Siomai or dumplings as it’s popularly known are super easy to make, if you are not particular about it’s appearance. You can disguise it with sauce, it taste super-good. You don’t need to wrap it nicely just make sure that you seal it properly. Steam (if you know how; this is a bad idea for me), or boil it (easy and hassle-free), then serve with hot and spicy sauce and voila.. yummy siomai/dumplings that you can serve as an appetizer or over sauteed noodles and you’ve got a full meal that is satisfying and delicious.
That whole paragraph up there is just a big excuse. I couldn’t wrap dumplings nicely. Period. I bought lots of won ton wrapper so I could practice making dumplings, but alas, I have to give up, the kids were getting hungry and I still couldn’t produce a decent looking siomai. I decided to steam my dumplings even if I wasn’t happy with the way it look but steaming made them worse, I decided to just boil them which is a lot easier and my siomai/dumplings turned out good and look appetizing when poured over with some sauce.
I served it with a simple sauteed noodles (I used veggie noodles). I liked it, my family liked it too; they said that the dumplings look good and taste GREAT!
The recipe I used for these siomai are the same as my meatball soup, I just added some red wine vinegar and 1/2 tablespoon more of soy sauce since kikkoman is not as salty as the local soy sauce I use for adobo and other dishes.
RECIPES:
SIOMAI
(Pork Dumplings)
Ingredients:
1 lb / 500g ground pork
1 large red onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon soysauce (Kikkoman)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
dash of ground cayenne peppers (optional)
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
Sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons red chilli pepper flakes
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon calamansi juice or lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon of granulated garlic
spring onions for garnishing
Directions:
In a bowl, put all the ingredients except for water. Mix well until combined and then stir in water. Do not overmix. I got this tip of adding water to make meat mixture like this tender from Tom Ford, the designer, when I watched an episode of Martha. He cooks too! :0.
Back to the recipe, do a taste test first by wrapping a tablespoon of the mixture in wonton wrapper and drop it in boiling water. Cool and taste, see if it is to your liking, keep in mind that you will serve it with soy sauce at the end.
When you are satisfied with the seasonings, drop the siomai one by one gently in a pot of boiling water. Be careful, it’s hot. Don’t overcrowd the pot, you’ll know when the dumplings are done when they float on top. Transfer to a serving dish using a slotted spoon to drain the excess water. While the dumplings are cooking..
Make the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the cooked dumplings/siomai. Toss gently. You don’t need to coat the dumplings evenly because you can always dip it in the sauce at the bottom of the bowl when eating.
Optional: Saute a clove of garlic, small onion, diced and ginger in a pan, season with 2 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 cups water, boil and then add fried canton noodles. Stir and cook until noodles are tender. Give it an occasional stir and add more water if it dries out before the noodles are tender. Put in a platter topped with siomai/dumplings on top.
Happy Cooking!
Olive
Siomai (Pork Dumplings)
Ingredients
- 1 LB / 500G GROUND PORK
- 1 LARGE RED ONION MINCED
- 1/2 TEASPOON SALT
- 1/2 TEASPOON GROUND BLACK PEPPER
- 1 TABLESPOON SOYSAUCE KIKKOMAN
- 1/4 TEASPOON GROUND GINGER
- 1/8 TEASPOON WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
- DASH OF GROUND CAYENNE PEPPERS OPTIONAL
- 1 TABLESPOONS RED WINE VINEGAR
- 2 TABLESPOONS WATER
- SAUCE:
- 4 TABLESPOONS SOY SAUCE KIKKOMAN
- 1 TABLESPOON SESAME OIL
- 2 TEASPOONS RED CHILLI PEPPER FLAKES
- 2 TEASPOONS HOISIN SAUCE
- 1 TEASPOON CALAMANSI JUICE OR LEMON JUICE
- 1/8 TEASPOON OF GRANULATED GARLIC
- SPRING ONIONS FOR GARNISHING
Instructions
- IN A BOWL, PUT ALL THE INGREDIENTS EXCEPT FOR WATER. MIX WELL UNTIL COMBINED AND THEN STIR IN WATER. DO NOT OVERMIX. I GOT THIS TIP OF ADDING WATER TO MAKE MEAT MIXTURE LIKE THIS TENDER FROM TOM FORD, THE DESIGNER, WHEN I WATCHED AN EPISODE OF MARTHA. HE COOKS TOO! :0.
- BACK TO THE RECIPE, DO A TASTE TEST FIRST BY WRAPPING A TABLESPOON OF THE MIXTURE IN WONTON WRAPPER AND DROP IT IN BOILING WATER. COOL AND TASTE, SEE IF IT IS TO YOUR LIKING, KEEP IN MIND THAT YOU WILL SERVE IT WITH SOY SAUCE AT THE END.
- WHEN YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH THE SEASONINGS, DROP THE SIOMAI ONE BY ONE GENTLY IN A POT OF BOILING WATER. BE CAREFUL, IT’S HOT. DON’T OVERCROWD THE POT, YOU’LL KNOW WHEN THE DUMPLINGS ARE DONE WHEN THEY FLOAT ON TOP. TRANSFER TO A SERVING DISH USING A SLOTTED SPOON TO DRAIN THE EXCESS WATER. WHILE THE DUMPLINGS ARE COOKING..
- MAKE THE SAUCE BY COMBINING THE SAUCE INGREDIENTS IN A SMALL BOWL. POUR OVER THE COOKED DUMPLINGS/SIOMAI. TOSS GENTLY. YOU DON’T NEED TO COAT THE DUMPLINGS EVENLY BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS DIP IT IN THE SAUCE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL WHEN EATING.
- OPTIONAL: SAUTE A CLOVE OF GARLIC, SMALL ONION, DICED AND GINGER IN A PAN, SEASON WITH 2 TABLESPOON SOY SAUCE AND 1 TABLESPOON OYSTER SAUCE, SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE. ADD 3 CUPS WATER, BOIL AND THEN ADD FRIED CANTON NOODLES. STIR AND COOK UNTIL NOODLES ARE TENDER. GIVE IT AN OCCASIONAL STIR AND ADD MORE WATER IF IT DRIES OUT BEFORE THE NOODLES ARE TENDER. PUT IN A PLATTER TOPPED WITH SIOMAI/DUMPLINGS ON TOP.
