Chinese Cuisine

Har Gow (Crystal Shrimp Dumplings)

Name: Har Gow (Crystal Shrimp Dumplings)
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes
Total time: 38 minutes
Yield: 12 dumplings (2 to 3 servings)
Ingredients: 200 g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined; 30 g water chestnuts, minced; 40 g bamboo shoots, minced; 3 g fresh ginger, minced; 5 g fresh chives, finely chopped; 4 g tapioca starch (or cornstarch); 1 tsp lard (or neutral cooking oil); 0 tbsp sesame oil; 1.5 g salt; 1 pinch sugar; 1 pinch white pepper; 40 g wheat starch; 40 g tapioca starch, or cornstarch; 1 pinch salt; 1 tsp lard (or neutral cooking oil); 80 ml boiling water; 12 thin slices carrot, cut on the diagonal; null Chinkiang (black) vinegar; null Light soy sauce; null Thinly sliced fresh ginger

Translucent wheat starch dumplings filled with whole and minced shrimp, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots

chinesedim-sumshrimpdumplingssteamedcantonesewheat-starchcrystal-dumplingshar-gow

Jump to Recipe

Among the endless parade of small dishes that arrive in bamboo steamers at a Cantonese dim sum table, har gow holds a special place. It is one of the first dishes any serious dim sum restaurant is judged by. The wrapper should be sheer enough to see the pink of the shrimp through it, delicate enough to yield at the first bite, and sturdy enough to hold together from steamer to plate. Getting there takes wheat starch, boiling water, and a willingness to work quickly.

The dough behaves nothing like a regular flour dough. There is no gluten to develop, no resting period, and no forgiveness if the water is not boiling when it meets the starch. The window of workability is short. You mix, you knead briefly, and you start wrapping immediately. If the dough sits too long, it dries out and cracks. This is why dim sum kitchens assign har gow to their most skilled cooks.

The filling should be generous with whole shrimp. Each dumpling gets one whole shrimp nestled alongside a portion of minced shrimp mixed with crunchy water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. The whole shrimp is not just about flavor. It gives a satisfying bite and its pink color shows through the translucent skin, making the dumpling look as beautiful as it tastes. A small amount of lard keeps the filling juicy, and ginger tames any fishiness without making itself known. Sesame oil rounds things out, but only a touch, because too much would overpower the clean sweetness of fresh shrimp.

If you have a Chinese cleaver, this is its moment. The broad flat side presses each dough ball into a paper-thin circle more efficiently than any rolling pin. Oil the blade lightly and it will not stick.

At a Glance

Yield

12 dumplings (2 to 3 servings)

Prep

30 minutes

Cook

8 minutes

Total

38 minutes

Difficulty

Involved

Ingredients

12 dumplings (2 to 3 servings)

7 ozmedium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 ozwater chestnuts, minced
1½ ozbamboo shoots, minced
1½ tspfresh ginger, minced
¼ ozfresh chives, finely chopped
1½ tsptapioca starch (or cornstarch)
1 tsplard (or neutral cooking oil)
0 tbspsesame oil
¼ tspsalt
1 pinchsugar
1 pinchwhite pepper
1½ ozwheat starch
1½ oztapioca starch, or cornstarch
1 pinchsalt
1 tsplard (or neutral cooking oil)
⅓ cupboiling water
12thin slices carrot, cut on the diagonal
—Chinkiang (black) vinegar
—Light soy sauce
—Thinly sliced fresh ginger

Method

1
Prepare the shrimp. Set aside 12 whole shrimp. Place the remaining shrimp on a cutting board and crush them under the flat side of a cleaver, pressing firmly with the heel of your hand. Give the crushed flesh a rough chop. If you do not have a cleaver, mince the shrimp with a knife until you have a coarse paste with some texture remaining.
2
Mix the filling. In a bowl, combine the whole shrimp, minced shrimp, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, ginger, chives, tapioca starch, lard, sesame oil, salt, sugar, and white pepper. Stir well in one direction until the mixture holds together. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the dough.
3
Make the dough. Combine the wheat starch, tapioca starch, salt, and lard in a mixing bowl. Bring water to a full, rolling boil and pour it immediately over the starch mixture. The water must be at a true boil, not merely hot, or the starches will not hydrate properly and you will end up with a loose, unworkable slurry. Stir quickly with chopsticks until the mixture forms shaggy clumps, then knead with your hands into a smooth, soft, slightly elastic dough. Work quickly.
4
Shape the wrappers. Roll the dough into a rope and divide it into 12 equal pieces. Lightly oil your work surface and the flat side of a cleaver (or a rolling pin). Take one piece of dough, roll it into a ball, and press it flat with the oiled cleaver blade, rocking gently side to side to create a very thin, even circle about 3 inches across. If using a rolling pin, flatten the ball and roll outward from the center. The wrapper should be quite thin and slightly translucent. Peel it gently from the surface. Repeat with remaining pieces.
5
Fill and pleat the dumplings. Place a spoonful of filling in the center of a wrapper, including one whole shrimp. Hold the wrapper in both hands. With the index finger of one hand, pleat the far edge of the wrapper into small folds while pressing the near edge forward with the thumb of the other hand. Seal the pleats together firmly to form a crescent shape. The dumpling should have a curved, ridged spine along one side and a smooth belly on the other.
6
Set up the steamer. Bring water to a boil in the pot or wok beneath your steamer basket. Scatter the carrot slices across the base of the steamer, spacing them evenly. Place one dumpling on top of each carrot slice. The carrot prevents sticking far better than oil or parchment for this particular dough.
7
Steam the dumplings. When the water is at a full boil, set the steamer basket in place and cover. Steam over medium heat for 6 minutes. Do not overcook or the wrappers will become gummy and the shrimp will turn rubbery. The wrappers should look fully translucent and the filling should be pink and firm.
8
Rest briefly before serving. Let the dumplings cool for about 1 minute in the steamer before gently removing them. Very hot har gow wrappers tend to stick. Serve with a small dish of vinegar and ginger on the side.

Key Ingredient Benefits

Wheat starch: This is the starch fraction of wheat flour with the gluten washed away. It is sometimes labeled "non-glutinous wheat starch" or "tang flour" in Chinese groceries. It naturally contains trace amounts of gluten, so it is not suitable for celiac diets despite appearing gluten-free. In traditional Cantonese cooking, it is the foundation of all translucent dim sum wrappers.

Water chestnuts: These are the corms of an aquatic plant, not true nuts. They stay crunchy even after cooking, which is why they appear in so many Chinese fillings. In traditional Chinese medicine, water chestnuts are considered cooling and are sometimes eaten raw in southern China during hot weather. They are a reasonable source of potassium.

Shrimp and starch coating: The teaspoon of starch mixed into the filling is a technique called "velveting" in broad terms. It creates a thin protective layer around the protein, slowing heat transfer during cooking and resulting in a more tender, succulent texture. This principle applies across many Chinese preparations, from stir-fried chicken to steamed fish.

Why This Works

The magic of har gow lies in the 1:1:1 ratio of wheat starch, tapioca starch, and boiling water by volume. Wheat starch gelatinizes on contact with boiling water, creating the characteristic translucency. Tapioca starch contributes elasticity and a slight chewiness, preventing the wrapper from being brittle. Without tapioca starch, the wrapper would crack and tear during pleating. Without wheat starch, the wrapper would be opaque and gummy.

Crushing rather than chopping the shrimp preserves some texture while exposing more surface area to the seasoning. The starch mixed into the filling serves a dual purpose: it lightly binds the juices so the filling does not weep during steaming, and it helps keep the shrimp tender by insulating the protein from direct heat.

Lard in the filling is traditional and functional. It melts during steaming and creates a thin film of fat around each piece of shrimp, keeping everything moist and silky. Oil works as a substitute but produces a slightly less luxurious mouthfeel.

Substitutions & Variations

Starch for wrappers: If tapioca starch is unavailable, cornstarch or potato starch can be used in its place, though the elasticity of the finished wrapper will be slightly different. Tapioca gives the best stretch and chew.

Lard: Neutral cooking oil is a straightforward substitute. The dumplings will be slightly less rich but perfectly acceptable.

Chives: Fresh chives add a mild onion note. If unavailable, omit them. Do not substitute scallions, which are too strong for this delicate filling.

Water chestnuts and bamboo shoots: Jicama can stand in for water chestnuts. If bamboo shoots are unavailable, increase the water chestnuts. The filling should always contain at least one crunchy vegetable element for textural contrast.

Larger batch: This recipe scales easily. Double everything and work in batches, keeping finished dumplings covered with a damp cloth while you assemble the rest.

For a comparison of dumpling styles and wrapping techniques, see Jiaozi for boiled flour-wrapper dumplings and Xiao Long Bao for pleated soup dumplings.

Serving Suggestions

Har gow belong on a dim sum table alongside other steamed and fried small dishes. Pair them with Lo Bak Go for pan-fried textural contrast, Lo Mai Gai for something substantial, and Xiao Long Bao for a different style of pleated dumpling. A pot of hot jasmine tea is the traditional accompaniment to any dim sum meal.

For a simpler weeknight dinner, serve har gow as the centerpiece with a bowl of Congee on the side and a dish of steamed greens.

Storage & Reheating

Freezing (uncooked): Place assembled dumplings on a parchment-lined tray, spaced apart so they do not touch. Freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They keep for up to 4 weeks. To cook from frozen, place in a steamer with cold water (not boiling, unlike fresh dumplings). Bring the water to a boil and steam for 8 minutes after the water starts boiling.

Refrigerating (uncooked): The dough does not hold well. Assemble and cook within an hour for best results.

Reheating (cooked): Leftover har gow can be briefly re-steamed for 2 to 3 minutes. Microwaving tends to make the wrappers tough and is not recommended.