Skip to content

Meat, East Asian

Pork Shumai with Rice and Greens

Pork shumai with rice and greens are open steamed Cantonese dumplings filled with pork and mushrooms, served with rice and sautéed green beans. This recipe for 4 takes 50 minutes, requires medium skill for folding, and costs about €3.00 per person. Success depends on a well mixed, juicy filling and giving the dumplings room to steam without touching.

Tonight, Cantonese shumai, those little open steamed dumplings with pork and mushrooms, served with rice and sautéed green beans, a homemade dim sum night.

Pork Shumai with Rice and Greens
Total time
50 min
Difficulty
Medium
Cost per person
€3.00
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall, Spring
The kids
They generally like it

The pork and mushroom filling stays juicy thanks to the cornstarch that binds it, while ginger and scallion add brightness without covering the meat's flavor. Steaming keeps everything tender, and the wonton wrappers turn slightly translucent and soft at the edges.

This is the kind of dish to make on a slow Sunday afternoon, when you have time to fold the dumplings one by one, ideally with extra hands if the kids want to join in. Mon Chou loves this moment when cooking turns into a little family workshop before sitting down to rice and greens.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Ground pork 450 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Button mushrooms 150 g
  • Fresh ginger 15 g
  • Scallions 3 sprigs
  • Green beans 300 g

Frozen foods

  • Wonton wrappers 24 sheets

Pantry

  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Sesame oil 1 tbsp
  • Cornstarchoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g

Allergens Gluten, Soy, Sesame, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Finely chop the mushrooms, then mix them with the pork, grated ginger, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch.

    Mix well and for a while, the filling becomes bound and stays juicy.

  2. Place a spoonful of filling on a wrapper, gather the edges up around it into a cup shape, and press down gently. 20 min

    Flatten the base so the shumai can stand upright.

  3. Cook the rice in salted water while you shape the shumai. 11 min

    Keep it covered so it stays hot.

  4. Arrange the shumai on parchment paper in a steamer basket and steam over simmering water. 12 min

    Leave space between them, they puff up slightly as they cook.

  5. Sauté the green beans in a pan with a bit of garlic and serve alongside the shumai and rice. 5 min

    A splash of soy sauce on the green beans ties everything together.

Our tips to get it right

  • Don't overfill the wrappers, a heaping teaspoon is enough, otherwise they won't close properly and the filling spills out during steaming.
  • Keep your fingers slightly damp when handling the wonton wrappers, they dry out fast and turn brittle.
  • If you don't have a steamer basket, set the shumai on a bed of napa cabbage inside a metal colander placed over a pot of simmering water.

The variations

  • Swap the pork for ground chicken or chopped shrimp for a different filling flavor.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the pork with crumbled tofu and add shiitake mushrooms for more bite.
  • For a quicker, kid friendly version, shape smaller shumai that steam faster and are easy to eat by hand.

What to serve it with

  • Soy sauce or black vinegar for dipping
  • Hot green tea
  • A clear broth to start

Storage

Cooked shumai keep for 2 days in the fridge in a sealed container. You can also freeze raw shumai on a tray before transferring them to a bag, then steam them straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes of cooking time. Reheat leftovers by steaming rather than microwaving so they don't dry out.

Questions about this dish

Can you prepare the shumai ahead of time?

Yes, you can shape them several hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge until steaming. Don't leave them uncovered too long or the wrappers will dry out.

How do you keep the wonton wrappers from sticking to the steamer?

Set each shumai on a small square of parchment paper or a napa cabbage leaf before placing them in the basket. This keeps them from sticking and makes them easy to lift out.

Can you freeze shumai?

Yes, freeze the raw shumai flat on a tray before bagging them together. Steam them straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes of cooking time.

What wrapper can you use if you can't find wonton wrappers?

Round Chinese dumpling wrappers work just as well and give a very similar shape. Avoid Italian ravioli dough, it's too thick for quick steaming.

How long does it take to make pork shumai with rice and green beans?

Count 50 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “medium”.

How many calories are in pork shumai with rice and green beans?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does pork shumai with rice and green beans cost?

About €3.00 per serving, or €12.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, soy, sesame, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

East Asian cuisines

See all

Mushroom recipes

See all