Prawn Dim Sum Recipe

Originally served as snacks to accompany Yum Cha (drinking tea) in the Chinese teahouses, dim sum were something to be enjoyed in the mornings with friends or on the weekend with family. Even today Chinese dim sum restaurants often only serve dim sum from early morning until mid-afternoon, when they change over to serving other cuisine as the evening meal.

The name dim sum covers a huge array of tasty dumplings, rolls, buns and other snacks and the best way to experience dim sum is to eat with a group of people and taste a variety of different dishes. Here is an easy dim sum recipe for steamed prawn dumplings and a dipping sauce to accompany them. Use this recipe as a base and experiment with different flavours and fillings. Beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetables are all authentic fillings, so all you need is a little imagination.

Prawn Dim Sum recipe

Ingredients
250g / 9oz raw king prawns, de-veined and peeled
50g / 2oz finely sliced bamboo shoots
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
a grinding of pepper
16 gyoza or wonton wrappers
For the dip
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 red chilli chopped fine

Process the prawns to a puree in a food processor. Mix the prawn puree with the sliced bamboo shoots, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper.

On a clean work surface lay out the wrappers and place a small spoonful of the prawn mixture in the centre of each. Dampen the edges of each wrapper with a damp finger and then press the edges together to seal.

Put the prawn dumplings on a sheet of greaseproof paper in a bamboo steamer. Cook over gently simmering water for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is completely cooked through. Serve immediately.

While the prawn dumplings are cooking mix together the dipping sauce and put it in a small bowl to serve next to the prawn dumplings.

Making dim sum at home sound too much like hard work? Why not eat at Chino Latino restaurant in Nottingham and enjoy a whole range of delicious dim sum.