Pork Shumai (Steamed Pork Dumplings)

1. Gather all the ingredients.

To Make the Filling

1. Mince the onion finely. Lay ¾ onion flat side down on the cutting board. With the knife tip pointing toward the root end, make ⅛-inch vertical slices to within ½ inch of the root end. Then, with the knife edge toward the root end, make ⅛-inch horizontal slices, again keeping the root intact.
2. Finally, make perpendicular cuts down through the vertical slices you made. To mince the onion pieces finer, run your knife through them using a rocking motion while holding down the tip of the knife.
3. Put the finely minced onion in a large bowl and add 2½ Tbsp potato starch or cornstarch. Mix together.
4. With a knife, scrape off the skin of the ginger and grate it. You will need 1 tsp ginger (grated, with juice).
5. In a medium bowl, combine 14 oz ground pork, the grated ginger with juice, 1 Tbsp sake, and ½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil.
6. Add 2 tsp sugar and 1 Tbsp soy sauce.
7. And ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp white pepper powder.
8. Using your hands (or with plastic food gloves), knead the meat mixture until it‘s pale, sticky, and pasty.
9. Then, transfer the meat to the bowl with the onion.
10. Mix the onion and meat together until well combined.

To Wrap the Shumai

1. Prepare 35 wonton wrappers, a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon, and a butter knife. Make sure the wonton wrappers are covered in plastic wrap or a damp towel while you stuff the filling so they don‘t dry out.
2. Scoop the filling into the measuring spoon and level the meat off with the knife. Transfer the filling to the center of a wonton wrapper.
3. Using your left hand (if you’re a righty), make a round hole by connecting your thumb and index finger with the rest of fingers next to each other. Place a wonton wrapper with the filling on top of it. Tip: Once you get used to making shumai, you can place the wrapper and then directly put the filling on top, instead of using a measuring spoon.
4. Using the butter knife or the back of a teaspoon, gently press the filling down while holding the fingers firmly. After you press the meat down, rotate the shumai 45 degrees so the meat is evenly distributed in the center of the wrapper. Finally, smooth out the surface of the meat.
5. Your left fingers should look like this while you press the meat inside, the ring finger and pinky right underneath the bottom of the shumai to create the flat base. Continue with the rest of the wrappers and filling until one of them runs out.

To Steam the Shumai

1. When you finish wrapping, bring 1–2 cups of water in a wok (or steamer) to boil over high heat (or medium-high heat if you’re using nonstick). Make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bamboo steamer basket. Meanwhile, with 3 Tbsp green peas, place a pea in the center of each shumai. Tip: If you don’t have a steamer, read my blog post above on how to steam shumai without a steamer.
2. Prepare a piece of parchment paper (make a few air vent holes) or cabbage leaves and place them on the bottom of the steamer basket to prevent the shumai from sticking. Put the dumplings on top without touching each other. Most likely, you will need to steam them in batches. When the water is boiling, place the bamboo steamer basket onto the wok and steam for 8–10 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
3. After 8–10 minutes, check to see if the meat is cooked through. Then transfer the bamboo steamer basket on top of a large plate.

To Serve

1. Bring to the table and serve immediately. Make a dipping sauce in individual sauce plates with soy sauce, rice vinegar (unseasoned), la-yu (Japanese chili oil) and Japanese karashi hot mustard.

To Store

1. You can freeze the dumplings before or after steaming them. Place each shumai on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper without touching each other, and flash freeze for 1 hour. Once frozen, transfer to a freezer bag. You can steam frozen shumai without thawing (just steam for an extra few minutes).