So, I had this bright idea last weekend. I love dim sum, right? Especially those shrimp dumplings, har gow. I always get them. And I thought, how hard can it really be? It’s just some shrimp, some dough, you steam it. Looked easy enough on those cooking shows.
My Grand Plan: Conquering Har Gow
I told myself, “This weekend, I’m doing it. I’m making har gow from scratch.” Felt pretty ambitious, you know? I actually went out and bought all the stuff. Wheat starch, tapioca starch – things I’d never heard of before but the internet said I needed them for that see-through wrapper. Got fresh shrimp, some bamboo shoots, a bit of pork fat for flavor. The whole shebang. I even had this little bamboo steamer I bought ages ago and never used.
The kitchen was prepped. I was ready. Or so I thought.
The Great Wrapper War
Okay, let’s talk about those wrappers. This was where things started to go sideways. Fast. The recipes all say “the dough should be smooth and pliable.” Mine? Mine was a sticky mess. Then it was too dry. Then it just sort of crumbled.
I swear, I tried three different batches for the dough.
- Batch one: Added too much boiling water, ended up with something like wallpaper paste. Seriously sticky.
- Batch two: Tried to be careful, ended up with a dry, cracked disaster. Couldn’t roll it thin at all.
- Batch three: This one was… okay-ish? Still not translucent like in the restaurants. More like vaguely opaque. And tough.
Rolling them out super thin? Forget it. Mine were all sorts of weird shapes and thicknesses. Some were so thin they tore if I just looked at them funny. Others were thick enough to be small Frisbees. My counter looked like a flour factory exploded. A total disaster zone.
The filling, thankfully, was easier. Chopped shrimp, a little seasoning. That part, I felt pretty good about. But then came the pleating. You know those delicate little folds? My dumplings looked like they’d been through a tumble dryer. Some were bursting at the seams before they even saw the steamer. Others were just… lumpy. My wife walked in, took one look, and just sort of quietly backed out of the kitchen. Smart woman.
Judgment Day: Steaming and Tasting
Anyway, I pushed on. Got them into the steamer, feeling a weird mix of dread and “well, I’ve come this far.” After about six or seven minutes, I took them out. They didn’t magically transform into beautiful, delicate morsels. Nope. They still looked pretty rough. Some had stuck to the steamer lining I forgot to oil properly.
But the taste? You know what, they weren’t awful. The shrimp was cooked, the flavors were there. Chewy, yes. A bit too chewy, thanks to my amazing wrapper skills. But edible. My son, bless his honest heart, said they were “interesting.” I think that was his polite way of saying “Dad, stick to your day job.”
So, my big dim sum adventure. What did I learn? Making good dim sum is hard. Seriously hard. I have so much more respect for those chefs who churn out hundreds of perfect little dumplings every day. It’s an art. A real skill. And my kitchen still has a fine layer of flour everywhere, reminding me of my valiant, if clumsy, effort.
Will I try again? Maybe. But I think next time, I’ll just go to my favorite dim sum place. It’s way less stressful, and honestly, a lot tastier. Plus, no cleanup. That’s a huge win in my book.
