# Chinese Steamed Shumai

> Shumai are Chinese dumplings that are **open at the top**, made with thin wonton wrappers and a chicken or prawn filling with shiitake mushrooms and ginger. The filling is beaten in one direction until it turns **sticky and firm** — the step that gives it its distinctive springy texture.

**Chinese Cuisine · 52 min · 6 servings · 190 kcal per serving**

Shumai are one of the best-known dim sum dishes in China, and their open shape isn’t random — it lets the steam reach the filling from above, so it cooks evenly with the wrapper.

## Ingredients

- 24 — round or square wonton wrappers
- 400 g — minced chicken (or beef)
- 150 g — prawns, cut into small pieces
- 5 — shiitake mushrooms, soaked and chopped
- 2 tbsp — soy sauce
- 1 tbsp — sesame oil
- 1 tsp — grated ginger
- 2 — spring onions, chopped
- 1 tbsp — cornflour
- 1 — egg white
- 1 tsp — sugar
- 1 — carrot, grated, to garnish

## Method

1. **Soaking the mushrooms** — Soak the dried shiitake in warm water for **30 minutes**, then squeeze them out and chop them finely. **Keep the soaking water** and add two spoonfuls of it to the filling — it is a very strong umami concentrate, and it costs nothing.
2. **Beating the filling** — Mix the minced chicken with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, ginger, cornflour and egg white. **Beat the mixture in one direction for 3–4 minutes** until it is **sticky and clings to the spoon**. Beating in one direction lines up the meat proteins, so the filling turns firm and springy.
3. **Adding texture** — Add the chopped prawns, mushrooms and spring onions and fold them in **gently** — no more beating. Prawns cut into pieces rather than minced give a distinctive bite. Cover the filling and chill it for **30 minutes** so it firms up.
4. **Shaping the shumai** — Put a wrapper in the palm of your hand and add **a tablespoon of filling** to the middle. Cup your hand so the wrapper rises up the sides, and **push the filling down with the back of a spoon** while pressing on the sides. Leave **the top open** — don’t close it.
5. **Flattening and garnishing** — Tap the base of each shumai on the worktop so it flattens and stands upright. Put a little **grated carrot or a few peas** on the open top — it is traditional and adds colour.
6. **Steaming** — Line the steamer basket with perforated baking paper or lettuce leaves, and arrange the shumai **2 cm apart**. Steam over rapidly boiling water for **8–10 minutes**. Wrap the basket lid in a towel so drops of water don’t fall onto the wrappers.
7. **Serving** — Serve them hot in the basket itself with a dipping sauce: **soy sauce + rice vinegar + sesame oil + chilli**. Shumai firm up as they cool, so speed matters.

## Tips

- Beat the filling in one direction until sticky — that is the secret of the texture.
- Keep the mushroom soaking water; it is an umami concentrate.
- Leave the top open — that is the proper shape of shumai, not a mistake.
- Wrap the steamer lid in a towel so the drops don’t wet the wrappers.
- Cover the wonton wrappers with a damp towel as you work so they don’t dry out.

## FAQ

### What is the difference between shumai and gyoza?
Shumai are open at the top, only ever steamed, and made with thin wonton wrappers. Gyoza are closed and pleated, fried and steamed in the same pan, and made with a thicker dough. The fillings are seasoned differently too.

### Can I make them without wonton wrappers?
You can use spring roll wrappers cut into circles, or make a homemade dough from 200 g flour + an egg + 60 ml water and roll it out very thinly. The result is a little thicker, but it works perfectly well.

### Can I freeze them?
Yes, and that is the best way. Freeze them **raw** on a flat tray, then move them to a bag. Steam them straight from the freezer, adding 3–4 minutes. They keep for 3 months without the texture suffering.

### The wrappers stick to the basket — what’s the fix?
Line the basket with perforated baking paper or lettuce or cabbage leaves, and brush it with a thin layer of oil. Leave space between the pieces so they can expand. And if the basket is bamboo, wet it with water before using it.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/chinese-cuisine/chinese-steamed-shumai
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-24