"Ham Siu Gok"/"Gai Loong"

[Gastro888]

Hi y'all! I've been a lil' MIA on eG due to committments (dragon boating, etc...) but a while back I promised two things to Uncle Ben and Auntie Dejah.

Well, I'll make good on both promises in this thread.

For those of you who don't know, ham siu gok (Cantonese for salt water dumpling) or gai loong (Toisanese - I'll use this term from now on as I'm a good ol' Toisanese girl from the village! ) is a fried dumpling made from glutinous rice flour. It's served on dim sum carts if you are fortunate enough to have dim sum in the areas where you live.

If you're looking for a detailed recipe, you won't find it here. It's going to be rough and tumble as it's home cooking. I will post the recipe tonight along with a few pictures. Please bear with me as it'll take me a while to post the pictures. I've a dial-up connection at home and with the number of pics I took, it'll take a while to post.

Thanks for your patience!

[Ben Hong]

Gastro Girl: don't forget to show the "cook" making the things. I like to look at all things delicious

[Gastro888]

Hi Uncle Ben! You're so silly. Is it still 9 organic roasted suckling pigs?

[Ben Hong]

Hi Uncle Ben!  You're so silly.  Is it still 9 organic roasted suckling pigs?

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Roast suckling pigs? Not till I see the "goods".

[Dejah]

Looking forward to the pictures, Gastro888.

[Gastro888]

Recipe for gai loong. (Yep, this is how we cook...not precise...it's Chinese homestyle cooking)

For the filling:

Chop all ingredients in a small mince. Make sure the size is uniform.

Mom chopping and rockin' the jade bracelet

MEP - from the left - bowl w/ lap cheong, cha siu, zha choy, water chestnuts, hai mai, scallions and mushrooms

Ingredients:

-Ground pork

-Reconstituted hai mai

-Minced lap cheong

-Minced cha siu

-Minced zha choy

-Minced Chinese black mushrooms

-Chopped scallions

-Minced cilantro

-Cooking wine

-Soy sauce

-Sesame oil

-Salt & pepper

-Cornstarch slurry

1. Chow ground pork in a skillet or wok.

2. Add "hai mai" (small dried shrimp) next, chow for a few minutes.

3. Add cooking wine & soy sauce - be careful not to add too much as you don't want the mixture to get too wet.

4. Add minced "dong goo" (Chinese black mushrooms), chow for a few minutes.

5. Add minced lap cheong (Chinese sausage), minced cha siu and minced "zha choy" (Szchuan pickled veggie), chow for a few minutes.

Dad chowing the mix - note the water chestnuts

6. Add minced water chestnuts, chow for a few minutes.

7. Add chopped scallions and cilantro, (and you guessed it...) chow for a few minutes - don't let the scallions and cilantro wilt on you.

8. Add cornstarch slurry to thicken the mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a little sesame oil for fragrance. Give it one final chow and set it aside.

Remember you want to cook the raw stuff first then add the cooked stuff last. Make sure the filling's completely cooked and don't have it too wet or else you'll have a soggy dumpling mess when you fry it.

Set it aside to cool while you make the dough.

For the dough:

Dry ingredients:

One bag of glutinous rice flour

2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes

1 tablespoon of AP flour

Pinch of salt

Boiling water

Mix dry ingredients together, make a mound and then a well.

When the water hits a boil, carefully add about a cup of boiling water to the dry ingredients and combine until a dough forms.

Better to keep it dry and then add water then to make it too wet. You want it to feel like a baby's bottom.

Knead the dough until it's well combined and smooth - about 15 minutes. Pinch off some dough about the size of a ping pong ball and roll it in between your hands. Flatten the dough into a disk about 2 inches wide (not too thin) and add about a teaspoon of filling. Pinch the top closed -MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS CLOSED TIGHTLY!

Heat up about 2 inches of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the dumplings until golden brown. Serve hot.

Edited April 29, 2005 by Gastro888 (log)

[hzrt8w]

Gastro Girl: don't forget to show the "cook" making the things. I like to look at all things delicious  

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Ben: you are a man eater? (or girl eater)?

Gastro: nice work. It would be really helpful if you have a picture of the finished product. Have you fried your Gai Loong yet?

Edited April 28, 2005 by hzrt8w (log)

[Tepee]

Oh, yes! Pix of the gok from various angles would be wonderful.

Gastro Girl: don't forget to show the "cook" making the things. I like to look at all things delicious  

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Erm....the cook seems to be Mah mah Gastro? Don't know about delicious, but she certainly looks mighty efficient.

[SuzySushi]

Recipe for gai loong. 

For the dough:

Dry ingredients:

One bag of glutinous rice flour

2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes

1 tablespoon of AP flour

Pinch of salt

Boiling water

←

How big is the bag of glutinous rice flour? Here, Blue Star glutinous rice flour comes in boxes about the size of a cornstarch box (1 pound, I think).

[SuzySushi]

Recipe for gai loong. 

For the dough:

Dry ingredients:

One bag of glutinous rice flour

2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes

1 tablespoon of AP flour

Pinch of salt

Boiling water

←

How big is the bag of glutinous rice flour? Here, Blue Star glutinous rice flour comes in boxes about the size of a cornstarch box (1 pound, I think).

[Gastro888]

Yes, the cook is my mother - she didn't let me do much. Typical mommy! I'm sorry that I don't have more specific measurements or instructions for you. I was following my mother around and I was fortunate enough to get her to NOT cook the filling or make the dough too early - she really didn't get why I wanted to document everything.

I will try to fill in the gaps as best as possible. The rice flour in our area is from Thailand and sold in either a red bag or a green bag - 16 oz bags. I will post a picture of it later.

As for pictures of the finish product, um, I kinda don't have one... My best friend came over - these dumplings were made for her and I was too busy "jai bee" with her to remember to take a picture. But they were friggin' delish, let me tell you.

I know, I know, this isn't the first time I forgot to take a picture.

However, since we don't have practice next week, I'm mighty tempted to make them again...hee hee

[Dejah]

Gastro:

Is that all waterchestnut in the bowl with the green wrapping?

Looks like your Mama has a heavy hand with liu like I do!

[Gastro888]

Yes ma'am it is! Mom wasn't going to make it if she couldn't find water chestnuts. She ended up using canned chestnuts.

In regards to the liu, shoooot, what Southern Chinese person do you know who doesn't have a generous hand in the liu? We're all about the food, ya know! hee hee

[Ben Hong]

Not an invitation in sight! I heard that UPS has overnight service.

[Gastro888]

Ai ya...I only promised a recipe! hee hee

Oh yeah, you can substitute whatever meat you'd like however you MUST have the waterchestnuts, dong goo, scallions and cilantro.

Edited April 28, 2005 by Gastro888 (log)

[Seitch]

I will try to fill in the gaps as best as possible.  The rice flour in our area is from Thailand and sold in either a red bag or a green bag - 16 oz bags.  I will post a picture of it later.

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Whether you used the red or green bag is essential information to know. One is glutinous rice four and the other is non glutinous.

[Gastro888]

If ya check out the title, it says "glutinous rice flour dumplings"...just gently pointing it out to you.

In reference to my previous statement, I was describing how rice flour is sold in our area.