Siumai, from scratch - How to Make Cantonese Dim Sum style Siu Mai (烧卖)

Siumai, one of my favorite dim sum dishes. Known around the world as Shaomai, Shumai, or Siomai... this dim sum is stuffed with pork and shrimp, and topped with shrimp and roe.
We wanted to show you how to make this dish from scratch, Siumai wrapper and all. You obviously don't need to do that part if you don't want to - feel free to use store bought wonton wrappers in a pinch.
As always, here's the link to the detailed written recipe and ingredient list over in /r/cooking:
/ recipe_siumai_cantones...
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!

[@Seasidecc95437]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! . Believe it or not, I been trying different shu mi recipes for FORTY years., looking for the right flavor and texture as my favorite takeout restaurant in Sacramento CA. None of the cookbooks I had talked anything about the rinsing and soaking of the meats, the mixing till sticky, etc.,,,, let alone adding in the lard or fat.,,, I went to our butcher for this one. I haven’t lived in Sacramento in 30 yrs, but always stopped in and got 24 shu mi to take home, and try to talk to the family that makes them, but I don’t speak Cantonese , their instructions where lost on me., All I had was an ingredient list….Until now…. My shu mi turned out Perfect, and my honey just opened a bottle of good champagne,,,,and,, that’s my story. Almost 1/2 a century in the making. Thanks again. Wow.

[@kyebronwyn2980]

Congratulations :))

[@thurstonmirolav8891]

You know that this is authentic because there's MSG & lard.. I love this

[@poopsiepop4179]

Uncle roger approves

[@ChristopherSarapin]

Uncle roger so proud

[@APNambo]

People need to get it that those are perfectly fine ingredients with no health issues.

[@beautyjournal217]

Chick fla has MSG too ok

[@j0hnnynguen870]

I love all the ingredients that u put in the Shui mai, and it look so yummy. Thank u for sharing this video. I will try to cook some to day, and hope it will work.

[@JamesChan1983]

Now I know why I go to a dim sum restaurant if I want to eat siu mai. Thanks for showing how much work is needed to do a good job.

[@seabelgoldenheart8959]

James Chan yesss! i love them so much i said hmmm 🤔 i need to learn. after watching this i am on my way to the restaurant 😂

[@daveheel]

Yes, very technique and labor intensive. I'm still working on a dim sum restaurant quality dan tot.

[@RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS77]

Pretty much all dim sum recipes. I made cheung fan once and holy moly, not worth the effort.

[@roxannebaynosa1770]

'll

[@lt5466]

It’s not really a lot of work if you use store bought wrapper

[@scarlettw123gmail]

Great recipe. I’ve been making dim sum for 17 years. I added sesame seed oil and oyster sauce to the recipe and I used granulated chicken flavor soup base from the Asian super market instead of the normal chicken bouillon we use in America ( game changer) The soup base has msg in it already so I axed the additional msg. Identical to restaurant sui mai. Pork loin works well for the recipe considering how hard it is to get fresh ham without it being cured lol. Pork belly also works fine in lieu of pork fat.

[@joseaugustoencarnacion5461]

Thanks for the tip

[@bruah4364]

fresh "ham" is just pork shoulder just saying

[@nsg208]

@@bruah4364 fresh ham is the back leg of a pig, shoulder is the front leg. It would probably be ok as a substitute but shoulder has a lot more intramuscular fat than ham/back leg

[@pumpkinkill2937]

@@bruah4364 Always have to be that one comment huh? 🙄

[@Ekcmd]

As a student of Chinese cooking for many years, I havr to say this is the most authentic and accurate English language video on siomai making I have ever seen as it ( ...and many of your other videos ☺.. ) describes and clearly explains the often obscure yet crucial techniques and ingredients often known only to master chefs. Love all your videos ! Well done 😊!!

[@TheDarwiniser]

I understand he;s living in China, so I assume he has access to some fairly original recipes.... authentic is not up to me to determine ;)

[@bernardjameswilson]

My grandma used to make it with either those tiny dried shrimp or dried fish to add saltiness

[@iadtag1853]

Your spelling of siomai is what we use in the Philippines.

[@TheCdcm]

I totally agree!

[@fard2962]

Sup mai

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

EDIT: I can sleep easier at night lol. Some reports of replication successes too :) As an aside, if you ever make one of these dishes and it turns out well, dropping a quick line... 'made this, turned out well' would be *insanely* appreciated. That sort of info is invaluable to us to make sure that people can actually recreate stuff! _____________________________________ Ok, so we've had two people report replication issues with this recipe so far :/ The culprit appears to be the meat filling not being 'sticky' enough... one person wasn't getting the Siu Mai to wrap without them falling apart, and another's fell apart after steaming . While I still don't know what's totally going on here (without pictures all we can do is kinda guess), our best guesses would be: (1) not stirring the meat mixture enough, or not stirring in one direction only (the likely culprit in my - Chris's opinion) or (2) the lean wasn't dry enough after the soak (the likely culprit in Steph's opinion) or (3) perhaps a dice that's not fine enough or (4) perhaps the Siu Mai wasn't tight enough when wrapping or (5) some fat still attached or any oil in the bowl when breaking down the lean. Any of those could potentially cause a problem. Obviously this is my fault for communicating ineffectively, sorry guys. A couple ideas: So while we've had people report issues here, we've had successful replication with two other recipes that use similar meat filling: (1) Hakka Stuffed Tofu (kzbin.info/www/bejne/rX26pHebfq5mq7s ) and (2) Pearl Meatballs (kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZeZpGerp7-jldU ) So first, take a look at the method of how to stir the meat - you swap your hands for chopsticks and really go at it, it should get really super sticky. Second, while it wouldn't exactly be that 'Siu Mai' texture, you could also get the lean into a paste like we do in those recipes. Third, you could always double the amount of the cornstarch slurry. Sucks to hear about replication issues. For us people being able to make this stuff at home is obviously the reason we do these videos :/

[@salmonfire]

this brings back memories when i worked in a Chinese Restaurant in high school. Its all about how the meat is mixed, i remember the boss lady saying, "You call yourself a man? Put the mixture in the bottom of the bowl and hold your fingers together and palm the meat fiercely"!

[@cheesemongaming1886]

Chinese Cooking Demystified y’all are awesome for this. You really care about the viewers and your format and quality are top notch :)

[@FIyingDumpling]

YOU ARE WONDERFUL. please keep up the good work.

[@janelee4961]

hi thank u for your recipe.is the lard the one responsible for the meat not to fall apart ?or baking soda also helps?

[@brokenspine66]

Instead of food colouring, would it be even better to use little bit of tumeric? Just a thought.

[@Ekcmd]

This is the most authentic and accurate English language video on siomai making I have ever seen as it ( and many of your other videos ) describe the lesser known but very crucial techniques and ingredients often known only to master chefs. Well done ! Love all your recipes ☺

[@Isaac-vm8uq]

This was such an incredible and savory recipe. I honestly had no idea what the difference between my ground pork shumai and the amazing ones you get in Dim Sum places was but wow...this was so authentic and tasty. I love the scientific explanations you give for your videos! It is very useful and helpful. Thank you!

[@stephenkormanyos766]

I had a hard time finding pork fat so I just used 450 grams of pork belly, about 1/3 fat and 2/3 lean I’d wager, and omitted the melted lard and the pork washing step. I also added 1 tsp each of crushed garlic and grated ginger. Thanks for the recipe and method. It worked out great.

[@97ann73]

Dimsum restaurants are still closed, its a good thing i can get the ingredients and make this myself! Thanks for sharing authentic Cantonese recipes!

[@EnzoFerenczyo]

I have studied authentic cooking from many countries for years now and just from watching the techniques here I can tell this recipe is brilliant! I can't wait to try it, have to buy some cookware first, but I'll be sure to let you know how my favorite food ever turns out.

[@138741]

Do you know how long I’ve been looking for an authentic recipe like this!!!! YEARS! Thank you so much 😁😁😁

[@stephanieli7519]

Glad you like it! Hope you give it a try :)

[@drivestowork]

Sitting at home, eating store-bought frozen beef & broccoli, torturing myself w/KZbin videos of real food. Love from Nebraska!

[@drivestowork]

@Usa mabaho I agree, on the other hand though... premade frozen food is my bread-&-butter (livelihood)! I work at a great big frozen food factory. Summer is usually our slow season! But, because everyone is stuck at home... and no one knows how to cook anymore, people are buying lots and lots of my frozen food. No time off for me! I have been working 8-10-12 hour days, 5-6-7 days a week! I hope I can get some time off when all of this is finally done.

[@bensison4430]

Loved the authenticity of the process. Been wondering why the real deal is so simple yet complicated. The scientific explanation also adds up to the understanding of why such techniques are important.

[@Lecii424]

This is the most thorough recipe I found to make siu mai. I've had tried so many recipes at home and it never tastes like at the restaurant. Thank you so much!

[@sabrinac.5916]

Hi! Your videos have given me the confidence to try all kinds of Chinese dishes that I would previously only order in - and have been so successful! I will definitely be giving this a whirl. Thank you.

[@undray4131]

I love that you also explain the scientific parts of the recipe. Love your channel

[@uncleyipsdimsum]

Love siu mai! People who come to our dim sum restaurant now can see how much work and love go into this classic southern Chinese dish.

[@gmlopezmd]

you guys are the best chinese cooking video channel in you tube, seriously! thank you for your service to mankind! more power!

[@stephanieli7519]

Thank you! :)

[@danielleanderson6371]

The best part of shrimp is that crunch. I'm glad you agree to its importance.

[@fauii4222]

i tried this method, and it was really labor intensive, but in the end my shumai tasted great and authentic! My family loved it so much and I felt like a real pro.. lol ..thanks for sharing this

[@SH-pm3dm]

I don't believe making siumai is as difficult as it looks; it's just time consuming with making of the dough and the chopping filling from scratch. I substituted the skin with store bought wanton wrapper, using ground pork instate of cutting pork myself. As far as chopping shrimp, it's fairly easy to do. I do use the suggested seasoning from your show, and everything turned out very well. I made a lot of dim-sum items for one Sunday brunch and it was a hit with my family and friends. Thank you for your video, I am a fan.

[@jerryfrugoli3339]

Thank you for your efforts .... these are the techniques I’ve always wanted to know!!! Awesome

[@qlim3320]

I just made this, it turned out amazing! Thank you so much for the recipe.

[@kaeli]

Did it turn out like restaurant dimsum?

[@firstnamelastname9646]

The most in-depth recipe for this. Thanks for your hard work and dedication, it really shows in the final result. 👍🥢

[@robertar286]

Wow, this is the best recite ever! I have done it yesterday and was perfect! Thank you for sharing

[@annvidal1457]

Love this video. I made mine following your procedure and it turned out splendid. I love my siu mai!

[@mareksuchanski4313]

I really appreciate your videos. Can't wait to try out this recipe, and please keep making more videos.

[@carlakazana]

Omg !!! This recipe actually changed my life 😂 the best recipe ever ! Been making dumplings for a while and never managed to get them quite right until now ! 😍😍😍 thank you sooo much !

[@pianoforte611]

Finally made these. The flavor and texture of the filling were great. The wrapper, not so much. It was springy and spongy in a way that I didn't care for even though I experimented with a few different levels of thinness. All had the same issue. The restaurant version I'm used to is silky smooth with a slight chew. Maybe I'll just buy the wrappers next time.

[@knightsofneeech]

I have tried quite a few recipes from your videos and found them all to be excellent. As somebody in the US who wants to cook authentic Chinese, home style, your channel is great. If you are looking for material which is interesting to us, I would love to hear some more details about rolls, custard, scallion, pork.floss, etc... Thanks for great videos!

[@stephanieli7519]

Ooooh, things right up my alley! Great idea! Gonna make curstard soonish this year, and rolls! I always make the Vietnamese rolls, now I'm gonna explore some Chinese counterparts as the Vietnamese rice paper rolls. Thx for the suggestion and I'm very glad that the dishes turned out great. :)

[@doriemckay6935]

In the 70s there was a retired Asian couple who made dim sum. It was the best I've ever had and I been craving it since. Finely minced pork and shrimp and celery. They didn't give it to me but my asian neighbor downstairs. I didn't know the creators personally. They were very shy and kept to themselves. Now I'm old and still want this like theirs.

[@vrrryn]

Everything in this video is wholesome and it really worked and tasted amazing

[@armiejose5232]

This recipe is real authentic chinese suimai....so good my family loves it so much.

[@ryanspencerlauderdale687]

I never have a dim sum experience without these. They’re really delicious.

[@yesa9846]

Made this tonight, absolutely incredible

[@greglee7759]

Interestingly enough, I have it on good authority that the REAL way to get egg noodles (no egg actually needed) or any other wrapper to be yellow is ALKALINE WATER. Egg noodles don’t really get their color from eggs, it’s that they’re prepared with water that is more alkaline. If you have ever noticed that dim sum has the most subtly sulfury odor, it’s this alkaline process that does it. In some Asian groceries, it is labeled “Lye Water”. My Chinese to English to Chinese interpretation is terrible, but it’s something like “Gan Suey” or “Gan Sui”. Alkalinity causes noodles to be chewy, stretchy, and will hold together better in the hot soup water, like when you are making wonton. It actually modifies the starches and gluten compounds. This is the secret to truly amazing fresh Japanese ramen noodles and I assume cooking with alkaline water is a technique they imported from China. (Ramen are known as “Chinese noodles” in Japan.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqXKiJl_rsdrp9E (try this for reference)

[@egraciosa]

I am glad I happened to view this video. Excellent!! secret technique revealed and explained very scientifically.

[@assejanag2970]

Thank u for the detailed explanations! They're very helpful! 😍👍

[@armiejose5232]

Really loved this. made my own and taste so good.

[@Whatisthis154]

I have learned so much from this video. You guys are awesome !

[@accessdenied3350]

Absolutely love watching this channel

[@OscarSchumacher]

You make this look so easy! I'll definitely have to give these a go

[@marcus939]

I eat this stuff almost everyday with soy sauce mixed with calamansi and hot oil. Love them.

[@shiroineko13]

a moment of silence for those who cannot enjoy this delicacy everyday...

[@elsalisa146]

The most beautiful siu mai ive ever see. Ill be making these.

[@sallyhu5028]

Thank you for this video ... instructions for those of us who don't have a pasta making machine would be really something.

[@SmartCooking4You]

It looks very delicious thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.. 👍👌

[@jonjicantero9442]

i wasnt gonna download the video, but! when you put the shrimp on top and that mince carrot, man... jaw drop 😱🙌

[@donememoryforever4770]

Wow...so yummy madalilang pla magluto ng siomai..thanks sa share mag try din ako magluto nyan😋 God bless & good luck to your channel👏

[@e-o-1085]

Look delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe! I'm going to make this dish! 🥟🙂

[@lornaquemado4419]

thank you for sharing your recipe. I use this recipe when I crave for Siomai. It taste soooo delish 😋 But I do add some sesame oil. 😊

[@theheyseed]

this is great, I just went to Amazon and ordered a $400 mixer, can't wait to save money by making this meal at home.

[@Paprika-six]

This looks really fun.. I would love to see more different dumpling recipes! i.e. a dough for potstickers, and i've had some really awesome more doughy dumplings at shops here in Seattle, and I am just obsessed with making whatever dumplings I can! :D

[@bryannaing6316]

Siu mai is definitely my favourite dim sum dish, and seeing this video made me think "I can learn to make my favourite dim sum?!?" I was very, very wrong. This seems like way too much effort for someone like me to make.

[@mr.tomsadventures]

My favorite! Detailed information just like Alton Brown, awesome!

[@Lilbrunchie]

Y'all are the only ones who make me super hungry when I wake up at five am! Awesome upload, thank you!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Haha just gotta go for that *really* zao cha I guess.

[@streef88]

FANTASTIC! You are the BEST. Thanks so much for teaching me my favourite food!

[@infinitesheali5428]

This turned out AWESOME! thank you

[@XxsoulrockaxX]

Great video !!! so detailed and clear but so much work! I’ll just go to the restaurant lol

[@mamakim9299]

Once again so much work but I enjoyed this video very much thank you for posting it you did a great job

[@indaymomasimplelifeinjapan1056]

wow! so delicious another best way of cooking shomai I saw in this video thank mam for sharing us

[@DimSumBasic]

this is one of the best video i 've seen so amazing thanks for the super content bro love it!

[@moongawddess8161]

I tip when I order food but I’m about to start praying for blessings for the restaurant that makes the shrimp siu mai I like 😫 this is so much work

[@franzthemagician2957]

thank u for sharing your recipe... I really love siomai dumplings

[@SouBuuS]

You guys are the best Haha love yall videos!

[@mimay9450]

Made this many times now and its always good, although i have to reduce the salt and white pepper to suit our taste but this by far the closest flavor and authencity i can recreate in my kitchen. Thanks

[@acukeric]

I must say MSG is a necessary ingredient which makes the Siu Mai really pop with flavour in your mouth. You have to be careful with how much you add because if you put too much you will kill the dish. I learned this the hard way!!! God i love Siu Mai! Great recipe and video!

[@sabarca714]

This looks delicious!

[@hong4girlslifeadventures208]

Amazing suimai recipe!!

[@TheU2now]

Thanks. I am glad that it is in English . Great. Need to try that

[@kimhanh1]

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing 💕🙏

[@kar3n35]

I aet this for first time and... is amazing. My life will never be the same.

[@vincentchan1173]

Great tutorial. What a lot of work.

[@CINDY-kd6ep]

for me, i will add a lil bit of ginger, chinese cooking wine, soy sc and sesame oil. but a nice recipe!

[@jasonlin5214]

Thanks so much for the awesome recipe. Left out chicken bouillon (didn't have it on hand) and MSG, substituted lard with butter, and it still tasted very good. Although, I made 1.5x the recipe and only made 33 shiu mai. Lol, maybe mine were just really fat looking ones. Will definitely be trying out some of the other Dim Sum recipes you guys posted.

[@DrazerTM]

I'd love to make some of these recipes but they are all so complex. I'd love to see some simple yet tasty Chinese recipes

[@ramiro48]

"then top that guy with a shrimp and your roe and your shu mai is ready to go" sick bars

[@christianhoffmann8607]

second channel incoming - food raps

[@pocketpicker6613]

@@christianhoffmann8607 food wraps

[@CommunitySkratch]

Haha

[@hkginger]

I just made the Shu mai, it is delicious! Thank you for your great recipe!

[@grahamsong4585]

Cant believe it took me 5 years to find this recipe video!!! Wasting my life until today!!!

[@vizie]

One of the best recipe I’ve tried for siomai (this is how we call it in the 🇵🇭)- next time ill try to make my own wrapper.

[@XianWangTheo]

sio mai is how hokkienese prase 燒賣, no wonder because majority of phillippine's chinese were fujian origins also your surname is tio I suppose it's hokkien for 張

[@RovingPunster]

Very helpful and well explained ! (+1) Suggestion: theoretical alternatives to yellow food coloring (for those who lack it) are simple countertop infusions of powdered turmeric, saffron, or Annatto seed ... simply infuse directly into the liquid used to make the dough (while you prepare all the other i gredients), and strain/filter before use.

[@thisissteph9834]

Good idea on infusing the liquid, maybe use fresh tumeric or dry tumeric roots, so that you don't get grains.

[@RovingPunster]

@@thisissteph9834 Yep. Disposable paper coffee filters, or tea bags, make good filters too.

[@Sully9663]

That is the best looking siumai i have ever seen.

[@svskincarelashstudio9234]

I happened to catch this video while looking for a siomai recipe and boy do I love it so much. I watch the video on my iPad while making my siomai following the steps carefully. I also made the wrapper from scratch just as instructed. I did not have lard so I just added a couple drops of sesame - that's about the only change I made. Except that the wrapper tends to separate from the meat after it was cooked, my siomai turned out pretty dang good. Thank you so much.

[@thisissteph9834]

We do have some people saying the wrapper felt off. I'm guessing it's a bit too dry, maybe try dipping your finger in water and then smear some water on the wrapper before wrapping, that may do the job~~

[@svskincarelashstudio9234]

@@thisissteph9834 okay, i will try that. thanks.

[@shanemaniram7641]

So i made these a couple weeks back. Were super good. Just like the local dim sum place. Yielded approx 45 large sui mai.

[@anonymousduck1906]

When making the wanton, is it the same case as making bread where in you try avoiding using extra flour?

[@mayrelynjane374]

I love how you add a little scientific facts through the video.

[@dewasaepurrahman]

amazing, so so delicious thanks for sharing...

[@stroheckercindy]

Great recipe and instructions. Please do more dim sum videos!

[@stephanieli7519]

Cheers, yup, more dim sum on the way~

[@devinthomas4866]

wow that looks delicious!!!!

[@martinblouin3639]

that looks so good!

[@eenayeah]

Damn. What a great voice and narration.

[@benzuckerman]

Awesome beyond words. Ignore the idiots that gave you a thumb down on this - they are just jealous of your cooking skills and lovely wife.

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Haha I'm pretty sure they just were upset at the food coloring bit. I told them not to shoot the messenger ;) Seriously though, it seems like whenever KZbin selects a video to recommend to people outside of core subscribers the like-ratio'll go down. It's pretty consistent. Like, if you take a look at puffed rice cake or spring pancakes, those're at 98-99%. This guy's at 95% and chicken feet's at 93%. Just the natural way of things.

[@manxaura]

I made it ... and it was deeelicious! Halved the recipe for the filling but probably should have just done the full recipe as it would have been easily consumed. Only variation to the recipe was that I used supermarket mince pork that had 10% fat instead of the lean pork and fat. Followed the full recipe for the skins but turned leftover sheets into spaghetti pasta after cutting out the needed 20 circles. Didn't have "egg yellow" colouring and used just the standard yellow instead. Thanks for this recipe (and the many others) ... goes in my "for keeps" recipe book 🙂

[@mattybizz788]

always awesome! Great job you two!

[@stephanieli7519]

Thx~ :)

[@MadeleineHenderson]

interesting i have only had white wrappers in uk :) great video, even i will be able to make these and they are one of our favourites too!

[@myshkin_7951]

You two always manage to post on nights I can't sleep... Thanks from a bored college student :]

[@Janetsecretaria]

it looks so delicious, em gonna try this.thanks!

[@joeboyd8702]

Brilliant. Thanks for uploading.

[@YsabelsSimpleRecipes]

super nice recipe of shiomai..iam a filipina(Philippines) but my daughter love this.. thank you sir for sharing the best shiomai recipe and now i know how to make it.. Thank you and more power!!!

[@hijodelsoldeoriente]

*siomai

[@marktadeo7292]

hi, ask if it really taste authentic?

[@betacross3675]

Followed the recipe and i find it very flavorful. Im lessening the sodium in the filling next time as id like to dip my siumai in soy citrus chili garlic. The less salt in the filling will be compensated by the dip. But if you follow the recipe a chili oil minus soy sauce will do.