Shrimp Cheung Fun (Rice Rolls)

After hargow, these are my personal second fave dim sum item. However, making them does take time and they’re gone so quickly :'((

Please read me!! Ok now that I have your attention (I take no offense, I often skim/skip the intro section of recipe blog posts but this is important). For this, what you’ll need a steamer set up. You can buy a full-on steamer machine but if you’re anything like me, you won’t be doing that. Ok, so what do you need instead?

• Rectangular or square steaming dish, you can use a glass tupperware or small baking tray
• Flat steaming trivet (I find that a steamer basket doesn’t work well as the tray ends up tilted most of the time)
• Wok or deep pot that can hold the above
• Recommended: some kind of silicon spatula for rolling up the sheet and a brush for oiling the steaming tray

More behind-the-scenes on how to make over on Reels!

You’ll need (makes ~7-8 rolls depending on size of your tray)

Shrimp:

• ~21-30 pieces of shrimp. I used 31/40 shrimp there were very plump, so I only used ~15 pieces and cut them in half after steaming
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cheung Fun:

• 3/4 cup rice flour
• 6 tbsp tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups warm water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• vegetable oil to grease steaming dish

Dipping Sauce:

• 3 tbsp hot water
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

To make:

• Brine the shrimp: toss shrimp in baking soda and salt and let it brine for 30 minutes. Then rinse out the shrimp
• Steam the shrimp over medium-heat for ~3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Optionally, slice shrimp in half if you have plumper pieces like I did; you can always leave even plumper pieces in tact but I think it makes for a more pleasant eating experience when they’re sliced thinner
• Mix together cheung fun batter
• Bring water to a boil over medium heat and place steamer basket on top. Brush vegetable oil on steaming dish and place tray on the steamer
• Spread a thin layer of the batter, lightly move around the batter so it spreads evenly – you want the batter to be as thin as possible to get a thin, silky roll. Steam for 2 minutes
• Remove the steaming tray and place it in a cold water bath. I usually fill the sink with a thin layer of cold water but you can also fill a large pan with some water
• Place 3-4 pieces of shrimp about an inch away from the edge of the tray. Use your silicon spatula to loosen the cheung fun skin and fold it over the shrimp and roll it up
• Repeat the above steps for remaining batter, loosening and mixing the remaining batter in between rounds as the starch tends to settle
• For the dipping sauce, dissolve sugar in hot water and mix in soy sauce and sesame oil. Adjust to taste
• Drizzle dipping sauce over the cheung fun and enjoy! These take an eternity to make but are gone so quickly, so make sure you savor them

If you find that by the end of the process (especially if you’re making a larger batch), the rolls have cooled a little, you can plop them all in for a quick steam to reheat.