Siu Mai

Siu mai (shāomài) are a cornerstone of Cantonese dim sum — open-topped dumplings that expose their filling as a visual indicator of freshness, quality and seasoning. They are among the oldest dim sum items, with documented references to siu mai-style preparations in Chinese tea-house culture going back to the Yuan dynasty in Inner Mongolia, though the Cantonese version as served today emerged much later.

The wrapper is thin wheat-flour dough, rolled to a diameter of about 10cm and formed into a cylinder by pleating around the filling. The top is left fully open — the filling is exposed rather than sealed. The pleating at the sides holds the cup shape together during steaming. A properly formed siu mai should hold its circular form and height without the filling subsiding after cooking.

The filling is minced fatty pork (pork collar for fat content) combined with whole or roughly halved prawns — ideally kept large enough to be visible and to contribute texture — diced rehydrated dried shiitake mushrooms, and a light seasoning of sesame oil, oyster sauce, light soy sauce and white pepper. The filling should be moist and slightly springy when cooked, with the prawn providing distinct textural contrast to the pork. A piece of fish roe (tobiko) or a small square of carrot is placed at the centre of the exposed top: orange indicates a prawn version, green (a pea or spinach garnish) sometimes indicates a vegetable variant.

Siu mai are steamed in bamboo baskets and served four per basket. They should arrive at the table hot enough that the skin is slightly tacky and the roe still glistens. A siu mai with sunken filling, rubbery skin or a watery texture indicates either poor ingredients or insufficient attention to steaming time.