There’s no need to go to a dim sum restaurant to enjoy Ham Sui Gok 咸水角 or fried glutinous rice dumplings. You can easily make this dim sum favorite at home and create the same crispy dumpling skin and incredibly soft and chewy filling.
It is a burst of flavor in one, filled with a savory pork belly that pairs perfectly with vegetables and spices.
- What Is Ham Sui Gok?
- Tips For Making Ham Sui Gok
- How To Store Ham Sui Gok
- What To Prepare To Make Ham Sui Gok
- How To Make Ham Sui Gok
What Is Ham Sui Gok?
Ham sui gok, in translation, is salt water corner or horn. Gok means horn, which is no surprise since ham sui gok has a horn shape.
Similar to the popular dim sum dish taro puff, Ham Sui Gok is widely known as Chinese fried glutinous rice dumplings, often found on the menu at dim sum restaurants.
Moreover, fried dumplings are popular to eat for yum cha. Yum cha is a type of meal of the day in Chinese cuisine similar to brunch. The most common types of food eaten for yum cha are steamed or fried dim sum dishes paired with hot tea.
If you are unfamiliar with fried dumplings, it is basically a pillow of ground pork and vegetables. The filling is made with ground pork, vegetables, and seasonings wrapped in a glutinous rice dumpling wrapper. It gets its crunchy texture from the fried golden wrapper that complements the soft and flavorful filling well.
Tips For Making Ham Sui Gok
If it’s your first time making ham sui gok, read the following tips and reminders to yield the best results. Learn about the right ingredients to use and the proper way of cooking this dish.
- It is important to use glutinous rice flour and wheat starch in making the dumpling wrapper. Glutinous rice flour gives the dumplings its chewy and doughy texture. These two ingredients can’t be typically substituted with other starches or flour since they may produce different results.
- When filling the wrapper, do not overload it. Although it may let you finish making the dumplings as fast as possible by overloading them with more filling, you won’t be able to seal the wrapper properly and can cause it to burst when frying.
- In addition to bursting while frying, cooking it at very high temperatures can also cause the wrapper to tear and release the filling into the pan.
- It is helpful if the filling is not too wet or moist to prevent the wrapper from being too soft, which leads to tears.
- When frying the dumplings, make sure to leave space for each dumpling. The wrapper is quite sticky and tends to stick to other dumplings. If it sticks, it might be difficult to remove them apart and cause the wrapper to break.
- Although deep-frying is best for the dumplings, it is still okay to pan-fry them as long as you use a non-stick pan and fry each side evenly. However, you might get an uneven texture and color with pan-fried dumplings than deep-fried ones.
- Use cooking oils with high smoke points for deep frying. You can use vegetable oil, peanut oil, or sunflower oil.
What To Prepare To Make Ham Sui Gok
It only takes a few kitchen items to prepare ham sui gok. You need to prepare a non-stick frying pan when making the filling and a shallow pan for deep-frying. If you don’t have a pan for deep frying, you can simply use the regular pan for pan-frying.
However, you will have to keep on turning the dumplings to achieve a beautiful and even golden exterior. You may have to hold each piece and fry the part that can’t touch the pan. Remember, the shape is like a horn and curved, so some parts won’t touch the pan.
That is why deep frying is crucial to be able to cook all sides and corners evenly. Aside from kitchen tools, you will have to use your hands when kneading the dough. Most of the ingredients are basic pantry items, except for glutinous rice flour, wheat starch, and lard.
Kitchen Items
- Non-stick pan for frying
- Pan for deep-frying
- Spatula for frying
- Bowl for filling
- Bowl for the dough
- Wooden pestle for mixing the dough
- Knife for cutting
Ingredients
Filling
- 100g minced or diced pork belly
- 35g mushroom
- 30g dried radish
- 100ml water
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- Cornstarch slurry (1.5 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water)
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Chinese chives
- Oil for frying
Dough
- 150g glutinous rice flour
- 50g wheat starch
- 150g hot water
- 50g sugar
- 50g lard (refer to my lard-making recipe)
How To Make Ham Sui Gok
Making ham sui gok has three parts: prepare the filling, make the dough, and combine the filling and dough to be ready for deep frying. Follow the detailed steps below to make your homemade fried glutinous rice dumplings.
Prepare The Filling
Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot enough, fry the 100g minced or diced pork belly on low heat.
Then, add 35g mushroom, 30g dried radish, 100 ml water, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, and 1 tbsp oyster sauce. Mix the ingredients well.
Then, add the cornstarch slurry (1.5 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water) and mix until it thickens. Next, add 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce for color and stir. Place the filling in a bowl and allow it to cool. Once the filling is at room temperature, add 3 tbsp Chinese chives and mix well.
Make The Dough
In a bowl, add the 150g glutinous rice flour and 50g wheat starch. Next, gradually pour 150g of hot water while continuously stirring with a wooden pestle. Once you get a sticky and doughy consistency, add 50g of sugar and mix it well.
Use your hands to mix and press the dough until you form a rough ball. Then, add 50g lard.
Stir and knead the dough until it becomes a smooth elastic dough.
Once the dough is smooth to the touch, roll the dough into a long cylindrical tube. Cut the dough into equal portions, about 35g or 1 inch each.
Make each piece into small round balls and flatten them into a flat circle.
Combine The Filling And Dough And Fry
Place the flat dough on your hand and top the center of the dough with about 1 tbsp of filling.
Fold the dough into a half circle and seal the ends by pinching both sides together.
Each dumpling should have pointy ends and no filling visible. Moreover, it should not open. When it opens, pinch it again and press firmly to make sure it sticks and seals.
Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the rest of the dough.
In a pan, add adequate cooking oil for deep-frying. When the oil is hot enough, about 320°F (160°C), add the dumplings or ham sui gok.
Deep-fry the dumplings for about 6 minutes or until the skin becomes crispy and golden brown.
Turn and rotate the dumplings around to fry evenly and avoid them from sticking together. Enjoy the dumplings with your favorite dishes, such as vegetable stir fry, fried noodles, and noodle soup. Dip it in a variety of dumpling sauces for a kick of flavor.
How To Store Ham Sui Gok
You can prepare the dumplings in advance to make it easier and faster to cook when ready to fry. The unfried dumplings can be stored in the freezer or fridge. Storing the dumplings in the freezer can make them last longer compared to the fridge.
After wrapping the dumplings, place them in a sealed container, preferably on a single layer lined with a baking sheet. The baking sheet is important to prevent the wrapper from sticking to the container and to make it easier to remove. Moreover, the dumplings should not be stacked on top of one another and should have adequate space between them to prevent them from sticking together.
If you are ready to cook the unfried dumplings, take them out from the freezer and thaw or from the fridge and fry them right away. In case you have leftover fried dumplings, keep them in a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat it, the best method to still have its crunchy exterior is by reheating it on a skillet on low fire.
Ham Sui Gok
Equipment
- Non-stick pan for frying
- Pan for deep-frying
- Spatula for frying
- Bowl for filling
- Bowl for the dough
- Wooden pestle for mixing the dough
- Knife for cutting
Ingredients
Filling
- 100 g minced or diced pork belly
- 35 g mushroom
- 30 g dried radish
- 100 ml water
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- Cornstarch slurry 1.5 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 tbsp Chinese chives
- Oil for frying
Dough
- 150 g glutinous rice flour
- 50 g wheat starch
- 150 g hot water
- 50 g sugar
- 50 g lard
Instructions
Prepare The Filling
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Once the oil is hot enough, fry the 100g minced or diced pork belly on low heat.
- Then, add 35g mushroom, 30g dried radish, 100ml water, 1/2 tbsp salt, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, and 1 tbsp oyster sauce.
- Mix the ingredients well.
- Then, add the cornstarch slurry (1.5 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp water) and mix until it thickens.
- Next, add 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce for color and stir.
- Place the filling in a bowl and allow it to cool.
- Once the filling is at room temperature, add 3 tbsp Chinese chives and mix well.
Make The Dough
- In a bowl, add the 150g glutinous rice flour and 50g wheat starch.
- Next, gradually pour 150g of hot water while continuously stirring with a wooden pestle.
- Once you get a sticky and doughy consistency, add 50g of sugar and mix it well.
- Use your hands to mix and press the dough until you form a rough ball.
- Then, add 50g lard.
- Stir and knead the dough until it becomes a smooth elastic dough.
- Once the dough is smooth to the touch, roll the dough into a long cylindrical tube.
- Cut the dough into equal portions, about 35g or 1 inch each.
- Make each piece into small round balls and flatten them into a flat circle.
Combine The Filling And Dough And Fry
- Place the flat dough on your hand and top the center of the dough with about 1 tbsp of filling.
- Fold the dough into a half circle and seal the ends by pinching both sides together.
- Each dumpling should have pointy ends and no filling visible. Moreover, it should not open. When it opens, pinch it again and press firmly to make sure it sticks and seals.
- Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the rest of the dough.
- In a pan, add adequate cooking oil for deep-frying.
- When the oil is hot enough, about 320°F (160°C), add the dumplings or ham sui gok.
- Deep-fry the dumplings for about 6 minutes or until the skin becomes crispy and golden brown.
- Turn and rotate the dumplings around to fry evenly and avoid them from sticking together.
- Enjoy the dumplings with your favorite dishes, such as vegetable stir fry, fried noodles, and noodle soup. Dip it in a variety of dumpling sauces for a kick of flavor.
