Har Gow

Har gow is considered the benchmark by which a dim sum kitchen's skill is judged. The skin is made from a mixture of wheat starch and tapioca starch — not conventional wheat flour — producing a semi-translucent, slightly sticky wrapper that should be thin enough to reveal the pink of the prawn through it while remaining strong enough not to tear when lifted with chopsticks. The filling is whole or roughly halved prawn seasoned simply with sesame oil, salt, white pepper and a little bamboo shoot for crunch. Har gow are always steamed, never fried. They should arrive at the table hot enough to be tacky on the outside and should hold together without clumping to the bamboo steamer. A dumpling that tears on lifting, has a skin that's too thick or a filling that tastes of freezer indicates a kitchen working below standard. Dim sum restaurants are rated in part by this single dish.