Why I Decided to Try Making Dim Sum Pastry
Last weekend I suddenly craved shrimp dumplings like crazy. Called my favorite dim sum spot – closed for renovation! So I figured, why not try making it myself? Had zero experience with Asian dough stuff, just watched some food videos before bed.
Gathering the Messy Stuff
First disaster: my kitchen looked like a tornado hit after gathering things:
- Wheat starch (thought it was flour at first, nope!)
- Tapioca starch
- Boiling water (almost spilled on my foot)
- Frozen shrimp
- Random veggies from fridge
Mixing the Weird Dough
Poured hot water into starch mix – turned into lumpy glue instantly! Panicked and dumped more starch in. Big mistake. Got this rubbery playdough that stuck to everything. Threw it out and restarted. Second try: poured slower, stirred like crazy with chopsticks. Finally got this weird see-through putty.
The Folding Nightmare Begins
Here’s where things got ugly. Scooped filling into wrapper skin:
- Tried squeezing it shut like dumplings – filling squirted out everywhere
- Attempted fancy crimping – looked like a toddler made it
- Pleats? Forget it – more like random folds
Destroyed like 8 wrappers before finding the cheat code: just pinch opposite sides together first, then do tiny accordion folds upwards. Not perfect but held together.
Steaming Party Trick
Put my mutant dumplings in bamboo stealer. Wrapped lid with dish towel like videos said. Peeked after 5 minutes – surprise! Actually looked like food. Skin turned slightly see-through like real dim sum. Burned my tongue testing one immediately – worth it!
What Actually Worked
After wasting half my ingredients:
- Hot water MUST be boiling or dough fails
- Work fast once dough cools
- Fold like gift wrapping corners, not pleating
- Steam exactly 8 minutes – less = raw, more = mush
Got about 12 decent ones finally. Looked wonky but tasted like victory. Next time I’m inviting friends to laugh at my folds!