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Vegetable siu mai
Open-topped vegetable dumplings
Open-topped Cantonese dumplings filled with shiitake, water chestnut and carrot
Siu mai are among the first baskets wheeled past at Cantonese dim sum in Guangzhou's tea houses, where people meet over yum cha on weekend mornings. The classic is pork and prawn; this one is packed with shiitake, tofu, crunchy water chestnut and carrot, with a dot of diced carrot on top in place of fish roe. Steam them in a bamboo basket and serve with chilli oil and soy. Chef's tip: squeeze the wrapper into a 'waist' with your thumb and finger and flatten the base on the board, so they stand up straight in the steamer.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
- 8 dried shiitake mushroomssoaked in hot water for 30 minutes
- 7 oz firm tofusqueezed dry and crumbled
- 3 ½ oz water chestnutstinned, drained and finely chopped
- 1 carrotfinely diced; keep 2 tbsp for the tops
- 2 spring onionsfinely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh gingergrated
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 1 ½ tbsp cornflour
For the dumplings
- 24 round dumpling wrappersmade without egg (check the label); or square wonton wrappers trimmed round
- 3 cabbage leavesto line the steamer
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What you'll need
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Squeeze 8 dried shiitake mushrooms dry, cut off the stalks and chop the caps finely.
Step 2: Mix the mushrooms with 7 oz firm tofu, 3 ½ oz water chestnuts, most of 1 carrot, 2 spring onions, 1 tsp fresh ginger, 1 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce (mushroom-based), 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and 1 ½ tbsp cornflour. Stir firmly in one direction for a minute until the mixture becomes sticky and holds together.
Step 3: Hold one of the 24 round dumpling wrappers in a loose fist made with your thumb and first finger. Spoon in a heaped tablespoon of filling and push it down while squeezing the sides, so the wrapper pleats up around it and the top stays open. Smooth the top with a wet spoon, press a few cubes of the reserved carrot on top and tap the base flat on the board.
30 minStep 4: Line a bamboo steamer with 3 cabbage leaves. Common mistake: packing them tight; leave 1 cm between each or they stick and tear. Steam over rapidly boiling water for 8–10 minutes, until the wrappers turn translucent and the filling is firm.
10 minStep 5: Serve hot from the basket. To make ahead, freeze uncooked on a tray, then bag; steam from frozen for 13–14 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vegetable siu mai take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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