Steamed Shrimp Rice Roll
A classic at dim sum restaurants, and a dish that I almost always order. The chewy texture of the rice roll combined with the bouncy texture of the shrimp are so delightful. The flavors are simple but work together well and highlight the natural flavor of the shrimp. This dish is conceptually quite straightforward to make, but harder in practice unless you have a good steamer setup. You'll want to have a very large steamer, along with flat plates that remain level in the steamer. I saw the recipe at Smelly Lunchbox (https://www.smellylunchbox.com/home/steamed-shrimp-rice-rolls) and had to give it a try. I'd recommend referencing that recipe! There are a lot of interesting tips and tricks for best results there.
Active Time: 50 min
Total Time: 1 hr
Ingredients
Shrimp marinade:
> shrimp (1 lb, medium sized, around 21-25 per pound)
> baking soda (1/4 tsp)
> sesame oil (1/4 tsp)
> salt (1/8 tsp)
Sauce mixture:
> water (1/4 cup)
> light soy sauce (1.5 tbsp)
> sugar (1 tsp)
> sesame oil (1/4 tsp)
Rice roll batter:
> rice flour (40g)
> potato starch (30g)
> tapioca starch (10g)
> salt (1/2 tsp)
> water (300g)
> neutral oil (1 tsp)
Instructions
1. Marinade the shrimp by adding baking soda, sesame oil, and salt. Set aside.
2. Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together (water, light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil)
3. Prepare the rice roll batter by first mixing together all the dry ingredients (rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, salt). Then slowly mix in the water, litttle by little. Mix thoroughly. Add the neutral oil and mix.
4. In a large steamer over high heat, steam the shrimp until cooked through, about ~3 minutes.
5. Make the rice rolls, one by one. Preheat a flat plate in the steamer for a minute or two. Rub a bit of neutral oil on the bottom to prevent sticking. Vigorously whisk the rice roll batter until fully incorporated again, and ladle just enough batter onto the plate to cover the bottom. Cover and steam for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside until fully cooled. Repeat until all the batter is used up.
6. While the rice rolls steam, final preparations. Once the plate is cool to the touch, lay three cooked shrimp along the middle of the roll, in a row. Using a rubber spatula or bench scraper, lift and roll the rice roll over the shrimp.
7. Plate, top with sauce, thinly sliced scallions, and sesame seeds. Enjoy hot!
Notes/Tips:
> You'll need a good steamer setup for this to work correct. Ideally, a large steamer that has good structural integrity. My steamer is kinda jank, using a steamer insert and a large dutch oven. The steamer insert isn't optimal and ended up making my plates not perfectly level, which made it very difficult to roll the shrimp.