Siomay with sea fish

Siomay is Indonesian 'dim sum': steamed dumplings originating from Chinese shumai, but with local twist, served with peanut sauce. Secret of perfect siomay is 'bounciness' of fish paste. This texture is achieved by mixing cold fish meat with salt until it becomes sticky paste – this is not mistake, this is goal!
🕒 Prep Time 20 mins
🍳 Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 45 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 350 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Indonesian / Chinese fusion

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Food processor
  • Steamer

Allergen Information

⚠️ Fish
⚠️ Eggs
⚠️ Gluten
⚠️ Sesame

Instructions

1

Put cold fish fillet in food processor with garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and sesame oil. Blitz to paste.

Tip: Important that fish is cold, otherwise protein structure damages from machine heat, and dumpling becomes mushy instead of rubbery.
2

Add egg and rice flour (or starch). Continue mixing until you get very sticky, shiny mass.

Tip: Starch binds fish moisture, so it stays juicy after steaming.
3

Fold in chopped spring onion by hand.

4

Fill each pastry sheet with spoonful of mass. Fold up sides, but leave top open (like little basket).

5

Oil steamer rack (to prevent sticking), and steam dumplings 20-25 minutes.

Tip: Steam cooks gently, preserving delicate fish flavour and texture.
6

Serve warm with soy sauce or peanut sauce.

Recipe FAQ

Why did filling fall apart?
You didn't work fish paste enough. Proteins need to form network, requiring cold ingredients and thorough mixing.

Ingredients

  • 300 g White sea fish fillet (e.g. cod, hake)
  • 10 pcs Wonton wrappers (or siomay skins)
  • 2 tbsp Rice flour (or tapioca starch)
  • 1 pc Egg
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 tsp Fresh ginger (grated)
  • 2 stalks Spring onion
  • 1 pinch Salt
  • 1 pinch Pepper
  • 1 tbsp Sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp Desiccated coconut (for garnish - optional)