We imagine Ham Sui Gok as a specialty reserved for dim sum chefs who have spent years perfecting their technique. The reality is far less intimidating: it’s a dough to knead, a filling to sauté, and a frying to monitor. Nothing you haven’t done before.
Ingredients :
- Glutinous rice flour — This gives the dough its characteristic elasticity — that chewy, slightly sticky mouthfeel. Choose an Asian brand (Erawan, Three Elephants): Western ‘gluten-free’ flours absorb water differently and yield a floury, brittle result. Do not substitute with regular rice flour, it’s not the same product at all.
- Wheat starch — Mixed with really boiling water, it gelatinizes and forms a white semi-transparent paste that gives the final dough its pearly translucency after frying. Without it, the dough stays opaque and loses some elasticity. Found in Asian grocery stores in the flour section, often next to tapioca starch.
- Dried shiitake mushrooms — Their flavor is three times more concentrated than fresh mushrooms. Soak them in cold water overnight rather than hot water: they stay firmer and retain a slightly crunchy texture in the filling. Be sure to keep the soaking liquid — it smells strongly of umami and perfectly replaces any broth in the recipe.
- Dried shrimp — They don’t provide a direct shrimp taste but a marine umami base that amplifies the whole filling without being clearly identifiable. Choose medium-sized, bright orange shrimp — avoid gray or rancid-smelling ones. A quick rinse in cold water is enough, no long rehydration needed.
