from real experience preparing and serving food at scale. On Creacipes, we’re sharing home-friendly versions of the food we know best, along with some of what we’ve learned from making it professionally. You can make it yourself, or if you’d rather leave the cooking to us, come find us at one of our pop-ups.

POP UP Dumpling Bar

Rather have us make it?

Some recipes are worth making at home. Other times, you just want someone else to do the cooking.

Find us at one of our upcoming pop-ups, or bring POP UP Dumpling Bar to your next event.

Find a Pop-Up →
Catering →

More Recipes to Try

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating