Har Gow, Dim Sum Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺)

Har Gow! Probably one of the most popular Dim Sum dishes in the world, this shrimp dumpling uses wheat starch in order to have a chewy, translucent wrapper.
While making Dim Sum at home is almost universally an intense process, this dish undeniably takes some skill. Making the wrapper's tough, so unless you're a professional pastry chef don't feel discouraged if you can't quite get the Har Gow on your first try!
Written recipe is over here on /r/cooking:
/ recipe_dim_sum_har_gow...
And check out our Patreon if you'd like to support the project!
www.patreon.com/ChineseCookingDemystified
Outro Music: "Add And" by Broke For Free
/ broke-for-free
ABOUT US
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Learn how to cook real deal, authentic Chinese food! We post recipes every Tuesday (unless we happen to be travelling) :)
We're Steph and Chris - a food-obsessed couple that lives in Shenzhen, China. Steph is from Guangzhou and loves cooking food from throughout China - you'll usually be watching her behind the wok. Chris is a long-term expat from America that's been living in China and loving it for the last nine years - you'll be listening to his explanations and recipe details, and doing some cooking at times as well.
This channel is all about learning how to cook the same taste that you'd get in China. Our goal for each video is to give you a recipe that would at least get you close to what's made by some of our favorite restaurants here. Because of that, our recipes are no-holds-barred Chinese when it comes to style and ingredients - but feel free to ask for tips about adaptations and sourcing too!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Hey guys, a couple notes: 1. In the outro, Steph mentioned that sometimes this's made with shrimp paste - what we mean by that is (obviously) not the fermented stuff, but rather the 'pasty' shrimp dumpling filling. 2. For rinsing the shrimp under running water, you should do it at the smallest stream your tap can go. As long as you get the water moving it'll be fine and this way it won't use that much water. Or you can soak the shrimp in cold water with an ice pack in it, swap the water a couple times once it got warmer. 3. Apologies that the color in the video got a little weird in some points. I was trying out something new (using the auto setting on the camera then using Resolve's 'Color Stabilizer') and... it was a mess. Big reason why this video's up a day late. 4. I know you might be asking 'why not just roll this out with a rolling pin'? Unfortunately, the rolling pin makes the wrapper too uniform - you want that thick side/thin side thing going on. The thick side holds the weight of the filling, the thin side gets pleats. It's tough to pleat otherwise. 5. Instead of cornstarch, you can use potato or tapioca starch. Wheat starch has the tendency to break, so that starch is used to help give it stretchiness. 6. Make sure the water is as close to 100C as possible so that it actually cooks the wheat starch! Actually having boiling water is definitely the best possible route. 7. I'm a complete and utter moron, it's spelled 'Myosin'. Can't edit it now. Gah. That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure I'll edit this with a couple more in a bit

[@604Jimmy]

You didn't explain why your sink faucet sprays all over the place

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

We only really cook outside for videos and are lazy, mostly

[@lostnlooking2]

I've made this years ago... it took me 3 days to find wheat starch. I also made it with shiitake mushrooms & shrimp bamboo shoots... it was not easy since I had no video or anyone to teach me! I was giving a recipe and asked to make it... after about trial & errors I got it made! This is a favorite I love to eat... your recipe is a lot easier than what I had. I will be making this for friends! Thanks very very very much for this recipe! I love your vids... I will become a patron when I able too. Thanks again!

[@user-oy4zk8my4t]

I realy enjoy your videos. Ive learned a lot on how these foods are cooked since you are very meticulous on the process of preparing it. Great vids, thanks

[@francescogiacomopelagatti8221]

How do you make that "shrimp paste" you are mentioning? Is it something similar to what it s found on shrimp toasts (that would be another awesome recipe to post, just suggesting :p)?

[@misterhamez]

is that a special feature on your sink tap or

[@fmg420]

water the plants 2 in 1

[@AnhTrieu90]

Only that it points in the wrong direction.

[@kathleenvillamil2520]

LMFAOAOAO I DIED READING THIS

[@djxjxixsmjxjskjzxn1853]

@@kathleenvillamil2520 "I DIED READING THIS" Then, like Lazarus, came back to life to post a comment. Isn't god great!?

[@djxjxixsmjxjskjzxn1853]

After 6 beers I have the same feature on my penis.

[@blvk3]

@0:34 i cant stop laughing when i first see streams of water squirting side ways

[@barlkbl8799]

I wanted to write it as soon as I saw it 😂😂.

[@mlong9475]

I know right? It was kinda distracting.

[@djroguefireify]

That was the best tutorial I've seen for Har Gow. It always looked difficult (still does) but at least now I got clear instructions!

[@kevinbyrne4538]

Thank you for these detailed authentic recipes. I often hear people say that Chinese food in America is completely different from what's made in China, so I'm pleased to see how these dishes Should be prepared.

[@romxxii]

the wheat flour dough surprised me. All this time I thought it was translucent because they used rice flour.

[@rachelsmith3230]

And it's starch! That surprised me too!

[@mohitp526]

It's starch not regular flour, potato starch can be used as an alternative as well however if regular flour is used then it won't turn translucent and it would be barely white.

[@applelake5940]

Wheat starch is not the same as wheat flour. Most Asian grocery stores will sell wheat starch. Look for it online delivery if you cannot find locally.

[@bush-b5330]

@@rachelsmith3230 and it's mixed with potato starch! That surprised me even more

[@ramonching7772]

The wheat flour is actually regular flour minus the gluten. The gluten is extracted for other uses.

[@nurlagrande]

Yesss, thank you sooo much for making this. I studied a lot of recipes but I know for a fact you guys are the only ones that make them as authentic as posssible and you go into detail about everything. You guys are awesome!!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Cheers! I know this isn't the first Har Gow recipe out there or anything, but I hope it was helpful :)

[@TheDortmunderJungs]

I just wanted to say that i love your videos so much, im really happy to get a chance to try out all these dishes which i might not have been able to do otherwise in my entire life!

[@hugh-johnfleming289]

One of the few reasons I miss Los Angeles is a Dim Sum house, the shiny carts and the grumpy ladies, all the noise and yummy bites.

[@anho6188]

Very satisfying to just watch. I'm glad to find your channel. Please keep up the good work :)

[@nickvanamstel3976]

Those dumplings are so pretty!!

[@loniveng]

Thank you for your video! It make me appreciated how much hard work put into these food. I love cooking and still learning more from different chefs. New subscriber here😀

[@BackOnElectone]

Thanks for the recipe! Been waiting for this for a while. The wrapper flattening skill should get easier over time.

[@void.reality]

I have eaten hundreds of Har Gow over many years. What I love about your channel is that it makes me appreciate the time, effort, and decades/centuries of tradition involved in these recipes, which on the surface seem like they would be very simple. Like your chicken feet video, I don't think I'll make these from scratch, but I'll now appreciate every Har Gow I eat that much more.

[@thisissteph9834]

Yeah, making dim sum from scratch really made me started to appreciate the hard work, the time and the techniques a lot more. But you know what, we actually know some people that live in China and call dim sum "lazy people food" because "it doesn't require techniques and it's all made on an assembly line". I tried so hard not to throw the beer bottle in front of me over the table when I heard that.

[@Timenow1]

Same! I can't even pretend to even imagine myself making this Yummy 😍but complex recipe 😱

[@SerpentLight213]

This is such an awesome channel! Thank You!!!

[@nurulaulia1258]

Finally, Har Gow.. thank youu sooo much you guys just don't know how long I've waited this recipe from this channel. Really appreciate it.

[@thisissteph9834]

Cheers, let us know if you end up making it. We already got reports of success. You don't have to pleat them, just folding up would work too~

[@streef88]

When you said "there's no substitution" for these wrappers a chill went down my spine... I'm willing to go the dough a try but I can only imagine the mess ups I will make. Should be fun eating my 2nd's whilst I perfect them. Thanks for another wonderful video...

[@ZEWilloughby]

I've never thought of an oil cloth, this is a game changer for so many things, thanks!

[@elsalisa146]

The har gow are beautiful. I love it when you make the dim sum wrappers by hand.

[@thisissteph9834]

Har gow is actually way better making by hand, it ensures the right kind of wrapper if you do the old press and swirl method~

[@Anesthesia069]

Amazing recipe. I had trouble wrapping the first time I tried as I obviously used too much oil to flatten and they wouldn't stick. Definitely going to give this a go again!

[@ekunina5410]

I so APPRECIATE Dim Sum Restaurants!

[@sergeigen1]

i love all the cute bowls and generally cooking tools you show, it really makes the fantasy

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Haha when I first started dating Steph she already had an impressive bowl collection. With the channel things've started getting a bit nuts lol. I do really like the set that we used to serve there though... Taobao's great!

[@Treetopper73]

This has to be one of the best Har Gow recipes that I've seen and just finished making. Following every step, I just made what I consider to be on par with Dim Sum restaurants. I failed many times with other recipes, particularly when it came to the wrapper. The only thing is I seem to have much more dough than filling, but it's no big deal. I just froze the balance and hope it can be recovered at another time. Great channel!!

[@lonestarr1490]

I think they also ended up with way more wrapper than filling in the video. If you scale down the amounts for the wrapper it might get harder to knead it thoroughly, I suppose.

[@opwave79]

Wow cool! I absolutely love har gao and will try this. Wish me luck making the wrappers by scratch.

[@Cyberia398]

How cool - Har gow are the best!

[@stevegelano]

Thank you. I gauge a Chinese restaurant by the Har Gow it makes (and the Hot Spicy Chili Oil they provide.) Fantastic combination. Yum!

[@muting1943]

Nice! Finally you guys nailed this one

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Cheers, definitely been a long time coming!

[@sarahmaula9134]

Wow …..this is so amazing I watched many momoo dough recipes but this on is great so much calm and looks easy instructions I understood with ease

[@bonnadowns524]

Thanks you for your Har gao recipes 👌🤩👍🙏

[@Sejejekbf1892]

I would instantly order a cookbook if you made one :D

[@jojikyre5470]

Love Shrimp Har Gow. Me and my mom usually get this and pork su mai.

[@josephwallis8965]

Thank you for sharing your secrets, you have done very well

[@2foodtrippers]

Wow! Impressive.

[@cathl4953]

This is my first time ever watching this channel and my first impression is chef john from food wishes but for Chinese cuisine

[@yansadventure7577]

I tried this recipe yesterday...it was delicious 😋

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Awesome, it's definitely not for the faint of heart, but if you nail Har Gow there's few things more satisfying :)

[@mamakim9299]

My only regret is that discovering this channel earlier thank you so much

[@mollychrisa1]

WOW thanks OMG I love it aww 🥰🌺💖😋

[@stratecheese1302]

Dude, your sink broke

[@shamison1980]

free shower while cooking ....

[@furan__]

it's a special sink

[@cheria9399]

A cool sprinkle for the Summer

[@min_nari]

i think har gow is the holy grail of dim sum cuisine. just as beef chaofun to dai pai dong cooking.

[@samirhazlehurst8806]

that dough looks absolutely horrible to work with. big respect

[@raquelitaregondola8129]

Thank for sharing .

[@marcuscorvinus8927]

"Because we're not professional neither are you". Throwing some shade there I see. 😂

[@jj1817]

i was just searching for some food to do and i thought of my fav dumplings and thank god for u i can eat luxury im full now lol

[@tinayangs]

I loved your video

[@anastasiah2398]

My favorite dim sum

[@rafiweiimmanuel8436]

Delicious 🤤

[@sos-vm9yi]

Awesome

[@user-gd2ew4zk5r]

I think it’s time to call the plumbers my dude

[@shivadizayin]

“Undeniable pain to wrap”…. Understatement of the century…. But the results are worth it

[@uncleyipsdimsum]

Our restaurant serves a lot of har gow. We have a dedicated chef who only makes dim sum for us. There is nothing better than dim sum.

[@cresdc8481]

So this is what that guy from Uncle Roger was trying to do

[@ttoch684]

Great video.

[@kiurinails]

so delicious 🥰😋

[@gluten262]

I love making ginger and shrimp har gaw but excited to try this version next time!

[@voda5130]

Perfect so much love love ❤❤❤❤❤

[@sbaumgartner9848]

Steph - in addition to your fabulous details I think you look very cute in the headscarf you're wearing.

[@inesdasilva518]

You can make a gluten free/Celiac friendly version of this that is almost exactly the same as you would get in a restaurant! The bulk of it is rice flour and some tapioca starch. I have yet to try making it with Wheat Starch, i hear it is rather low in gluten but for my partner that has celiacs, I didn't want to risk it.

[@habibahmed3191]

"What's that?" *"My Dumplings!"*

[@peterchin6888]

Great recipe a taco press works well too, have you ever tried kneading the dough with a kitchen aid stand mixer?

[@TheCbach56]

the best instruction eith clear and authentic recipes..thank you.. can they be frozen

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Unfortunately not... you can freeze the filling though. The dough would crack.

[@HungHoang-sg9yg]

Good job

[@SunYtube]

Beautiful dimsum

[@edmcn9160]

Having a really hard time rolling these out. I'm thinking not enough potato starch while I was kneading. Otherwise delicious 😋 the filling and the wrap. But was not looking pretty 😕. I wonder if I could add starch and re-knead it after it has been sitting for a long while........great recipe presentation thank you 😊

[@joejeans7913]

Nice, Wow last time I went to search a recipe of yours you only had 125K subscribers. awesome . growing fast.. Ill be back to China soon they just opened back up for us!

[@peabisms]

Your sink is iconic

[@shellyung8171]

How well do these freeze? Will the skins crack? I've seen frozen ones at the grocery store, but not sure if their skins are made of different consistency...

[@Kadc]

Ive had these at tom dim sum and their my favorite

[@user-yu5fk7dc1p]

Im japanese and here theire pretty expensive in yen like 10-15 dollars :/

[@user-yu5fk7dc1p]

For 4

[@Scarecrows2018]

Look yummy

[@th3ms307]

I want to cook this with my love in Norway

[@Balala_]

Yas! I've been waiting!!! Just a few questions: How fast does one have to be, for the skins to not dry out? Because I imagine the plastic wrap can only help to a certain extend. In the video it looked like you first portioned and flattened one log, then wrapped, then steamed. And then you'd continue the process log for log, while keeping the rest of the logs in a bowl with plastic wrap to prevent drying out? Is pleating the Har Gows of the last log considerably harder?

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Cheers yeah I know this one has been a long time coming. So for the video for filming purposes we *did* use one log then steamed. But as long as you cover in plastic wrap, it'll actually really help prevent it from drying out - though an airtight tupperware container's a little better. This recipe makes 30, but you *will* have excess dough. As I went over a bit in the Reddit post, it'll be roughly double the dough you actually need. This is for two reasons (1) for some reason when we tried using smaller quantities, the dough just didn't come together. We have no idea why this is, could be our screw up, dunno and (2) having excess dough allows for some breakage - if you mess up, you can always toss the ball and start over :)

[@Balala_]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified Thanks a lot for the clarifications!!

[@duriancacaoboy964]

I began watching this video but was disappointed to hear you would waste water running for 15 minutes to rinse the shrimp?

[@estherknispel9841]

It's not Waist it gets filtered back into the system. 😂

[@OldSchoolSk8ermatt]

Hard agree…

[@thesandwichfreak3780]

Can you recommend a brand of wheat starch? Since most grocery stores in the US carry only whole wheat or regular wheat flour, it is difficult to find the wheat starch needed to make Har Gow.

[@flyingbt7013]

supop dim sum chef from Nepal

[@alexandersalz5850]

thanks always knew i missed something starch makes sense thats transluscent haha

[@spaghettiisyummy.3623]

You win some, you lose some, you dim sum.

[@namaschu9418]

And here I was hoping that I could do these

[@user-yu5fk7dc1p]

はい、とてもおいしいです!:) Btw im lucky i ate this two days ago _:3_

[@francoissaintamon9675]

Amazing recipe ! Although you really should change you tap ;)

[@henryng9406]

Thanks for pleating the proper way. Very annoying to see people cheat and have their dim sum looking like they are made by a 5 year old. Nothing against 5 year olds.

[@jz6532]

I wasn't able go out and buy shrimp. Is it possible to replace shrimp using a white fish fillet I found in the fridge? I'm not sure what kind of fish it is but after microwave it, it kind smells like shrimp. I also have shrimp sauce in the fridge, which I can use to make the fish shrimpy. Let me know if it is possible? Lol

[@gw3nd0l3n3]

Hey, I have the same blouse as Steph in this video 😀😀

[@maria.says.hi1]

If you want to freeze them, at what point would you do this?

[@taramacphee9093]

Can you freeze them after you wrap? Then steam from frozen?

[@Zilong09]

I use tapioca starch rather than the corn starch. Seems to work still pretty well.

[@Bingonangbuhayko]

Yum yum

[@adventurousbaker5085]

Much respect to you guys for being able to successfully execute such a difficult recipe! Question: I tried this recipe twice and both times, the skin was no good. The amount of water in the recipe turned the wheat starch into a slime instead of a dough. So, I ended up reducing the water, but even when the dough looked like that of the video, it had absolutely no elasticity. Making pleats aside, just the act of trying to close it resulted in cracks. Did anyone run into this issue and have a solution? Are there different grades of wheat starch or corn starch that have better stretchiness?

[@RandomGuy-bx2wv]

I wonder if you still care about this after a year...but I think I know the answer to your question. Mixing starch with water will indeed make a non-newtonian fluid, like you just described - very fluid but also crumbly. That is why they use boiling water instead of room temp. The boiling water partly cooks the starch as you stir it, which turns it into a proper dough. My guess is that your water wasn't hot enough or you didn't incorporate it fast enough.

[@ComatoseFly]

I owe you a beer.

[@Mar-vu5mb]

“Bc we’re not professional, and neither are you”

[@th3ms307]

Good p.m do you have recipes with vegetable filling?,i have an allergy of seafood?

[@MilkT0ast]

This dough is the hardest dough I’ve ever worked with. I swear everything will affect it. The moister in the air, on ur hands or lack there of. It’s ridiculous. I’ve made this dish more than 10 times and each time was different. Used a scale that measures to the 3rd decimal point too.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

It IS a super difficult dough. I can't remember how many times I fucked up and ended up with painful shoulder and arms just trying to nail the shape. But keeping it moist is the key, and be generous with the oil. Or even just roll it out and wrap it, it'll still work and be tasty. We did it this way mainly because we want to show how it's done the traditional way.

[@user-ee8cd5dm5h]

Thanks your vedio im looking for knife for hargow Can i get a link to get ?

[@designereats3661]

Any substitute for wheat flour? I can’t find that anywhere where I live

[@songyang9407]

I want to get myself a bamboo steamer where can I get one, I seen many online but not sure if it's all the same and if it matters which one you get

[@claudiacook6749]

Online is fine! Ive had mine for over ten years and it works like new but im sure any asian market will have them

[@micah4801]

This recipe reminds me of graphic novels I like to read so much... Takes ages to make, consumed in seconds.

[@defranzen]

Hi can I freeze them for future consumption?

[@peterhuston3823]

Thanks. I love your stuff and even when it's too complex, I enjoy it for the entertainment and inspirational value. Now, serious question. You use "pork fat" and "lard" ---I thought they were the same thing? Apparently not. Please enlighten me. Thanks.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Cheers! Lard's rendered pork fat. You make it by basically cooking down chunks of pork fat for ~1 hour so that it turns into a cooking oil. There's tons of instructionals online but I'll throw ours into the mix ;) kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWquiXmdjbZ6bZI

[@peterhuston7086]

@@ChineseCookingDemystified xie xie ni! Do jie!

[@CourtneyinSF]

Wow. This is an insane amount of work. I won’t complain anymore how expensive dim sum can be.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Honestly, Dim Sum is underpriced. It's an incredible feat of logistics that they can sell it as cheap as they do.

[@user-qe5uv1cj1x]

You're hot

[@icie1500]

Somepeople sub the wheat starch with corn starch only, or potato starch, tapioca starch, with cornstarch which is the same

[@Paprika-six]

I tried making har gow earlier this year and they were TERRIBLE. The filling was seasoned all wrong, and they just fell apart, the dough was a complete mess. I was so disappointed since I freakin love shrimp.. I can't wait to try them again with your expert guidance.

[@thisissteph9834]

Cool, let us know how they turn out. We already got a report of success from one of our patreons. The pleating will be a pain, so feel free to just fold them straight up~

[@leftblank6036]

Can you buy the pastry ready made from a Chinese supermarket ?