Prepare the prawns

Pat the prawns thoroughly dry.

Divide them approximately 60:40.

Finely chop the smaller portion until it becomes coarse and sticky, but don't process it into a completely smooth paste.

Cut the remaining prawns into approximately 8–10 mm pieces.

This combination gives the filling enough cohesion to hold together while retaining plenty of recognisable pieces of prawn.

Start the filling

Place the finely chopped prawns into a mixing bowl.

Add the salt, sugar and white pepper.

Mix vigorously in one direction for approximately 1–2 minutes, until the prawn mixture becomes noticeably sticky.

Add the starch and egg

Add the potato starch and egg white.

Continue mixing until completely incorporated.

The mixture should become cohesive without becoming wet or runny.

Add the remaining filling

Add the diced bamboo shoots and sesame oil.

Mix briefly.

Finally, fold through the larger pieces of prawn.

Don't aggressively mix once these larger pieces have been added.

You want them to remain intact in the finished dumpling.

Chill

Cover the filling and refrigerate for approximately 20–30 minutes while you prepare the wrappers.

Make the wrapper dough

Place the wheat starch, tapioca starch and salt into a heatproof mixing bowl.

Mix together.

Bring the water to a full boil.

Gradually pour approximately 200 ml boiling water over the starch while stirring continuously.

The water needs to be genuinely boiling. Hot tap water isn't sufficient.

Continue adding small amounts of the remaining water as needed until a rough dough forms.

You may not need the entire 220 ml.

Knead the dough

Once the dough is cool enough to handle but still very warm, add the neutral oil.

Knead for approximately 2–3 minutes until smooth and pliable.

The dough should be soft but not sticky.

If it's dry and cracking, knead in a very small amount of boiling water.

If it's excessively sticky, dust lightly with wheat starch.

Keep the dough covered

This dough dries considerably faster than ordinary wheat-flour dumpling dough.

Keep it covered with a damp tea towel or inside a sealed container whenever you're not actively working with it.

This includes the individual portions waiting to be rolled.

Divide the dough

Roll the dough into a log and divide into approximately 30 equal pieces.

Keep all but the piece you're working with covered.

Roll each portion into a ball.

Roll the wrapper

Lightly grease your work surface or dust it very sparingly with wheat starch.

Flatten one ball.

Roll it into a thin circle approximately 8–9 cm across.

Try to make the outer edge slightly thinner than the centre.

Har gow wrappers should be thin enough to become translucent when steamed, but not so thin that the prawn filling tears through them.

Fill the har gow

Place approximately 18–20 g filling into the centre of the wrapper.

Don't overfill it.

Unlike a wheat-flour dumpling wrapper, har gow dough doesn't stretch particularly well. Trying to force too much filling inside is one of the easiest ways to split it.

Pleat

Bring the wrapper around the filling and make several small overlapping pleats along one side.

Press the pleated edge against the opposite edge to seal.

Don't worry if your first few aren't particularly beautiful.

Har gow pleating takes practice, and slightly ugly har gow still taste like har gow.

Repeat

Continue rolling, filling and pleating one wrapper at a time.

Keep both the unused dough and finished dumplings covered so they don't dry out.

Prepare the steamer

Bring the steaming water to a strong boil.

Line the steamer with perforated baking paper or another suitable steamer liner.

Arrange the har gow with enough space between them that they aren't touching.

Steam

Place the dumplings into the already-hot steamer.

Steam for approximately 6–8 minutes, until the wrappers become translucent and the prawn filling is completely cooked.

The exact time will depend on the size of your dumplings and steamer.

Rest briefly

Remove the steamer from the heat and leave the har gow for approximately 1 minute before trying to move them.

The wrappers are particularly delicate immediately after steaming and become slightly easier to handle after a short rest.

Garnish with dill

Finely chop a small amount of fresh dill and scatter it lightly over the steamed har gow immediately before serving.

The dill is deliberately only a garnish.

It isn't mixed through the prawn filling. You should still taste this primarily as prawn har gow, with just a little fresh dill at the finish.

Serve immediately.