Shu mai 燒賣


Pieces of Cantonese shaomai (on the right) in a steaming basket
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese 燒賣
Simplified Chinese 烧卖
Literal meaning to cook and sell
[show]Transcriptions
Japanese name
Kanji 焼売
Kana シュウマイ
[show]Transcriptions
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese xíu mại
Shumai[1][2] (shaomai, shui mai, shu mai, sui mai, shui mei, siu mai, shao mai, siew mai, or siomai) also called Pork Dumplings is a traditional Chinese dumpling served in dim sum.[3]

Contents

[hide]
1 Varieties
1.1 Huhhot shaomai
1.2 Cantonese siumai
1.3 Japanese shuumai
1.4 Jiangnan shaomai
1.5 Indonesian siomay
1.6 Philippine siomai
2 Serving
3 See also
4 References
[edit] Varieties

There are many regional varieties of shumai in China, such as the Huhhot version, the Cantonese version and the version from the Jiangnan region, along with many other variations in other countries.

[edit] Huhhot shaomai

Huhhot Shaomai is a regional variety in Huhhot, Inner Mongolia. It is considered one of the oldest varieties of Shaomai, and even sometimes considered the origin of Shaomai. The wrapping is a very thin, round sheet of unleavened dough, with a pleat border. There's only one kind of filling for Huhhot Shaomai, which consists of chopped or minced mutton, welsh onion, ginger, and sometimes other common flavorings. Huhhot Shaomai features its excessive use of welsh onion and ginger, which creates a dense combined scent, and a very slight spicy taste. The filling is put in the center of the wrapping, and the border of the wrapping is loosely gathered above, forming a "neck" and a flower shaped top. The Shaomai is then cooked by steaming or pan-frying. Huhhot Shaomai is served in the unit of "Liang", which means that the total weight of the wrappings is approximately 50 grams. Actually, "Liang" means either eight steamed ones served in a steamer tier, or eight fried ones served in a dish. Huhhot Shaomai is commonly served with vinegar and tea, due to its greasiness.

[edit] Cantonese siumai

As prepared in Cantonese cuisine, siumai is also referred to as "pork and mushroom dumpling." Its standard filling is a combination of ingredients, consisting primarily of seasoned ground pork, whole and chopped shrimp, and Chinese black mushroom in small bits.[3] The outer covering is made of a thin sheet of lye water dough. The center is usually garnished with an orange dot, made of roe or diced carrot, although a green dot made with a pea may be used. The decorative presentations vary.

[edit] Japanese shuumai

Shuumai in Japan have pork as the main ingredient and neither shrimp nor beef is used in the dough. Compared to the Chinese Shaomai which is only chopped, the meat in Japanese Shaomai is completely minced.

[edit] Jiangnan shaomai

Shaomai prepared in the Jiangnan region (south of the Yangtze River, stretching from Shanghai to Nanjing) are quite different. The wrapper is larger and tougher than the Cantonese version. The filling is similar to zongzi (Chinese-style tamales) with soy sauce/rice wine/sugar-marinated pork pieces in glutinous rice and steamed with some lard. It is larger in size than the Cantonese version. However, most people in Western countries associate shaomai only with the Cantonese version due to the Cantonese diaspora.

[edit] Indonesian siomay

Siomay or siomai (sometimes called somay) in Indonesia is pronounced the same way as its sisters and is usually a wonton wrapper, stuffed with filling and steamed. It is served also with steamed potatoes, tofu, hard boiled eggs, and is topped with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) and peanut sauce. Because the population of Indonesia is largely muslim, pork siomay is rare and is usually made from various fish, most commonly wahoo or horse mackerel. This variant is less common in Western countries

[edit] Philippine siomai

Siomai (Cebuano/Tagalog: siyomay) in the Philippines is often ground pork, beef, shrimp, among others, combined with extenders like green peas, carrots and the like which is then wrapped in wonton wrappers. It is either steamed or fried resulting in a crispy exterior. It is normally dipped in soy sauce and squeezed calamondin, and for some, with an oily, spicy garlic mix.

A recent variant on siomai is wrapped in nori sheets instead of wonton wrappers, and marketed as "Japanese."

[edit] Serving

Within the dim sum tradition of southern China, shaomai is one of the most standard dishes.[3] It is generally served alongside har gow, another variety of steamed dumpling containing shrimp, cooked pork fat, bamboo shoots and scallions; collectively these are known as hargow-sieu mai (蝦餃燒賣).

In food stalls in Indonesia, siomai (or "siomay" in local dialect) are eaten together with steamed vegetables and tofu, and served with spicy peanut sauce.

In Philippine food stalls and fast food restaurants, siomai is eaten as is, with dip, toothpicks to facilitating handling, or with rice (using a spoon and fork).

[edit] See also

Har gow
Siomay
[edit] References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shaomai
^ "Shumai". Dictionary.com. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/shumai.
^ "Shumai". The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English, Encyclopedia.com. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-shumai.html.
^ a b c Hsiung, Deh-Ta. Simonds, Nina. Lowe, Jason. [2005] (2005). The food of China: a journey for food lovers. Bay Books. ISBN 978-0681025844. p 38.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaomai