Skip to content

How to Make Fresh Pork Shumai

Fresh pork shumai features a filling made from pork with a 30% fat to 70% lean ratio, enhanced with winter bamboo shoots, pork jelly, and shiitake mushrooms. Steamed to achieve translucent wrappers and juicy fillings, each bite releases a burst of savory broth, blending salty and umami flavors, showcasing the refined essence of Jiangnan cuisine.

Estimated Cooking Difficulty: ★★★★

Essential Ingredients and Tools

  • Shumai wrappers
  • Ground pork (30% fat, 70% lean; for a low-fat version, use pork tenderloin or pork shoulder)
  • Minced ginger
  • Minced green onions (use only the green parts)
  • Light soy sauce
  • Cooking wine
  • Salt
  • Sugar (optional)
  • White pepper (optional)
  • Sesame oil
  • Broth or bouillon cube
  • Winter bamboo shoots (optional)
  • Pork jelly (optional but recommended)
  • Shiitake mushrooms (or rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms, optional)
  • Shrimp (optional)
  • Lard (or chicken fat) (for low-fat version)
  • Compound food thickener (45% kappa-carrageenan, 35% guar gum, 20% potassium chloride) (or cornstarch) (for low-fat version)
  • Steamer liner (Recommended order: oiled bamboo mat, grass mat, bamboo leaf, perforated silicone baking paper. Traditionally grass mats were used, but perforated silicone baking paper is more common now)

Calculations

Before each preparation, determine how many servings you plan to make. One serving is sufficient for 2–3 people.

Per serving:

  • Shumai wrappers: 240–465 g (approximately 24–31 pieces; it is recommended to use 30 wrappers of 10 g each)
  • Ground pork: 300 g (use 280 g of pork tenderloin or pork shoulder for the low-fat version)
  • Minced ginger: 5–10 g
  • Minced green onions: 10–20 g
  • Light soy sauce: 15 mL
  • Cooking wine: 10 mL
  • Salt: 3–5 g (reduce by 3 g if using a bouillon cube)
  • Sugar: 2–3 g
  • White pepper: 2 g
  • Sesame oil: 5 mL
  • Broth: 30 mL
  • Bouillon cube: 6 g (House brand recommended, approximately 1/8 of a cube)
  • Winter bamboo shoots: 50 g
  • Pork jelly: 100 g
  • Shiitake mushrooms: 75 g (or 30 g of dried shiitake mushrooms rehydrated)
  • Shrimp: 100–200 g (approximately 20–25 pieces)
  • Compound food thickener: 1.2 g (or cornstarch: 2 g)
  • Lard (or chicken fat): 15 g

Instructions

  • (Low-fat version) Take 10 mL of cold water, add the compound food thickener, and mix into a paste.
  • (Low-fat version) Add 25 mL of boiling water and stir until a semi-transparent gel forms.
  • (Low-fat version) After cooling, mix in 280 g of lean ground meat + 15 g of melted lard (or chicken fat).
  • Mix the ground pork with minced ginger, minced scallions, soy sauce, cooking wine, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir in one direction until the mixture becomes sticky and elastic.
  • If using bouillon cubes, dissolve one cube in 15 mL of hot water, stirring until the emulsion is fully dispersed, then add 15 mL of room-temperature water.
  • Slowly add water or broth while continuing to stir, until the filling absorbs the liquid and becomes viscous. If the meat filling is too thick, add another 5 mL of water and continue stirring.
  • Add optional ingredients (winter bamboo shoots, aspic, shiitake mushrooms), drizzle with sesame oil, and mix well. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
  • Take one shaomai wrapper and place about 20–25 g of filling on it (don't overfill, or it won't wrap properly).
  • Gently pinch the edges of the wrapper with the heel of your hand to form a "vase" shape, leaving the top open.
  • Gently press the bottom with your fingers to ensure it stands stably.
  • If adding shrimp, place one shrimp on top.
  • Repeat the wrapping process until all shaomai are prepared.
  • Place them in a steamer basket, ensuring they are spaced apart to prevent sticking.
  • Steam over high heat for 8–10 minutes.

Additional Notes

  • The fat in shaomai primarily comes from fatty pork. In the low-fat version, after removing the fatty pork, a small amount of animal fat is used to compensate for texture.
  • If shaomai wrappers are unavailable, you can use large wonton wrappers or roll out dumpling wrappers thinly.
  • The wrapper diameter should be between 8–10 cm, with each wrapper weighing approximately 10–15 g. The ratio of wrapper to filling should be controlled at 1:2 to 1:2.5.
  • It is recommended to use the medium setting on the meat grinder. This ensures the ground meat is not too fine (like a paste) nor too coarse (like chunks), maintaining a moderate texture for a bouncy filling.
  • Using 5 g of minced ginger and 10 g of minced scallions avoids overpowering the fresh meat flavor; using 10 g of ginger and 20 g of scallions resembles dumpling filling.
  • When wrapping shaomai, apply a little oil to the heel of your hand to prevent the sealed end from sticking.
  • Remember to place the shaomai in the steamer only after the water has boiled, so the wrappers do not collapse.
  • If made in excess, store at -18 °C in the freezer. Frozen shaomai require steaming for 12–15 minutes.
  • They taste better dipped in rose rice vinegar. You can also pair them with Tongxiang chili sauce, chili oil, light soy sauce, or shredded ginger according to your taste.
  • Reference: 【Fresh Meat Shaomai Step-by-Step Photos, How to Make Delicious Fresh Meat Shaomai】Xiao Shem l_Xia Chu Fang

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvement while following this guide, please submit an Issue or Pull Request.