Crab and Pork Shu Mai and Mac n Cheese

Good news, bad news. We bought the expensive Momofuku Soy and Scallion Noodles and followed their recipe to make Mac n Cheese. We didn't like it at all. Our neighbor did so we gave the leftovers to him. That was the bad news.

The good news is we for the first time made Shu Mai. We bought the Skins at a Japanese Market and found it was easy to shape and stuff the Shu Mai. We followed the recipe in the Donabe Cookbook, steaming the Shu Mai in our Donabe. They turned out perfectly. Afterwards we found out that the Chinese Skins differ from the Japanese Skins. Next time we will use Chinese Skins. We will probably also use the recipe that we use for Shu Mai Burgers using Shrimp rather that Crab. That will probably give a little more crunch to the Shu Mai. It will be fun experimenting. 

Crab and Pork Shumai

Donabe

 

6       ounces (180 g) lump crabmeat

5       ounces (150 g) ground pork

1       tablespoon finely minced shallot

1       green onion, thinly sliced crosswise

1       teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1       tablespoon sake

1       teaspoon usukuchi shoyu (light-colored soy sauce)

1½    tablespoons katakuriko (potato starch)

½      teaspoon sea salt

¼      teaspoon raw brown sugar

¼      teaspoon white pepper

15 to 18 small wonton wrappers

(2¾/-inch/7 cm squares)

Soy sauce, for serving

Rice vinegar, for serving

Karashi (Japanese mustard; optional), for serving

 

Shumai is the Japanese name for a popular Chinese dim sum dish called shao mai that has been adapted to Japanese home cooking. It's an open-face wrapped dumpling and is very easy to make. This recipe is full of rich crab flavors and has a nice~ juicy texture.-_Naoko

 

To make the filling: Combine the first eleven filling ingredients in a bowl and knead by hand until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

 

To make the shumai, mound about 1½ tablespoons of the filling in the center of a wonton wrapper. Gather up the edges of the wrapper, leaving the top of the filling open. Lightly squeeze the neck of the wrapper with your thumb and index finger to form pleats. Rub the bottom flat with your other hand. Set it on the tray and repeat the process with the remaining wrappers until the filling is gone. Cover with a damp paper towel until ready to cook. You can make the shumai about 15 to 30 minutes in advance, but any longer and the bottom of the wonton wrappers will start to become too wet.

Prepare the donabe steamer, lining the surface of the steam grate with one of the suggested linings. Arrange all the shumai on the lined steam grate, cover, and steam over upper medium-high heat for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the filling is cooked through.

 

To serve, have each person mix a dipping sauce to taste in a saucer. The standard ratio is about 1.5:1, soy sauce to rice vinegar. Put a small amount of the karashi on the side of the saucer. Dip the shumai in the sauce and top with a dab of karashi, if you like.