Homemade Chicken Siu Mai [Chinese Dumplings]

If you're a fan of dim sum, then you're going to love these homemade Chicken Siu Mai, aka, Chinese open-top dumplings. They're so juicy and full of flavour. They require no folding, just a bit of squishing and shaping!

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

• Comfort food at its finest - there's something about dumplings that just feels like a warm hug. Everytime I make dumplings, it calms me down, de-stresses me, and brings me joy (sounds cringe but it's true!!). I find making the dough and assembling the dumplings such a therapeutic activity. And then finally, once you take a bit into these Chinese siu mai, the flavour bomb explodes. SO good.
• No folding required! - the most common thing you all find difficult when making dumplings is the folding. So, no need to worry on this one. These dumplings only require a bit of squishing and shaping, nothing too technical!

Ingredients For Chicken Siu Mai

Now, you can obviously buy Siu Mai or Wonton wrappers from the supermarket (or your local Asian supermarket). It will save you time (although by the time you've gone to the supermarket and come back, you could have made several batches of dough...just saying!), but there's something special and rewarding about making your own dough. PLUS, it only requires three ingredients: plain flour, egg, and water. So, it's up to you!

The filling is pretty simple, only requiring a handful of ingredients:

• Chicken or pork mince
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Water chestnuts
• Black pepper
• Oyster sauce
• Soy sauce
• Sesame oil
• Sugar

Feel free to dip the dumplings in whatever you fancy, but here's my recommendation:

• Soy sauce
• Rice wine vinegar
• Sugar
• Chilli oil
• Spring onion

How To Make Chicken Siu Mai

Step 1 - Make The Dough

• First up, you want to make your dough.
• Combine plain flour or bread flour in a bowl with your egg. Gently stir in your water with chopsticks. Add more water if you think it's too dry!
• Keep stirring until you get a shaggy dough. Then, begin to knead with the palm of your hand to form a dough ball. Roll the dough onto a clear surface and continue kneading for a couple more minutes.
• Cover and set aside while you make the filling.

Step 2 - Make The Filling

• In another bowl, combine chicken or pork mince, ginger, garlic, water chestnuts, black pepper, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.
• Give it a good mix until everything comes together to form a smooth paste. Set it aside.

Step 3 - Roll Out Your Dough Into Wrappers

• Get your dough and pierce the dough in the middle to form a doughnut shape. Stretch out the doughnut and then slice it to then turn it into a long log.
• Slice the dough sausage shape into 10-15 pieces of equal sized dough balls.
• Flatten the pieces of dough and use a small rolling pin to roll them into very thin circular wrappers. You can use a cookie cutter to make them perfectly circular, but that isn't necessary! Just make them really thin! Make sure they're floured well and then set them aside underneath a tea towel so they don't dry up!

Step 4 - Dumpling Assembly

• Place a spoonful of your filling into the centre of your wrapper, and then gently press the filling down into the wrapper, using your thumb and index finger as a hold for the wrapper hole. You want the filling to meet the top of the wrapper and be a full dumpling.
• Repeat this step for all dumplings, and set them aside underneath a tea towel.

Step 5 - Steam The Chicken Siu Mai

• Place the dumplings into your steamer and steam for 12-15 minutes depending on the size of your dumplings.

Step 6 - Make Your Dipping Sauce & Serve Up!

• In a small bowl, combine your dipping sauce ingredients.
• Serve up your dumplings and enjoy!

More Dumpling Recipes