Shumai Topped with Pork Liver

Name: Shumai Topped with Pork Liver
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 66 pcs
Ingredients: 2.64 pounds (1200 grams) pork liver; 66 leaves small birchleaf pear leaves, blanched; 1.31 pounds (600 grams) lean pork , minced; 5.29 ounces (150 grams) fatty pork , minced; 1.31 pounds (600 grams) shrimp , minced; 5.29 ounces (150 grams) dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped; 2 teaspoons (14 grams) salt; 1/4 cup (38 grams) potato starch; 2 tablespoons (29 grams) sesame oil, added at the end; 4 teaspoons (19 grams) chicken bouillon; 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper; 1 ounce lard, added at the end; 3 tablespoons (38 grams) sugar; 2 teaspoons (6 grams) dried flounder powder; 1 ½ teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder; 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar; 1 teaspoon lye water; 1 cup (150 grams) potato starch; 2 teaspoons (8 grams) salt; 2 tablespoons (15 grams) potato starch; 1 teaspoon green onion oil, added at the end; 3 teaspoons (15 grams) chicken bouillon; 1 teaspoon sesame oil, added at the end; 1 ¼ tablespoons (15 grams) sugar; 1 tablespoon ginger wine

Shumai with Liver - a Blast from the Past

Shumai topped with pork liver is, for many people, a nostalgic dim sum dish that is rarely on offer at modern dim sum restaurants. Only a few classic locations, such as Lin Heung Tea House in Hong Kong, still sell it. The top choice for pork liver is the Huangsha kind, so the dish is sometimes also referred to as "shumai topped with Huangsha pork liver". The pork liver is large, thick, pink, and tender. It can be steamed with shrimp and pork, giving it a smooth texture and sweet aftertaste.

Delicious Shumai Topped With Pork Liver at Dim Sum — Delicious Shumai Topped with Pork Liver at Dim Sum

Servings : 66 pcs

Total Time : 3 hours

Ingredients

2.64 pounds (1200 grams) pork liver
66 leaves small birchleaf pear leaves, blanched

Shumai Filling

1.31 pounds (600 grams) lean pork , minced
5.29 ounces (150 grams) fatty pork , minced
1.31 pounds (600 grams) shrimp , minced
5.29 ounces (150 grams) dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped

Marinade

2 teaspoons (14 grams) salt
1/4 cup (38 grams) potato starch
2 tablespoons (29 grams) sesame oil, added at the end
4 teaspoons (19 grams) chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 ounce lard, added at the end
3 tablespoons (38 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons (6 grams) dried flounder powder

Marinade (Pork Liver)

(Group A)
1 ½ teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder
3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon lye water
1 cup (150 grams) potato starch

(Group B)
2 teaspoons (8 grams) salt
2 tablespoons (15 grams) potato starch
1 teaspoon green onion oil, added at the end
3 teaspoons (15 grams) chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon sesame oil, added at the end
1 ¼ tablespoons (15 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon ginger wine

Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.

Cooking Directions

How to make shumai filling

Wash and strain water from lean pork. Add salt, ground pepper, and potato starch, and mix together to form a paste. Add one tablespoon water and stir.

Add fatty pork, dried shiitake mushrooms, shrimp, and all other marinade ingredients (aside from those marked "added at the end"). Stir evenly. At the end, stir in sesame oil and lard. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

How to marinate pork liver

Remove membrane from pork liver and cut into 66 slices. Add ingredients from group A of pork liver marinade ingredients to these slices. Stir for 10 minutes. Then place under faucet and run water over it for 20 minutes. Blanch in boiling water briefly. Scoop out. Rinse under very cold water. Then use a paper towel to absorb water from slices. Add ingredients from group B of pork liver marinade ingredients and stir evenly. Finally, add the green onion oil and stir.

Put it all together

Divide shumai filling into portions approximately 0.81 ounce (23 grams) each and place each one on a small birchleaf pear leaf. Steam in steamer basket over high heat for 6 minutes. Add a slice of the prepared pork liver over each shumai and continue to steam for 2 minutes. Serve.

Yet Another Legend About the History of Shumai

One legend states that in the past in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, shumai was sold out of teahouses. Patrons at these establishments would drink strong brick tea or other varieties of leaf tea. Hunger was inevitable, so these teahouses began serving steamed thin pancakes made with dough and other dishes. Among them was piping hot shumai. Over time, the Chinese name for shumai served at these Hohhot teahouses changed to reflect the way shumai was sold there: which means selling alongside the tea.