Crystal Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Translucent, glassy-skinned shrimp dumplings inspired by the dim sum carts of Chicago's neighborhood Cantonese barbecue houses. The trick isn't the filling — it's the wheat-starch dough, which must be mixed with boiling water and kneaded while hot. This version gives you an exact water-to-starch ratio, a rolling method that needs no tortilla press, and a simplified 7-pleat fold so you get plump, chewy-tender dumplings on your first try.

Ingredients

• 12 oz raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 20 medium)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained and finely diced
• 2 tbsp finely minced fatty pork belly or 1 tbsp lard
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced scallion, white and light green parts only
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp oyster sauce

• 150 g wheat starch (about 1 1/4 cups, not wheat flour)
• 40 g tapioca starch (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 200 ml boiling water (about 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp)
• 1 tbsp lard or neutral oil, plus more for the work surface

• chili oil or chili-garlic sauce
• light soy sauce
• napa cabbage leaves or parchment rounds, for lining the steamer

Instructions

1. Rinse the shrimp, then toss with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda in a bowl. Let sit 10 minutes, then rinse thoroughly under cold water and pat completely dry with paper towels. This step gives the shrimp their signature snap.
2. Chop about two-thirds of the shrimp into rough 1/4-inch pieces for texture; mince the remaining third almost to a paste so it binds the filling. Combine both in a bowl.
3. Add the bamboo shoots, minced pork belly, scallion, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, sugar, white pepper, cornstarch, and oyster sauce. Stir vigorously in one direction for 60 seconds until the mixture feels sticky and holds together. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (or up to overnight) while you make the dough — cold filling is much easier to wrap.
4. Make the dough: whisk the wheat starch, tapioca starch, and 1/2 tsp salt in a heatproof bowl. Bring water to a hard, rolling boil. Measure 200 ml and pour it into the starch all at once while stirring fast with a sturdy silicone spatula or chopsticks. It will look lumpy and translucent in patches — keep stirring 30 seconds until no dry powder remains, then cover the bowl and let it steam 2 minutes.
5. Add the 1 tbsp lard or oil and knead the hot dough right in the bowl with the spatula until it cools enough to handle, then turn onto a lightly oiled work surface and knead 2 to 3 minutes until it is smooth, warm, and feels like soft mochi. If it cracks, wet your hands and knead in a few drops of hot water; if it sticks badly, knead in a teaspoon more wheat starch. Wrap tightly in plastic or keep under an inverted bowl at all times — this dough dries out in minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 24 pieces (roll into a log and cut, working with half at a time and keeping the rest covered). Roll each piece into a ball.
7. Shape the wrappers: lightly oil a smooth work surface and the flat side of a broad chef's knife or a small offset spatula. Set a ball on the surface and press-and-drag the oiled blade across it in one firm motion to smear it into a 3-inch round about 1/16 inch thick. Alternatively, flatten between two oiled sheets of plastic with the bottom of a glass. Aim for slightly thicker in the center than at the edges.
8. Fill and pleat: hold the wrapper in your cupped palm and place a scant tablespoon of filling in the center. Fold the wrapper in half without sealing. Starting at one end, make 7 small pleats along the front edge only, pressing each pleat against the flat back edge to seal as you go. Pinch the seam firmly shut and set the dumpling seam-up on a lightly oiled tray. Cover finished dumplings with plastic wrap. Repeat, working quickly.
9. Set up a steamer: line a bamboo or metal steamer with napa cabbage leaves or perforated parchment and bring water in the pot to a full boil. Arrange dumplings 1/2 inch apart — they will stick to each other if they touch.
10. Steam over high heat for 6 to 7 minutes, until the wrappers are glassy and you can see the pink shrimp through them. Do not steam longer than 8 minutes or the wrappers turn gummy and split.
11. Turn off the heat and let the steamer sit 1 minute before opening (a blast of cold air can make the skins collapse). Lift the dumplings off with a lightly oiled spoon or thin spatula and serve immediately with chili oil and light soy sauce for dipping. Steam remaining batches the same way.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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