Har Gow - steamed shrimp dumplings - are the crown jewel of Cantonese dim sum, considered the benchmark by which all dim sum chefs are judged. A perfectly made Har Gow has a translucent, slightly chewy wrapper made from wheat starch and tapioca starch that is thin enough to see the pink shrimp filling through it, yet strong enough to hold without tearing. The filling is classically pure: coarsely chopped shrimp seasoned with sesame oil, white pepper, and a touch of bamboo shoot for crunch, steamed until the shrimp is just barely cooked.
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For the filling, coarsely chop the shrimp into rough pieces - some should be nearly whole, others smaller. Do not mince. Combine with finely diced bamboo shoots, sesame oil, white pepper, cornstarch, a pinch of sugar, and salt. Mix in one direction until slightly sticky. Refrigerate.
For the wrapper dough, combine wheat starch and tapioca starch in a bowl. Pour the water over the starches all at once and stir immediately with a chopstick or spatula until a rough dough forms. The starches will gelatinize instantly.
Turn out the hot dough and knead quickly (it will be very hot) into a smooth, translucent dough. Cover tightly and rest for 5 minutes .
Divide the dough into small pieces. Using a cleaver or the flat side of a knife, press each piece between plastic wrap into a thin round disk about 3 inches across. The wrapper should be translucent.
Place a generous teaspoon of shrimp filling in the center of each wrapper. Fold one side over the other and crimp the edge with a series of small folds - the traditional har gow has 7 to 10 pleats on one side only, a mark of technical skill.
Place each dumpling on an oiled bamboo steamer basket. over vigorously water for exactly 6 minutes . The wrappers will be translucent and slightly sticky, the shrimp just cooked through. Serve immediately with a dipping sauce of soy sauce and chili oil.
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