Turkey Siomai (Siu Mai)

I’ve been making Turkey Siomai quite a lot these days.  Come to think of it, I’ve been making so much dimsum lately, not to mention posting about them,  that this site could very well be mistaken for a dimsum and dumplings blog!  Hee hee!  Anyway, the very first siomai I made ever was Shrimp and Pork. That was a tedious venture because I was crazy enough to make even the wrappers myself.  I have made a minor compromise since then and have been using store-bought dumpling and wonton  wrappers for my dimsum.

Other than the trial batch of Turkey Siomai, that is, the first time I kitchen-tested the recipe, I’ve made Turkey Siomai two other times, for an Easter picnic and a birthday party.  I used the Chicken Siomai recipe from my dimsum bible (Quick & Easy Dimsum Appetizers and Light Meals by Judy Lew) and simply substituted the chicken with turkey.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes about 25)

1/2 lb ground turkey (or boneless chicken breast, chopped)

1/4 cup chopped bamboo shoots

1/4 cup chopped Chinese black mushrooms

2 tablespoons water chestnuts

1 tablespoon rice wine

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 egg white

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pper

25 Siu Mai wrappers

Note:  You can make the fillings a day ahead and refrigerate.

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Prepare vegetables.

2.  Combine all the filling ingredients thoroughly, making sure that all ingredients are disperesed well.  Allow the mixture to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour for better flavor.

3.  Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons of the fillings on a wrapper and pleat the sides to surround the meat.  Wet fingers to smooth off top of siu mai.

4.  Place in a steamer, each 1/2 inch apart and steam for 20 minutes on high heat.

Note: I use my aluminum steamer when steaming a large batch of siomai.  Otherwise, I just use my bamboo steamer.  You may put vegetable toppings on the siomai if you like!

5.  Serve with soy sauce and lemon wedges on the side.

These tummy ticklers look way better than the first batch of siomai I ever made, if I may say so myself. The recipe book actually calls for 2 tablespoons of filling per wrapper.  But I find that the siomai pieces come out way too big!  The wrappers I’m using are about 3 inches in diameter.  1 1/2 tablespoon of the filling is still big but is  just enough amount to fill the wrapper.  Whatever the size, I promise you that these will be bestsellers at your next party.  And if you’re the least bit business-minded, you have a better chance of selling these than term life insurance for seniors.

More dimsum recipes in the days to come. ;)  Cheers!