Vietnamese Style Shu Mai

Name: Vietnamese Style Shu Mai
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: ⅓ cup All-purpose flour; 5 teaspoons Rice flour; Boiling water; ½ teaspoon Vegetable oil; ½ pound Ground pork; ¼ pound Uncooked shrimp, cut into small pieces; ¾ teaspoon Garlic cloves, grated; 1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, grated; ¼ small Small onion, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon Fresh cilantro, finely chopped; 1 teaspoon Sugar; 1 tablespoon Fish sauce; 2 teaspoons Fresh lemongrass, finely chopped (optional); 3 tablespoons Potato starch or cornstarch; Fresh red chile, thinly sliced; Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish; 2 tablespoons Fish sauce for dipping sauce; 1 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon Water for dipping sauce; 1 clove Garlic clove, minced; 1 teaspoon Fresh red chile pepper, minced

Recipe GLPRa4256546740823

Vietnamese

Appetizer

60 min

74 cal

Servings: 24

Stovetop

SNAP eligible

Delicate steamed dumplings filled with ground pork and shrimp, infused with aromatic ginger, garlic, and lemongrass. These Vietnamese-style shu mai are served with a tangy fish sauce dipping sauce featuring fresh garlic and red chile. The delicate wrapper is made from a simple flour and rice flour dough, creating tender pockets of savory filling.

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Ingredients

⅓ cup All-purpose flour

5 teaspoons Rice flour

Boiling water

½ teaspoon Vegetable oil

½ pound Ground pork

¼ pound Uncooked shrimp, cut into small pieces

¾ teaspoon Garlic cloves, grated

1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, grated

¼ small Small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Fish sauce

2 teaspoons Fresh lemongrass, finely chopped (optional)

3 tablespoons Potato starch or cornstarch

Fresh red chile, thinly sliced

Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

2 tablespoons Fish sauce for dipping sauce

1 tablespoon Rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Water for dipping sauce

1 clove Garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon Fresh red chile pepper, minced

Directions

Prepare the wrapper dough: In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and rice flour. Slowly add the boiling water while stirring continuously until the mixture forms a shaggy dough. Add the vegetable oil and knead until smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 15 minutes.
Prepare the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground pork, shrimp pieces, grated garlic, grated ginger, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, sugar, fish sauce, and lemongrass (if using). Mix well until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Fold in the potato starch or cornstarch until fully incorporated.
Divide the rested dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each into a smooth ball. Flatten each ball with your palm to create thin, round wrappers about 3 inches in diameter.
Fill and fold: Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each wrapper. Gather the edges of the wrapper up and around the filling, leaving the top open and creating a small pouch. The exposed filling at the top should be slightly visible. Gently press the wrapper to seal the sides while keeping the top open in a traditional shu mai style.
Arrange the filled shu mai on a parchment-lined steamer basket, leaving space between each dumpling. Top each one with a thin slice of fresh red chile and a cilantro leaf for garnish.
Steam the shu mai over boiling water for 15-20 minutes until the filling is cooked through. The pork and shrimp must reach an internal temperature of 160°F for the ground pork to be safely cooked.
While the dumplings steam, prepare the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, water, minced garlic, and minced red chile pepper. Stir until well combined.
Transfer the steamed shu mai to a serving platter and serve immediately with the dipping sauce on the side.

Comments

Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff3.75

This recipe yields 24 dumplings over 60 minutes—a significant time commitment that disguises the real work: pleating shu mai by hand takes far longer than stated once you account for wrapper prep and filling assembly, easily pushing toward 90 minutes for a household inexperienced with dumpling work. Lemongrass and fish sauce are available at Harris Teeter and Kroger, but if your nearest location lacks them, a special trip to an Asian market becomes necessary, adding real cost and planning friction to a weeknight. The filling itself is economical—ground pork and shrimp are standard—but the wrapper-making step and labor intensity make this better suited to weekend cooking or batch prep, not a casual dinner. This is a keeper for Vietnamese food lovers and confident cooks willing to invest the time; budget accordingly and plan to freeze half the batch.