Hello! I'm back with my food recipe posts! For my comeback, I am sharing one of the foods I made during my mother's birthday last month. The tofu and shrimp siomai!
One of my goals in cooking is to be able to try steaming foods. The first step, of course, is to get a steamer or a steamer rack. And two months ago, I had finally found a basket steamer which I think, would suit my tiny cooking space.
With the right tools in hand, I decided to try making siomai for the first time!
Siomai or Shumai is a type of dumpling wrapped in a soft wonton/molo/dumpling wrapper and steamed. The meat is usually pork, beef, or shrimp. This type of food is commonly found on Eastern cuisines but siomai is actually a popular food here in the Phlippines as well. You can find it on restaurants or even on the streets, varying with price and quality.
Siomai is usually eaten with a squeeze of calamansi (lime), soy sauce, and chili garlic oil. This holy trinity of condiments will surely give you the best experience of eating siomai.
If you're going to ask me, my favorite siomai stall to buy from is Siomai House. It's affordable and tastes good. However, I've recently tasted DECS siomai and it's now my most favorite. I've also recently found out that there are frozen DECS siomai being sold at the grocery store I usually buy my groceries from. Lol. I'll try the other flavors next time!
Another reason for me making siomai goes back to the time when my mother attempted to make siomai but failed on steaming them properly. The siomai she steamed ended up with wrappers either being rubbery or its bottom sticking into the steamer. I remember my mother getting frustrated.
@straykat/salmon-siomai-our-second-try-making-siomai-dumplings
Now, it's my time to show my (pun intended)* own version of siomai. I prefered to use tofu and shrimp just because I think it's a healthier alternative. I also added mushroom, by the way! Okay, let's begin!
1.) To make the siomai filling, prepare a huge bowl and combine the grated carrots, minced mushroom, minced onion, minced shrimp, and crumbled tofu.
If you're wondering this is the size of the tofu blocks I buy from the grocery. A pack of it contains two blocks and each block is approximately 1.5"x4".
2.) Then add the egg, all-purpose flour, and spices: garlic powder, salt, sugar, and ground black pepper. Mix all ingredients together until well-combined. I prefer to mix it with my hands. You can use your bare hands or use gloves to ensure cleanliness especially when you are going to serve it to people.
3.) Prepare your siomai wrapper.
4.) Peel one sheet of wrapper and scoop enough of the siomai filling and place it on the middle of the wrapper.
5.) Bring the edges of the wrapper upward and hold it like you're holding an ice cream cone, gently pressing to shape the siomai and fold the wrapper. Don't forget to press the top part while holding the siomai to compress the meat to prevent it from crumbling.
Tadah!
Let's try again!
This one looks better!
6.) Continue wrapping the rest and set aside. I was able to make 39 pieces of siomai. You can steam it right away or keep the others at the freezer if you want to steam them later. I just laid a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the siomai before placing the rest on top. This is to avoid the siomai from sticking together.
7.) Now for the fun part! On a pot, pour enough water and wait for it to simmer. The amount of water you add into the pot shouldn't reach the part where you'll put the siomai or else the siomai will get submerged in water.
Then place the basket steamer. I just saw this online being sold by the same shop I was buying some cake toppers from so I took it as a sign to finally get one. It's cheap, small, and affordable. Perfect!
8.) Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on top and pour around a tablespoon of cooking oil. Spread the oil on the aluminum foil. It's important to put enough oil, else, the wrapper will stick into the foil.
9.) Now it's time to put the siomai. Make sure they are not crowded so they don't stick together!
10.) Then I folded the basket steamer and covered the pot. Check the water from time to time and refill it because it evaporates after some time.
11.) Steam for at least 15 minutes or until the filling is cooked and the wrapper is translucent. Avoid moving the dumplings while it's still in the process of steaming or fully cooked.
Open the basket steamer and voila! Lift the siomai with tongs, carefully, to avoid the bottom part from tearing. Or you can support it by carefully lifting the bottom with a thin spatula or spoon or anything that doesn't have sharp edges.
We're not done yet! Siomai is best eaten with condiments to make its taste more savory. After transferring it on a plate, squeeze one or two limes or calamansi. Then pour some soy sauce and top it with lots chili garlic oil!
Yum!!!
And my first try of making siomai was a success!!! You guys don't know how happy I was after successfully making siomai on my first attempt! Lol. The tofu's texture is crumbly so it wasn't as solid as ground pork and beef when steamed. When it comes to its taste, don't expect it to taste like pork or beef. Yes, it's a bit bland but with the condiments, it tastes equally delicious as pork and beef.
It's great to pair with garlic fried rice if you want to eat it as a meal or as it is when you just want to eat it as a snack.
This recipe yields 39 siomai and is good for 8 to 9 meals.
Have you tried making siomai?
