Yokohama Chinatown (横浜中華街, Yokohama Chūkagai) is Japan’s largest Chinatown, located in my hometown Yokohama. Its main attraction is the vast array of tantalizing Chinese cuisine restaurants and food stalls. One of the most reputable restaurants is Kiyoken (崎陽軒), which has been serving Chinese food since the early 1900s. Their shumai (steamed pork dumplings) have been a popular and signature Yokohama souvenir for decades.
What’s Japanese-Style Pork Shumai?
Shumai (シュウマイ) in Japan typically contains ground pork and finely chopped onion, seasoned with a few Japanese condiments. The original Chinese shaomai or siumai (燒賣) commonly includes ground pork, chopped shrimp, and sometimes shiitake mushrooms, seasoned with oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper. The easiest way to distinguish Japanese Shumai is by the dainty green peas that crown the open steamed dumplings, giving them their characteristic look. You may associate Shumai with a dim sum dish or diner food, but in Japan, these steamed dumplings are a regular home-cooked dish, much like gyoza. Since Japanese-Chinese style dining can be expensive, most Japanese people make shumai from scratch or use a frozen premade bag.
Ingredients
Onion Ground pork – You can substitute it with any protein of your choice. Potato starch (cornstarch) Ginger Sake – Why sake? Learn here. toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, salt, white pepper powder Wonton wrappers (or Shumai wrappers) Green peas for decoration
Wonton or Shumai Wrappers
Japanese supermarkets sell “shumai wrappers” made specifically for Shumai. They come in thin, small, square sheets, different from the round gyoza wrappers. You can substitute with wonton wrappers. Depending on the brand, some dumpling wrappers are larger than others. If possible, I recommend choosing the smaller square ones.
How to Make Shumai – 3 Easy Steps!
5 Tips on Filling & Wrapping
1. Mix potato starch/cornstarch with onion
Potato starch (or cornstarch) plays an important role in absorbing excess moisture from the onion. You don’t want to break the wrappers with excess moisture later on!
2. Knead until sticky and pale
It’s crucial to use your hand (you can wear a plastic glove) to knead the meat mixture until it becomes sticky, pasty, and pale in color. This will ensure that the juices don’t escape, keeping all the delicious flavor within the meat.
3. Use a 1-tablespoon measuring spoon
Using a measuring spoon ensures uniform portions for all your shumai. This way, you don’t have to worry about some shumai being undercooked while others are fully cooked. The dumplings will also have a uniform consistency. Once you’re familiar with the amount of mixture needed, you can use a butter knife or dumpling spatula.
4. Use a butter knife or the back of a teaspoon
Use a non-sharp butter knife (if you have one) or the back of a teaspoon to stuff and press the filling into the wrappers. My friend in Japan gifted me a dumpling spatula (餃子ヘラ), and it has become a treasured item in my kitchen.
5. Press, rotate, and press…
Press the meat down into the wrapper to avoid trapping air. Make sure to press at a 45-degree angle each time so that the meat mixture goes into the wrapper evenly. See the photo above. Create a hole with your thumb and index finger so that the wrapper sinks into the hole as you press down the meat mixture. To create a flat base, make sure your ring finger and pinky are at the bottom of the shumai.
How to Steam Shumai
I use a bamboo basket to steam the shumai, as it is the traditional way of cooking these dumplings. Here are a few tips for steaming them:
No Steamer? Create a Makeshift Steamer!
No worries if you don’t steam food often enough to buy a steamer rack or bamboo steamer basket. You can make it work with a large pot, aluminum foil, and a plate!
How to Make-Ahead and Freeze
The great thing about making shumai at home is that you can freeze them both before and after steaming. This means you can cook a big batch and enjoy them anytime. Right before serving, simply steam the frozen shumai without thawing. To freeze, place uncooked shumai on a tray in a single layer. Once they are completely frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or bag.
What to Do with Leftover Wonton Wrappers
When I make shumai at home, I always use the leftover wrappers to make cheese wraps. Both pan-fried and deep-fried cheese wraps are easy to prepare, and your leftover wrappers won’t go to waste!
How to Enjoy Pork Shumai
These juicy, tender pork shumai make the best thing to enjoy for a weeknight meal. We usually serve them with Japanese karashi mustard, then dip them in soy sauce or a simple sauce made with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili oil. However, I enjoy eating them without sauce since the filling is so flavorful. Shumai may seem challenging to make at first glance, but you’d be surprised how easy it is to replicate these all-star dumplings at home. They taste just as good as the ones served at fancy restaurants, but certainly much better than the frozen shumai you get from the stores. I love making shumai with my children for a relaxing weekend brunch. The dumplings are so fresh and juicy that you want to eat them right off the bamboo basket!
Other Dumpling Recipes
Gyoza Shrimp and Pork Wonton Soup
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 20, 2012. It was updated with the video and new on April 5, 2020, and republished with more helpful information on August 20, 2024.
