Go Back

Vegetarian Shaomai

This recipe for vegetarian shaomai has no fixed amounts, like typical Chinese home cooking.  If you want to try these yourself, just follow along with the method, and adjust the amounts as needed.  
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • cooked sticky rice
  • several shitake mushrooms
  • several woodear mushrooms (black fungus)
  • minced carrot
  • "jicai" or spinach
  • several eggs
  • light oil
  • Shaoxing wine
  • salt
  • dark soy sauce
  • circular shaomai wrappers or large dumpling wrappers

Instructions
 

  • Start by making the sticky rice per package. I generally soak sticky rice before cooking it.
  • Mince several mushrooms and woodear mushrooms. Add them to the sticky rice, along with some minced carrot and minced spinach.
  • To make Chinese scrambled eggs, heat oil in a very hot wok. You want the oil to almost smoke. Beat several eggs in a bowl with a splash of Shaoxing wine (or sherry) and a big pinch of salt. When the oil is almost smoking, pour the eggs into the wok. Stir gently until cooked. Add the eggs to the sticky rice and mushroom mixture. Stir well.
  • Boil the dark soy sauce in a wok or small saucepan. Then add it to the sticky rice mixture. Taste for salt and balance. If it's not salty enough, add a little more soy sauce. If it's too salty, scramble a few more eggs to dilute the flavor.
  • Now it's time to fill the shaomai. Use large circular wrappers. The sticky rice filling is quite sticky so it’s easy to use chopsticks to fill the shaomai.  Use about 2-3 tablespoons of the mixture per shaomai.  Gather the edges up and make uniform pleats.  Then press the top of the filling down into the center.  You want the bottom to bulge, “like a fat tummy."  After pressing the filling down and encouraging the lower belly of the shaomai to swell, you might add another teaspoon of filling on top.  Rotate the shaomai in your hands almost like you are working on a pottery wheel to shape it.
  • Arrange them on a board as you are making them.
  • Steam the shaomai in a steamer about 20 minutes, until the wrappers have changed colors and are a bit translucent.
  • Shaomai can be eaten plain, or wish a splash of black vinegar.