Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings)

With plump shrimp wrapped in a thin, stretchy, translucent dough, har gow may well be the most popular dim sum classic of all.

Shao Z.

Updated August 04, 2023

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Overhead view of dumplings in steamer — Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

Why It Works

Marinating the shrimp with baking soda helps keep them plump and crisp as they steam.
Finely diced, par-boiled fatback adds plenty of moisture to the mix.
A hot water dough made with pure wheat starch is easily malleable and forms a translucent shell when steamed.

With bright pink chunks of plump shrimp veiled in thin, stretchy, translucent dough, har gow—crystal-skinned shrimp dumplings—may well be the most popular dim sum classic of all. You might think there's a lot of difficult technique involved in getting those shrimp so plump and the skins so delicate, but it's really much easier than it seems. This particular recipe is a combination of tricks and techniques I've learned watching my parents and uncle make har gow since I was a small child.

Let's start with the filling.

The filling for har gow is usually pretty straightforward—shrimp and pork fat at its most basic, with the occasional bamboo shoot or scallion thrown in for fancier versions.

A portion of fatback simmering in a small saucepan of water. — Boil the fatback to get rid of some excess salt and start rendering its fat.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.

To start, I boil pork fatback in water to remove some of the excess moisture and to soften it a bit. Fatback is great because it releases its fat slowly, keeping things moist and flavorful instead of greasy the way, say, lard or excess oil would do. I then cut the fatback into very fine pieces so that they melt into the shrimp as the dumplings steam.

A raw, marinated shrimp on a cutting board, chopped into 5 pieces. A pile of whole, peeled shrimp are off in the right upper corner. — Cut the shrimp into small chunks after marinating.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.

The secret to plump shrimp? A brief marinade in a baking soda solution. The higher pH helps the shrimp retain more moisture as it cooks. Check out Kenji's post on shrimp wontons for a side-by-side look at how it works.

After marinating, I cut the shrimp into small chunks, and then combine them with the fatback, as well as ginger, garlic, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, sugar, and a pinch of white pepper, along with a dash of oil and cornstarch. The cornstarch helps thicken and retain any juices that escape during the steaming process.

The trickiest part of making this dumpling is getting the right texture for the skin. Unlike siu mai (open-topped pork and shrimp dumplings) and pan fried dumplings, the skin of a har gow—made from a combination of wheat and tapioca starches—is translucent and slightly chewy.

Classic har gow dough is made with the hot water method: boiling water is poured over a bowl containing the starches, and then the mixture is kneaded. The boiling water will help prevent the dough from getting too elastic, instead allowing it to form a smooth, malleable mass with an easy-to-roll texture similar to Play-Doh.

Author kneading dumpling dough on a floured cutting board. — Knead it until smooth.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.

I knead it until smooth, then roll it into a long strip to make it easy to cut into even balls. Then, I roll out each evenly sliced piece with a pin, making sure to work on a lightly floured surface.

Author rolling out a piece of dough into a thin disk-shaped wrapper with a small roller. — Roll each ball of dough into a thin wrapper.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.

If you are the kind of cook who likes to take on one task at a time, make sure to keep the finished rounds of dough stacked up underneath a sheet of plastic wrap so that they don't dry out before you can stuff them.

If you're not used to pleating dumpling skins, wrapping these can be a little tricky. Check out some step-by-step instructions in this post about making gyoza. Personally, my dumpling pleating skills are pretty sad, so I usually do a simple half-moon wrap and just crimp the edges with a fork.

A half moon-shaped, crimped dumpling laying on a cutting board next to the small dumpling skin roller. — Serious Eats / Shao Z.

So long as your dumpling stays shut tightly enough to keep the filling and juices trapped inside, you've accomplished your goal.

Once formed, the dumplings can be frozen on a sheet tray, then placed in a zipper-lock bag for long-term storage. You can even cook them directly out of the freezer. That's why it's always nice to invite friends over for a dumpling party and get huge batches of them frozen ahead of time to feed you at moment's notice down the line.

When you're ready to cook, just place the dumplings in a parchment or cabbage-lined steamer over boiling water and a few minutes later you've got yourself one of the greatest dim sum treats around.

Author takes the lid off of a bamboo steamer to reveal a piping-hot batch of har gow dumplings. — Ready to rest.
Serious Eats / Shao Z.

No, one batch is NOT enough.

September 2014

This recipe was cross-tested in 2023 and lightly updated with more accurate measurements and cooking times to guarantee best results.

Recipe Details

Har Gow (Crystal Skin Shrimp Dumplings) Recipe

Prep 30 mins

Cook 30 mins

Active 30 mins

Resting Time 60 mins

Total 2 hrs

Makes 20 dumplings

Ingredients

For the Dough:

1/2 cup (120ml) water, boiling hot
3/4 cup wheat starch (3 1/2 ounces; 98g), see notes
6 tablespoons tapioca flour or tapioca starch (1 3/4 ounces; 50g)
1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
2 teaspoons (30ml) vegetable or canola oil, plus more for rolling dough

For the Shrimp Filling:

1/2 pound (227g) shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 teaspoon baking soda
One 2- by 3-inch piece pork fatback (about 2 ounces)
1 (5ml) teaspoon vegetable or canola oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt, use half as much by volume
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Black vinegar, for serving

Directions

For the Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together wheat starch, tapioca flour/starch, and salt. Add oil and boiling water. With a silicone spatula, mix until a shaggy dough is formed, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn dough out onto a table and knead until a smooth ball forms, about 1 minute. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
For the Filling:Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add fatback and boil for 10 minutes. Drain well and transfer fatback to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.When the fatback is cool to the touch, remove and discard the skin (if the skin is attached) and mince and reserve the fat.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, cover shrimp with cold water (about 1 1/2 cups) and stir in baking soda. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Drain and rinse shrimp under cold running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Chop shrimp into 1/4- to 1/2- inch pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add minced fatback, oil, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, and ground white pepper. Mix well and refrigerate covered for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
To Assemble: Cut the dough in half. Rewrap half of the dough in plastic wrap to prevent drying; set aside. Roll the other dough half into a 12-inch long rope. Cut the rope into 12 equal sized portions, about 1/4 ounce (7g) each. Lightly oil your hands, rolling pin, and work surface. Working with 1 cut dough piece at a time (keep remaining dough pieces covered with plastic wrap), roll dough into a circle about 3 1/4- to 3 1/2-inches in diameter. Repeat with the remaining cut dough portions and the other half of the dough, applying more oil to your hands, rolling pin, and work surface as needed. Lay the finished wrappers side-by-side on a baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap while shaping remaining wrappers.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
Working with 1 wrapper at a time, place 2 teaspoons of shrimp filling in center of wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half over the filling, and pinch to seal one of the bottom corners (it can be on the left or right, depending on what feels most natural to you). Holding the dumpling in your non-dominant hand, use your thumb and forefinger on the dominant hand to create pleats, one at a time, next to the sealed corner, pleating until you’ve reached the other end. Press along the top to reinforce pleating and ensure it is well sealed. Transfer shaped har gow to a parchment-lined sheet tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano
To steam, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet. Lightly grease two parchment rounds that measure about 1-inch less in diameter than your steamer baskets. Place parchment rounds in two bamboo steamer baskets. (Alternatively, line bottom of steamer baskets with cabbage leaves). Arrange dumplings on prepared parchment so that they are not touching; stack baskets and cover. Adjust heat as needed to maintain simmer and set steamer in wok or skillet. Steam until har gow wrappers are translucent, about 7 minutes, or 9 minutes if steaming dumplings from frozen. Off heat, remove steamer from wok and let rest, covered, for 1 minute. Serve warm with black vinegar.
Serious Eats / Robby Lozano

Special Equipment

Rolling pin, steamer

Notes

Wheat starch is available at Asian grocery stores and can also be ordered online.

Pleating dumplings can be a little tricky (see this post for instructions on folding purse-shaped dumplings).

While this recipe is written for 2 steamer baskets to save in time, it will also work with one steamer basket.

Make-Ahead and Storage

To freeze the dumplings, place the dumplings in a single layer and not touching on a sheet tray or a large plate lined with wax paper. Freeze until frozen, about 1 hour, then transfer har gow to a zip-lock bag or sealed container. Steam the dumplings straight from the freezer following directions in step 7.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1428	Calories
56g	Fat
171g	Carbs
54g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories	1428
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 56g	71%
Saturated Fat 15g	77%
Cholesterol 330mg	110%
Sodium 3365mg	146%
Total Carbohydrate 171g	62%
Dietary Fiber 6g	21%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 1mg	3%
Calcium 179mg	14%
Iron 9mg	47%
Potassium 519mg	11%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)