This Siu Mai Wrappers recipe is easy to make with only three ingredients: flour, salt, and boiling water. You can optionally add food coloring to give them their signature color.
๐ฅ About This Recipe
Making Siu Mai wrappers is a quick and easy way to add that extra touch to your homemade Siu Mai dim sum. To say you made it yourself will impress all your friends and family.
Traditional Wrappers
Traditional siu mai wrappers are made with a lye water dough. The lye water gives them their signature yellow color and a slightly springy texture. However, because lye water isn't available at most stores, it's a bit complicated for a home cook.
Most home cooks opt for wonton wrappers, which are thin and delicate.
Homemade Wrappers
Homemade wrappers don't need to be as complicated, and you can still get really good texture out of them. The key is to roll them out as thinly as possible.
My recipe has only three required ingredients: flour, salt, and boiling water. Boiling water helps deactivate the gluten in the flour so the dough is easier to roll out, and we can get the wrappers super thin.
The Yellow Color
To get the signature yellow color, we simply add a little bit of yellow and red food coloring to the boiling water. This is purely aesthetic, so I leave it as an optional ingredient.
I've found that using just yellow food coloring doesn't give the proper color. We need a little bit of red to give it a warmer yellow.
๐ง Ingredients
- Flour: This recipe was tested using all-purpose flour.
- Salt: We want the wrappers to taste good, so we add a small amount of salt.
- Boiling Water: The heat from boiling water deactivates the gluten, so the dough is easier to roll out.
- Yellow and red food coloring (optional): Gives the wrapper its signature yellow color.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Combine salt, 16 drops of yellow food coloring, 4 drops of red food coloring, and boiling water in a large bowl. Stir until the salt dissolves. Add flour and knead it for 2-3 minutes until it forms a smooth dough. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 1 hour, or refrigerate overnight.
STEP 2: After resting, divide the dough into four pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope and cut it into small pieces approximately the size of an acorn.
STEP 3: Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out each piece of dough into a small circle about 3.5 inches in diameter.
STEP 4: Use the siu mai wrappers immediately, or if you intend to use them later, sprinkle extra flour between each wrapper, stack them, place the stack in an air-tight plastic bag, and freeze them. Defrost in the refrigerator before use.
๐ Recipe
Homemade Siu Mai Wrappers
Ingredients
- ยพ cup boiling water
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 16 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
- 4 drops red food coloring (optional)
- 2 ยฝ cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine boiling water, salt, yellow food coloring, and red food coloring. Stir until the salt dissolves. Add flour and knead it for 2-3 minutes until it forms a smooth dough. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight.
- After resting, divide the dough into four pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope and cut it into small pieces approximately the size of an acorn.
- Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out each piece of dough into a small circle about 3.5 inches in diameter.
- Use the fresh wrappers immediately, or if you intend to use them later, sprinkle extra flour between each wrapper, stack them, place the stack in an air-tight plastic bag, and freeze them. Defrost in the refrigerator before use.
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