烧卖 (shāomài) · shumai, steamed open-topped dumpling, siu mai

Measure Word

一个烧卖 gè

Meanings

1 shumai
2 steamed open-topped dumpling
3 siu mai

Made with

猪肉 zhūròu 虾仁 xiārén 面粉 miànfěn 糯米 nuòmǐ 香菇 xiānggū

About the dish

粤菜 Cantonese · 小吃 Snack

Open-topped steamed dumplings in a thin wheat wrapper gathered at the waist. Dim sum versions hold pork and shrimp; in much of the south they hold glutinous rice cooked with soy sauce, pork and mushroom, a common breakfast.

Usually contains shellfish and wheat

Characters

烧

shāo

to cook (here: steam/heat)

卖

mài

to sell

Examples

HSK 5

早茶必点烧卖。

Zǎochá bì diǎn shāomài.

Shumai is a must-order at yum cha.

HSK 7-9

这笼烧卖里包的是虾肉。

Zhè lóng shāomài lǐ bāo de shì xiā ròu.

This basket of shumai is filled with shrimp.

HSK 7-9

北方的烧卖多是羊肉馅。

Běifāng de shāomài duō shì yángròu xiàn.

Northern-style shumai is usually filled with mutton.

Tips

culture

Widely eaten at Cantonese 早茶 (yum cha), but the dish is pan-Chinese with many regional fillings - pork and shrimp in the south, glutinous rice in Jiangnan, mutton in Inner Mongolia. Also written 烧麦.