Title: Ha Gow
Categories: Chinese, Seafood, Appetizers
Yield: 24 servings
Filling:
Wheat starch for dusting
1/2 lb Raw shrimp, peeled and
-chopped
1/4 lb Precooked salad shrimp,
-chopped
2 oz Pork fat, chopped fine
1/4 c Bamboo shoots, chopped
1/4 ts Ground white pepper
1/4 ts Grated fresh ginger
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Sesame oil
1 tb Chopped green onion
1 Egg white
1 tb Dry sherry
1 tb Cornstarch
Dough:
2 tb Potato starch
1 c Wheat starch
1/4 ts Salt
1/2 c Boiling water, plus
3 tb Boiling water
1 ts Lard
Place all filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well,
by hand until the ingredients form a smooth and rather
firm stuffing. This will take about 2 minutes.
Dough: Measure both starches and salt into a small
mixing bowl. Quickly pour the boiling water into the
starches while stirring with chopsticks until you get
a partially cooked dough. Do not overwork the dough.
Quickly add the lard in little pinches and then knead
until smooth. When the dough is smooth, after about 2
minutes' kneading, cover it with the mixing bowl and
allow it to rest for 15 minutes before shaping. To
shape the dumplings, pull just a bit more than 1 tsp
of dough from the ball. Keep the remainder of the
dough covered with the bowl. Roll the small amount
into a ball and place onto a floured marble board.
Roll out into a circle about 3 inches in diameter.
Place 1 t of the shrimp filling in the center of the
circle of dough and fold over into a half-moon. Use a
tiny bit of water for sealing the edges. Be sure to
gently press out all the air. If you wish, you can
form little pleats in the dough for added decoration.
Steam on an oiled bamboo steaming rack for 12 minutes.
From The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines,
Jeff Smith, Avon, (C)1989.
