Har Gow 蝦餃 and Dim Sum

Har gow are immediately recognizable by their dough type. The dough is made of a wheat starch and tapioca base and is quite fragile and tender. This special dough is prone to splitting open during steaming if the dumpling is not fully pinched closed. Har gow are also characterized by their “snow-white”, “paper-thin”, translucent surrounding. This special type of dough is what makes the har gow somewhat translucent. Fillings are even visible from the outside of the dumpling. The dumplings may appear opaque when they are first removed from the steamer, but they become translucent upon cooling. Nguyen describes Har gow as “pinkish white morsels” in his book, Asian Dumplings: Mastering gyōza, Spring Rolls, Samosas, and More. The reason for their pinkish tint is because of the shrimp inside. The dough is so light and almost clear, that the pink from the shrimp comes through making the dumplings look “pinkish” themselves. Nguyen also says, “when cooked, this dough has a translucency that allows the filling colors to visible in a beautiful, impressionistic way (Nguyen 132.)

The special dough for har gow is called “wheat starch dough.” This dough is not unique to the har gow dumpling; in fact, it is the foundation for many Cantonese dim sum recipes as well. Still, wheat starch dough has an immediate association to har gow. This dough is malleable, sculptable, and easy to manipulate. Andrea Nguyen even describes this dough as one that feels like play-doh once it is cooked. This is the final texture of the dough, and the color once it is cooked should be a “snowy white” (Nguyen 132). The wheat starch dough cannot be made ahead of time and refrigerated, as many flour dough can be, because it is so prone to splitting open during steaming. When this dough is properly prepared and cooked, the har gow dumpling will be chewy and slightly sticky.

Wheat starch dough is made of a mixture of wheat starch and another type of starch, often tapioca, corn, or potato starch. These other starches add elasticity to the dough, because wheat starch alone would make the dough too firm. The dough for har gow also calls for oil, which is intended to add suppleness and richness. This wheat starch dough can be prepared up to six hours in advance of using it and can then be stored in a plastic bag at room temperature in order to prevent drying.