Name: Cantonese har gow shrimp dumplings
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 58 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 100 g cornstarch; 40 g tapioca starch; 200 ml water; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 300 g shrimp; 60 g bamboo shoots; 2 stems spring onion; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 pinch white pepper; 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Step by step process

Boiling-water dough

1
Har gow stand or fall on the right dough, so combine the cornstarch and tapioca starch in a bowl. Pour in the boiling water and stir quickly with chopsticks until the crumbs gather into clumps.
2
Work in the sesame oil and knead the warm dough for about three minutes into a smooth, springy ball. Wrap it in film so it does not dry out and let it rest for ten minutes.

Shrimp filling

3
Chop half of the shrimp finely into a paste and the rest into coarser pieces so the filling has a juicy bite. Add finely diced bamboo shoots and spring onion.
4
Stir in the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, and a pinch of starch. Knead the filling briefly in one direction until it binds, then chill it in the refrigerator.
TIP:
Add sesame oil at the end of cooking or to finished dishes to preserve its aroma and flavor, which would be lost through heat treatment.

Pleating and steaming

5
Cut small pieces from the dough and flatten each one with an oiled knife blade into a thin round about eight centimeters across. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center.
6
Fold the round into a half-moon and pleat one side into small folds, pressing them against the flat edge. Set the finished dumplings on parchment paper so they do not stick.
7
Place the dumplings in a steamer and steam over boiling water for six to eight minutes, until the wrapper turns translucent. Serve them hot with soy sauce or chili oil.
TIP:
Shrimp are cooked when they turn pink and are firm to the touch. Usually 2-3 minutes, depending on size. Remove them from the pan and let them rest off the heat so they don't overcook.

More tips:

Real har gow is made from wheat starch, which gives the wrapper the glassiest look. In this recipe we replace it with more available cornstarch. If you find wheat starch in an Asian store, use it in the same proportion.

Work the dough while it is warm and always keep it covered. Once it cools or dries out, it cracks and the pleats will not hold.

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