Crystal dumplings (水晶饺子, shuǐ jīng jiǎozi) got their name from the beautiful translucent look of the dumpling wrappers. Although not quite as common or popular as crowd favorite, har gow shrimp dumplings, you’ll see these beauties on carts in restaurants with a bigger selection of dim sum. Delightfully chewy and delicate in flavor, you’ll want to learn how to make this Cantonese dim sum favorite at home.
While crystal dumplings are similar to har gow dumplings, har gow are made with opaque white wrappers. It’s the addition of potato starch that makes the translucent look of crystal dumplings possible. Plus, potato starch also gives the dumpling wrappers that pleasant chewy texture that is a hallmark of a well-made dumpling. If all this talk about various starches confuses you, check out our rice and flours ingredients page for more information!
Wheat starch is also used for Har Gow dumplings and is what gives the wrapper a more sturdy body.
Let’s talk filling. Stuffed with seasoned pork, fragrant Shiitake mushrooms, carrots and freshly cooked bright green spinach, crystal dumplings are as pretty as they are delicious. While the vibrant colors definitely make for an impressive presentation, once you bite into one of these tasty little dumplings, you’ll find that you may just have a new favorite Chinese dim sum!
But if you still find that you love these crystal dumplings and har gow in equal measure, you can use this crystal dumpling wrapper recipe with our har gow shrimp dumpling filling and vice versa. One wrapper––two fillings!
For the crystal dumpling skins:
- ½ cup + 5 teaspoons potato starch (93 grams)
- ½ cup wheat starch (64 grams), plus 1 cup (128 grams) –– divided
- ½ cup room temperature water (112 grams)
- 1⅓ cup boiling water (300 grams)
For the crystal dumpling filling:
- 4 medium dried Shiitake mushrooms (15 grams), soaked in hot water for 1 hour and finely diced
- 1½ cups spinach or other stemless leafy greens (100 grams)
- 1 small carrot, finely diced (50 grams)
- 3 ounces finely minced pork (85 grams)
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (you can use less if you plan on dipping these in soy sauce or various chili oils)
- Pinch of ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
It takes three short steps to make the crystal dumpling wrappers correctly, but follow these steps carefully as it’s deceptively simple. It’s also best to weigh these ingredients on a digital kitchen scale for added precision to ensure success!
Step 1: Mix the 93 grams potato starch, 64 grams wheat starch, and ½ cup water in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
Step 2: Bring 1⅓ cups of water to a boil, preferably in a nonstick pan. Once the water is boiling, remix the potato and wheat starch mixture, and slowly pour it into the boiling water while stirring quickly with a spatula or wooden spoon.
If you’re not using a non-stick pan, we found using a metal spatula works better. Continue to stir and cook the mixture until it solidifies (5 to 10 seconds). Remove from the heat.
Step 3: Pour 1 cup of wheat starch onto a flat surface, and scrape all of the cooked dough from the pan on top.
Use the spatula since the dough is still hot and sticky.
Slowly work the dough into the wheat starch, until the dough has cooled enough to work with your hands.
Then knead the dough and flour together until you have a relatively smooth ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel to rest.
Now it’s time to make the crystal dumpling filling.
Finely dice your rehydrated shiitake mushrooms. In a wok or medium-sized pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. While that’s happening, prepare a bowl of ice water.
Add the spinach and/or leafy greens to the boiling water, and stir for 30 seconds until just cooked through. Use a Chinese spider or metal strainer to transfer the blanched greens to the ice water bath. Once cool, strain the greens into a colander and squeeze out the excess water. Set aside on a cutting board.
Next, add the diced carrots and diced mushrooms to the boiling water, and stir for 60 seconds or until just softened. Transfer to the ice water bath.
Finely chop the cooled spinach greens and put them in a bowl along with the drained diced carrots and mushrooms. Add the minced pork, sugar, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, oyster sauce, vegetable oil, and cornstarch. Mix until well combined.
Roll out the crystal dumpling dough into a long cigar, and cut it into 12-gram pieces. Roll each piece out into a round disc about 3 to 3½ inches in diameter.
Here’s where you can get fancy with folding your crystal dumplings or simply fold the dough in a half circle. Just make sure you pinch the openings closed firmly!
You can fold them in the shape of har gow or make the standard pleats you would for most of our dumpling recipes. We decided to use a pleated fold with the pleats at the top, which is common at the dim sum restaurants that serve up these crystal dumplings.
For more detailed dumpling folding photos, instructions and different ways to wrap dumplings, see Sarah’s post on Four Ways to Fold Chinese dumplings.
The finished dumplings can be placed on a perforated sheet of parchment paper (a large square or on individual squares) brushed with oil–set on a bamboo steamer, or a heat-proof plate that fits into a pot / metal steamer. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.
Steam the dumplings over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until translucent.
Serve these crystal dumplings immediately with some hot chili oil on the side! These crystal dumplings do reheat in the steamer very nicely after refrigeration, but it’s always best to eat them fresh.
If you want a dipping sauce with a little more flavor, check out our traditional dumpling sauce recipe.
Steamed Crystal Dumplings, a Dim Sum Classic
Ingredients
For the crystal dumpling skins:
- ½ cup + 5 teaspoons potato starch (93g)
- ½ cup wheat starch (64g, plus 1 cup/128g, divided)
- ½ cup room temperature water (112g)
- 1⅓ cup boiling water (300g)
For the crystal dumpling filling:
- 4 medium dried Shiitake mushrooms (15g, soaked in hot water for 1 hour and finely diced)
- 1½ cups spinach or other stemless leafy greens (100g)
- 1 small carrot (50g, finely diced)
- 3 ounces finely minced pork (85g)
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt (you can use less if you plan on dipping these in soy sauce or various chili oils)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1½ teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1½ teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix the 93 grams potato starch, 64 grams wheat starch, and ½ cup water in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Bring 1⅓ cups of water to a boil, preferably in a nonstick pan. Once the water is boiling, remix the potato and wheat starch mixture, and slowly pour it into the boiling water while stirring quickly with a spatula or wooden spoon. If you’re not using a non-stick pan, we found using a metal spatula works better. Continue to stir and cook the mixture until it solidifies (5 to 10 seconds). Remove from the heat.
- Pour 1 cup of wheat starch onto a flat surface, and scrape all of the cooked dough from the pan on top. Use the spatula since the dough is still hot and sticky. Slowly work the dough into the wheat starch, until the dough has cooled enough to work with your hands. Then knead the dough and flour together until you have a smooth ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel to rest.
- Now it’s time to make the crystal dumpling filling.
- Finely dice your rehydrated mushrooms. In a wok or medium-sized pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. While that’s happening, prepare a bowl of ice water.
- Add the spinach and/or leafy greens to the boiling water, and stir for 30 seconds until just cooked through. Use a Chinese spider or metal strainer to transfer the blanched greens to the ice water bath. Once cool, strain the greens into a colander and squeeze out the excess water. Set aside on a cutting board.
- Next, add the diced carrots and diced mushrooms to the boiling water, and stir for 60 seconds or until just softened. Transfer to the ice water bath.
- Finely chop the cooled spinach greens and put them in a bowl along with the drained diced carrots and mushrooms. Add the minced pork, sugar, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, oyster sauce, vegetable oil, and cornstarch. Mix until well combined.
- Roll out the crystal dumpling dough into a long cigar, and cut it into 12-gram pieces. Roll each piece out into a round disc about 3 to 3½ inches in diameter.
- Here’s where you can get fancy with folding your crystal dumplings or simply fold the dough in a half circle. Just make sure you pinch the openings closed firmly! You can fold them in the shape of har gow or make the standard pleats you would for most of our dumpling recipes. We decided to use a pleated fold with the pleats at the top, which is common at the dim sum restaurants that serve up these crystal dumplings.
- The finished dumplings can be placed on a perforated sheet of parchment paper (a large square or on individual squares) brushed with oil--set on a bamboo steamer, or a heat-proof plate that fits into a pot / metal steamer. Steam the dumplings over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until translucent.
- Serve these crystal dumplings immediately with some hot chili oil on the side! These crystal dumplings do reheat in the steamer very nicely after refrigeration, but it’s always best to eat them fresh.
Notes
Nutrition
saniya says
i cant find wheat starch ANYWHERE can i replace it with corn starch or regular flour ?