Sui Kow

Sui Kow are Cantonese large boiled dumplings, filled with a generous mixture of prawns, pork, water chestnuts, and mushrooms, served in a clear, delicate stock. Unlike northern Chinese dumplings, sui kow wrappers are thin and silky, allowing the filling to show through, and the finished dumpling is plump and yielding. They are a classic part of the Cantonese lunch repertoire — humble, comforting, and deeply satisfying.

Serves: 4 (makes 24 dumplings)

Ingredients

Filling

• 250g (9 oz) raw prawns, peeled, deveined, and roughly chopped
• 150g (5 oz) minced pork
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water 20 minutes, drained and finely diced
• 80g (3 oz) water chestnuts (canned), finely diced
• 1 tbsp (15ml) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)

Wrappers

• 24 round sui kow wrappers (store-bought, about 10cm/4 inches diameter), or gyoza wrappers

Broth

• 1 litre (4 cups) good-quality chicken stock
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• Salt and white pepper to taste

To Serve

• 2 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• Chilli oil or soy sauce with ginger

Instructions

1. Combine all filling ingredients in a bowl. Stir vigorously in one direction for 2–3 minutes until the mixture becomes sticky and cohesive — this develops the protein structure. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Lay a wrapper on a clean surface. Place 1 heaped tsp of filling (about 15g) in the centre. Moisten the edges with a dab of water. Fold the wrapper over the filling to form a half-moon. Press edges firmly together, then fold and pleat the sealed edge decoratively for a traditional look. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Cook dumplings in batches of 8–10. Add to the boiling water; when they float to the surface, cook for a further 3–4 minutes until the wrappers are silky and the filling is cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon.
4. Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a simmer, season with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper.
5. Divide the dumplings among 4 bowls (6 per bowl). Ladle the hot broth around them. Garnish with sliced spring onions. Serve with chilli oil or a saucer of soy sauce with ginger on the side.

Cook's Notes: Chopping half the prawns finely and leaving the other half in rough chunks gives the filling a better texture contrast. Sui kow freeze beautifully — freeze on a tray first, then transfer to a bag; cook from frozen adding 2 extra minutes.