“Yum Yum Cha, Let’s East Dim Sum in Hawaii,” is Muriel Miura’s last cookbook, published posthumously with help from friend, author, and Honolulu Star-Advertiser columnist, Lynette Lo Tom. Muriel had worked on this dim sum cookbook for years, taking the manuscripts with her back and forth to the mainland whenever she visited her daughter. She dined at numerous dim sum restaurants both in Hawaii and on the mainland to hone her list of recipes. For her, it was a continued work-in-progress.
Sadly, Muriel passed away before she was able to finish the book. With Shari, her daughter’s blessing, and using all of Muriel’s notes and recipes, Lynette helped finish the book.
The first section is titled Hawaii’s Top 10 Favorite Dim Sum and includes Shrimp dumplings or har gow (last week’s column about starches was about the dung min fun flour needed to make this dim sum — but I am now including the filling, thanks to this cookbook). Pork hash dumplings or siu mai; Barbecued pork buns or char siu bao, steamed rolls or cheung fun; half-moon dumplings or gok jai (fan Gwo); steamed and pan-fried turnip cakes or lo bak go; black bean spareribs or dow see pai gwai; braised chicken feet or fung zaau or phoenix claws; bean curd wrap or sin chet kuen; and custard tarts or dan tat.
It was a hard decision of which recipes I wanted to share with my readers as all ten of these favorite dim sum dishes are popular with so many and here in Hilo, we don’t have a dim sum restaurant that we can go to for some dim sum and hot tea. We have to make it ourselves or go to Oahu and bring back a box.
Shrimp
Dumplings or Har Gow
Makes 24 dumplings
Filling:
1 pound raw shrimp, cleaned and chopped
1/4 pound finely ground pork
1 tablespoon minced green onion
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash of white pepper
Dough (this recipe is different from my recipe in last week’s column with the addition of salt and the reduction of oil)
1-1/4 cups wheat starch (dun min fun )
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon peanut, vegetable or canola oil
Combine all the filling ingredients, set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine wheat starch, tapioca starch, and salt, stir to combine. Add boiling water gradually, stirring and mixing well. Add oil. Knead until smooth on surface dusted lightly with wheat starch, adding more if necessary to prevent sticking. Divide dough into thirds, roll each portion into an 8-inch long cylinder. Cover loosely with slightly damp towel to prevent dough from drying out. Set aside.
Cut each cylinder of dough crosswise into 8 pieces, roll each piece into a 3-inch circle on surface lightly dusted with wheat starch. Make seven narrow pleats from edge of dough alongside edge to near center of the circle, each almost overlapping the previous one with final pleats about halfway around the circumference of the dough. Press lightly along the inside of the pleats to flatten them slightly while forming “pocket” within. Spoon a teaspoon of filling into the pocket, keeping it from touching open edge of dough. Pinch edges of dough together firmly to seal. Repeat with remaining wheat starch skins and filling.
Start water boiling in a wok or steamer. Arrange dumplings and place on oiled pans, separating them by at least 1/2 inch. Steam 8 to 10 minutes over high heat. Repeat in batches, replenishing boiling water as needed. Serve immediately with you favorite sauce.
• • •
Char siu bao is a very popular dim sum and this is a recipe from Jane Akitake from Maui who got it from her mother, Tue Ngoot Chin.
Barbecued
Pork Buns or Char Siu Bao
Makes about 36
Filling:
4 cups diced char siu (recipe follows)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch combined with 2 to 3 tablespoons water
Dough:
6-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup 2% milk, warmed to 110 degrees
1 cup warm water, warmed to 110 degrees
1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) active dry or rapid rise yeast
Filling: heat all filling ingredients (except cornstarch slurry) in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water thoroughly. Add to pan and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until cornstarch has thickened slightly. Remove from heat and let cool completely, Keep refrigerated until ready to shape the bao.
Make the bao: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar, then cut in the shortening. Set aside.
Mix together warm milk and warm water, then dissolve yeast into mixture. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture in a standing mixer with a dough hook, mix for 5 minutes. Alternatively knead by hand for 5 minutes. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm and not windy part of your kitchen or in the oven (do not turn oven on) until doubled or tripled in volume, about two to four hours.
Punch down dough and knead for 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into 36 portions. Round one into a ball. Form a flat circle and add 1 tablespoon of the filling. Plate and twist to seal and form a small knot on top. Place each bao on a 3-inch square piece of parchment paper. Let rise in a warm area for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Place in steamer and steam on high heat approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from steamer and place on rack to cool.
Barbecued Pork or Char Siu
Makes about 1 pound
Marinade:
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1/4 teaspoon red food coloring, optional
Optional: additional honey as glaze
Combine marinade ingredients and rub onto:
1-1/2 pound pork shoulder or butt, not lean such as tenderloin, cut into thick strips, 1-1/2 inches x 5 inches.
Cover in plastic wrap and marinate in refrigerator for 1 to 2 nights, turning occasionally.
Place on rack in shallow roasting pan lined with foil and roast at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour or until done. Brush additional honey on meat before serving, if desired.
In addition, the cookbook has over 100 recipes besides the 10 favorites. There is a chapter on dumplings, on bao, other dim sum such as taro puffs and sticky rice with sausage and mushrooms, sweets; seafood; pork and beef; chicken and duck; vegetables; rice and noodles; and sauces.
If you are yearning for some dim sum, you can go to Basically Books in Hilo or order the book online at www.mutualpublishing.com for $20.95.
Thank you Lynette Lo Tom for this beautiful tribute to Muriel Miura and for the many years of teaching all of us how to cook various ethnic dishes.
