Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

Marinating the shrimp with baking soda helps keep them plump and crisp as they steam.
Finely diced, par-boiled fatback adds plenty of moisture to the mix.
A hot water dough made with pure wheat starch is easily malleable and forms a translucent shell when steamed.

With bright pink chunks of plump shrimp veiled in thin, stretchy, translucent dough,har gow—crystal-skinned shrimp dumplings—may well be the most popular dim sum classic of all. You might think there's a lot of difficult technique involved in getting those shrimp so plump and the skins so delicate, but it's really much easier than it seems. This particular recipe is a combination of tricks and techniques I've learned watching my parents and uncle make har gow since I was a small child.

Let's start with the filling.

The filling for har gow is usually pretty straightforward—shrimp and pork fat at its most basic, with the occasional bamboo shoot or scallion thrown in for fancier versions.

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (1)

To start, I boil pork fatback in water to remove some of the excess moisture and to soften it a bit. Fatback is great because it releases its fat slowly, keeping things moist and flavorful instead of greasy the way, say, lard or excess oil would do. I then cut the fatback into very fine pieces so that they melt into the shrimp as the dumplings steam.

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (2)

The secret to plump shrimp? A brief marinade in a baking soda solution. The higher pH helps the shrimp retain more moisture as it cooks. Check outKenji's post on shrimp wontonsfor a side-by-side look at how it works.

After marinating, I cut the shrimp into small chunks, and then combine them with the fatback, as well as ginger, garlic, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, sugar, and a pinch of white pepper, along with a dash of oil and cornstarch. The cornstarch helps thicken and retain any juices that escape during the steaming process.

The trickiest part of making this dumpling is getting the right texture for the skin. Unlikesiu mai(open-topped pork and shrimp dumplings) andpan fried dumplings, the skin of a har gow—made from a combination of wheat and tapioca starches—is translucent and slightly chewy.

Classic har gow dough is made with the hot water method: boiling water is poured over a bowl containing the starches, and then the mixture is kneaded. The boiling water will help prevent the dough from getting too elastic, instead allowing it to form a smooth, malleable mass with an easy-to-roll texture similar to Play-Doh.

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (3)

I knead it until smooth, then roll it into a long strip to make it easy to cut into even balls. Then, I roll out each evenly sliced piece with a pin, making sure to work on a lightly floured surface.

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (4)

If you are the kind of cook who likes to take on one task at a time, make sure to keep the finished rounds of dough stacked up underneath a sheet of plastic wrap so that they don't dry out before you can stuff them.

If you're not used to pleating dumpling skins, wrapping these can be a little tricky. Check out somestep-by-step instructions in this post about making gyoza. Personally, my dumpling pleating skills are pretty sad, so I usually do a simple half-moon wrap and just crimp the edges with a fork.

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (5)

So long as your dumpling stays shut tightly enough to keep the filling and juices trapped inside, you've accomplished your goal.

September 2014

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and lightly updated with more accurate measurements and cooking times to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings)

Prep30 mins

Cook30 mins

Active30 mins

Resting Time60 mins

Total2 hrs

Makes20 dumplings

Ingredients

For the Dough:

Directions

For the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together wheat starch, tapioca flour/starch, and salt. Add oil and boiling water. With a silicone spatula, mix until a shaggy dough is formed, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn dough out onto a table and knead until a smooth ball forms, about 1 minute. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.
For the Filling:Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add fatback and boil for 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer fatback to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.When the fatback is cool to the touch, remove and discard the skin (if the skin is attached) and mince and reserve the fat.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cover shrimp with cold water (about 1 1/2 cups) and stir in baking soda. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Drain and rinse shrimp under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Chop shrimp into 1/4- to 1/2- inch pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add minced fatback, oil, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, and ground white pepper. Mix well and refrigerate covered for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
To Assemble: Cut the dough in half. Rewrap half of the dough in plastic wrap to prevent drying; set aside. Roll the other dough half into a 12-inch long rope. Cut the rope into 12 equal sized portions, about 1/4 ounce (7g) each. Lightly oil your hands, rolling pin, and work surface. Working with 1 cut dough piece at a time (keep remaining dough pieces covered with plastic wrap), roll dough into a circle about 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining cut dough portions and the other half of the dough, applying more oil to your hands, rolling pin, and work surface as needed. Lay the finished wrappers side-by-side on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap while shaping remaining wrappers.
Working with 1 wrapper at a time, place 2 teaspoons of shrimp filling in center of wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling, and pinch to seal one of the bottom corners (it can be on the left or right, depending on what feels most natural to you). Holding the dumpling in your non-dominant hand, use your thumb and forefinger on the dominant hand to create pleats, one at a time, next to the sealed corner, pleating until you’ve reached the other end. Press along the top to reinforce pleating and ensure it is well sealed. Transfer shaped har gow to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
To steam, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet. Lightly grease two parchment rounds that measure about 1-inch less in diameter than your steamer baskets. Place parchment rounds in two bamboo steamer baskets. (Alternatively, line bottom of steamer baskets with cabbage leaves). Arrange dumplings on prepared parchment so that they are not touching; stack baskets and cover. Adjust heat as needed to maintain simmer and set steamer in wok or skillet. Steam until har gow wrappers are translucent, about 7 minutes, or 9 minutes if steaming dumplings from frozen. Off heat, remove steamer from wok and let rest, covered, for 1 minute. Serve warm with black vinegar.

Special Equipment

Rolling pin, steamer

Notes

Wheat starch is available at Asian grocery stores and can also be ordered online.

Pleating dumplings can be a little tricky (see this post for instructions on folding purse-shaped dumplings).

While this recipe is written for 2 steamer baskets to save in time, it will also work with one steamer basket.

Make-Ahead and Storage

To freeze the dumplings, place the dumplings in a single layer and not touching on a sheet tray or a large plate lined with wax paper. Freeze until frozen, about 1 hour, then transfer har gow to a zip-lock bag or sealed container. Steam the dumplings straight from the freezer following directions in step 7.

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Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are crystal dumplings made of? ›

To create the crystal dumpling, I'm using two main types of starches: wheat and tapioca. The next most important ingredient is boiling water as the water will immediately cook the starch and turn them into a moldable dough.

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What are shrimp dumpling wrappers made of? ›

There are many recipes for shrimp dumplings that exist, each featuring unique formulations for the wrapper. Throughout my recipe development process, I experimented with various combinations and ratios of starches, including wheat starch, corn starch, potato starch, and tapioca starch.

Find Out More ›

How do you know when shrimp dumplings are cooked? ›

Will Dumplings Float When They Are Done Cooking? Once the dumplings float, that's a sign that they are almost done cooking. Once again, you'll need to add a third of a cup of cold water. Once the water comes to a boil, then the dumplings are ready.

How to make good frozen dumplings? ›

How to pan-fry frozen dumplings. In a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add ½ cup of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place the frozen potstickers flat side-down and cover the pan with a lid for 8 to 12 minutes, until all the water has evaporated and the flat side of each potsticker is golden.

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Do you cook dumplings with lid on or lid off? ›

The second secret to making really good dumplings is to keep the lid closed while the dumplings cook. With the soup simmering over a low flame and the dumpling dough ready, you'll drop spoonfuls of the dough onto the surface of the simmering broth, then cover the pot with a lid.

Do dumplings float when done? ›

Cover and bring to a vigorous boil. Add roughly one cup of cold water and return to boil while covered. Repeat this step again. The dumplings will be completely cooked and ready when they float on the surface of the boiling water.

Do you leave the lid off when cooking dumplings? ›

If you keep the lid on, the dumplings will end up entirely steamed, so they'll be softer and slightly wetter. If you leave the lid off, they'll crisp up more on top, and be slightly drier. I like to do a bit of both, so I'll usually leave the lid on for the first 10 minutes or so, then take it off for another 10.

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What are Chinese steamed dumplings made of? ›

Jiaozi (pronounced "jow-zee") are perhaps the most common type of Chinese dumpling. Crescent-shaped and formed with an opaque wrapper made from wheat dough, jiaozi are usually filled with ground pork, cabbage, and scallions, and served with a dipping sauce made of soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil.

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What is Chinese dumpling skin made of? ›

From-scratch dumpling dough requires only two ingredients — flour and water — and the water temperature yields different types of wrappers. Cold water is best for boiled dumplings because it causes the flour's proteins to form the gluten that makes dough chewy and able to withstand vigorously boiling water.

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What are Chinese dumplings made of? ›

Chinese dumplings are essentially a flour wrapper that is wrapped around a filling that can be meat, seafood, veggies, or a mixture, and are very similar to wontons but use a round wrapper, and are boiled.

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What are the clear jelly things in dumplings? ›

Cellophane noodles, or fensi (traditional Chinese: 粉絲; simplified Chinese: 粉丝; pinyin: fěnsī; lit. 'flour thread'), sometimes called glass noodles, are a type of transparent noodle made from starch (such as mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca, or canna starch) and water.

Tell Me More ›