Although not a traditional chinese New Year food, dumplings of all types are enjoyed more frequently during the New Year season. Har Gau Dumplings (also spelled Har Gow, har gau, har kau, har gao, ha gao, ha gow, ha gau, har gaw, ha gaw, har kaw, ha gaau, har cow, har gaau, or other variants) is a traditional Chinese dumpling served in dim sum.
Har Gau are the steamed shrimp dumplings with the translucent wrapper (the secret ingredient that makes the outside wrapping so shiny is wheat starch). It is a good dish to serve for the family during the holidays. Traditionally, har gow should have at least seven and preferably ten or more pleats imprinted on its wrapper. This dish’s serving manner is similar to that of siu mai (Shaomai). Both har gow and siu mai are considered the most popular dishes in Chinese dim sum.
A local Chinese restaurant charges about $5 for ten. Considering the cheap ingredients and not even knowing what that “mystery meat” filling was I decided to search for a solution. And i find that Steamed dumplings are not that difficult to make and they taste so wonderful when freshly steamed. It was quite a bit of work but if you do, it would be worth it.
Recipe: Steamed Dumpling with Shrimp (Har Gau Dumplings)
