Description
Clear and chewy pork and shrimp dumplings that are a popular street food snack in Vietnam. These are wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Serve this classic Vietnamese appetizer warm with a side of sweet chili fish sauce (nước mắm chấm) for the perfect bite.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Filling
- 1/2 lb / 8 oz pork belly (usually 1 strip)
- 1 teaspoon whole annatto seeds (can sub with annatto oil)
- 2 oz small shrimp (size 50/60 with shell/tail on, can sub with dried shrimp)
- 3 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 shallot (about 2 tablespoons chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (about 1 tablespoon chopped)
Tapioca Batter
- 14 oz tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/2 cup room-temperature water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil (oil from making fried shallot or any neutral oil like vegetable oil)
Banana Leaves
- 1 package frozen banana leaves (16 lb)
Other Accompaniments
- Dipping sauce (must-have)
- Fried shallots (optional)
- Scallion oil (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare pork: Give the pork a good rinse under cold water to reduce any gamey or porky smell. Sometimes I like to rub the meat down with a bit of coarse salt for an abrasive clean then rinse, but this is entirely up to you depending on the quality of the pork. Slice the pork thinly, and then slice those pieces again into even thinner strips.
- Prepare shrimp: If you’re using dried shrimp like I am in this recipe, give them a good rinse and then soak them in water for about 10 minutes to soften them. If you’re using fresh shrimp, peel them. Leave the tails on if you like a little extra crunch in your bite. Devein them if prefer, but because the shrimp for this dish are so small, I usually skip the deveining.
- Make the filling: In a medium skillet or pan, add the pork belly and dry fry (no oil) until the fat renders and pork is golden brown.Tilt the pan so the oil pools to one side, and add the annatto seeds directly to the oil. Once the oil turns a beautiful deep red, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Add the shrimp, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper, minced garlic, and shallots. Stir everything together so the pork and shrimp are evenly coated in that red oil, and cook for about 2-4 minutes or until fresh shrimp is mostly cooked through or dried shrimp is nice and toasted. Set the filling aside.
- Make the batter: In a small sauce pan, add 1.5 cups of water and heat on the stovetop to a rolling boil. You can also do this in the microwave with a micro-wave safe bowl. Put the tapioca starch and salt into a stand mixer bowl with a paddle attachment. Turn it on low. Slowly stream in boiling hot water. The mixture will clump and look clear in spots. Just keep mixing until it mostly comes together. Now stream in room-temperature water as needed to loosen the consistency into a spreadable paste.
- Prepare the banana leaves: Cut the banana leaves into pieces about 6 inches wide by 7 to 9 inches tall. Since the leaves can be quite dirty, give the cut pieces a quick boil or wipe them down thoroughly with paper towels. Boiling them also makes them easier to fold for wrapping. Dry them completely before using.
- Assemble the dumplings: Scoop about 2 tablespoons of batter and spread it into a rectangle in the center of the banana leaf. Add the pork and shrimp filling on top of the batter, slightly off to one side. Fold the banana leaf over so that the filling is now covered. Fold over once more to make a tight, long rectangle. Fold the top and bottom ends in. You should end up with a rectangular dumpling about 1.5 inches wide and 4 inches long. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling until finished. You can tear off thin strips from any leftover banana leaves to tie a pretty bow that secures the flaps, but this is entirely optional.
- Steam the dumplings: Place the wrapped dumplings in a steamer basket over boiling water. If you didn’t tie them, make sure to place them flap-side down to keep the banana leaves secure. Steam for about 10 minutes.
- Serve: You can enjoy them all unwrapped at once or one at a time. Serve warm or at room temperature with a sweet chili fish sauce. You can also top the dumplings with scallion oil and fried shallots for a more aromatic and beautiful presentation.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Wrapping Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snack
- Method: Steaming, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese