HAR GAU RECIPES

Steps:

• To make wrappers, combine wheat starch, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Add boiling water, stirring with chopsticks or a fork, until dough is evenly moistened. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
• To prepare filling, shell, devein, and coarsely chop shrimp. Place in a bowl with remaining filling ingredients; mix well.
• On a lightly floured board, knead dough until smooth. Add cooking oil, a teaspoon at a time, kneading to blend after each addition until dough glistens and feels satiny. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 15-inch long cylinder. Cut each cylinder crosswise into 1-inch pieces; shape each piece into a ball. Cover dough to prevent drying.
• To shape each dumpling, roll a portion of dough into a 3- to 3-1/2-inch circle. With your fingers, press edges of dough to make slightly thinner. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in center of dough; fold dough over filling to form a semicircle. Pinch edges together to seal. Cover with a damp cloth while shaping remaining dumplings.
• Prepare a wok for steaming*. Line the bottom of a steamer with a small damp cloth. Arrange dumplings on cloth without crowding. Cover and steam until dumplings are translucent, 18 to 20 minutes.
• Serve dumplings hot or cold with soy sauce and chili oil for dipping.

Steps:

• Mix the two flours and add around 160ml to 170ml (in dryer climate) boiling hot water. Use a chopstick to stir in the water. Mix well and cover with a lid, set aside for 5 minutes to 10 minutes.
• Add 20ml vegetable oil. Traditionally we use pork lard in the dough. You can choose either one.
• Deal with the dough when it is still warm. Knead everything together to form a ball . The dough should be not too soft. It should be quite firm, similar to common dumpling dough. If the dough is too soft, it is hard to keep the shape after steaming and the skin lots its tenacity.
• Re-knead on operating board until smooth in surface. Cover with wet cloth and set aside for another 10 minutes.
• We can make 24 har gow out of the wrapper dough. So firstly divide the dough into halves and then each half 12 portions.Take one portion out and cover all the others with a wet cloth. Re-knead the small portion and shape it into a round ball.Brush a thin layer of oil on a wide slicing knife.Shape the dough to a round wrapper around 10cm in diameter. If you do not want to use a knife, try a rolling pin after flat it with knife. Be gently and do not break the wrapper. Gently separate it from the operating board with the knife. Take around 1 tablespoon of filling in center and assemble the har gow according to the tutorial in the video or any other ways you like. But seal them completely.
• Bring water to a boil on your stove. Brush some oil on the lined paper (so the dumplings will not stick to the paper) and place them in steam one by one. And then steam the dumplings for 5-6 minutes with high fire.
• Serve hot!