How to make Susur Lee’s chicken and shrimp siu mai recipe at home

At the end of July, I attended a #dimsum101 workshop by the world-renowned Chef, Susur Lee. At the event (read about my experience here), a group of us got to learn how to make siu mai, a traditional pork dumpling with a won ton wrapper seen at every dim sum restaurant. Chef Lee’s version was extremely delicious with chicken and shrimp, topped with scallops and black truffles.

Here is Chef’s Lee’s siu mai recipe courtesy of Luckee and Chef Lee.

Chef Susur Lee’s Siu Mai recipe

I cook often and enjoy trying out new dishes, and sharing my experience with you. Making siu mai at home was a first, so I had to try out Chef Lee’s recipe using tips I learned from his workshop.

Please note that my meat portion was slightly more than the above recipe as I used 1 skinless and boneless chicken breast and 1 chicken thigh. The mixture made about 22 ultra fat dumplings. I did not have scallops or black truffles, so I topped the dumplings with shiitake mushrooms.

Here are the steps to making my version of Chef Lee’s siu mai at home:

1. Soak about 2 shiitake mushrooms in a bowl of water overnight. On the day of preparing the dumplings, blanch the mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms and set aside.

2. Soak a dry orange peel in water for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take out the peel from the water and scrape all the white flesh underneath the skin. This is an important step to eliminate the bitter taste. I used store-bought dry orange skin found at most Chinese supermarkets. Dice the orange peel.

3. Prepare all ingredients before mixing. Peel, devein and dice the shrimp and keep in a separate bowl. Dice and add the chicken into the food processor.

4. Follow Chef Lee’s instructions in the “method” section of the recipe card. Mix well.

5. Cut the 4 corners of the wonton wrappers. This is important for the presentation.

6. Using a spoon, stuff the mixture into the centre of the wonton. Pack it tightly or the mixture will fall out after steaming. Place a butter knife in the middle of the mixture and flip the dumpling upside down. Use your hands to shape the wonton.

Steaming the siu mais

7. If you are using a bamboo steamer, line it with parchment paper. Poke a few holes in the paper. Place the uncooked siu mais in the tray. I topped each one with a small slice of mushroom. Feel free to top the dumplings with your favourite garnishes. Shrimp or scallops would make a great topping.

8. Steam the tray on medium-high heat for about 8 minutes. Remove, add cilantro and green onions before serving. Enjoy!

The siu mai’s I made at Luckee:

My home version. Not bad! I couldn’t find wonton wrappers as yellow as the ones that Chef Lee had at Luckee which impacted the final presentation between the two. Since I made these for my husband and I, I made them extra fat. If I was serving guest, I would have made them smaller, closer to what they would be like at a restaurant.

They were delicious! Thank you Chef Lee for the lesson, tips and the recipe.