As one half of the popular duo that is a veritable must-have at every dim sum meal, Siu Mai (燒賣), that ubiquitous pork dumpling is eaten all over the world in various delicious forms. (The other half of the duo of course being Har Gow will be featured in a later post so stay tooned!) The variation that we are spotlighting this week is the Cantonese Siu Mai. This one in particular is associated with traditional Cantonese Dim Sum, made popular by Hong Kong and is the type of dim sum most widely served up by Chinese restaurants in Canada and the US.
The Cantonese Siu Mai is comprised mainly of pork, some shrimp and Chinese mushrooms. (although lately, some restaurants have been more inclined to substitute chicken for pork for a somewhat healthier alternative claiming lower fat content) It is made into a ball-like shape with an outer wrapper which leaves the top exposed making it an open-faced dumpling. It is cooked by steam in a bamboo basket steamer. The chew should be fresh and tender, with a slight bounce in the bite, well pronounced flavours of the main ingredients but with neither one overpowering the other, a softness in the wrapper but still sturdy enough not to tear when picked up. Simply delicious, you can't have just one. Good thing they are usually served in portions of 3 or 4!
Cute, adorable, kawaii? All of the above!
Our Siu Mai Plushie is modelled after the Cantonese Siu Mai and transforms this incredibly tasty dumpling into soft and huggable plushie form with a happy little face. A great gift or self-gift for the dim sum lover and to add an Asian food twist to any plush toy collection!
But Siu Mai's don't have faces, you say. Ah yes, good question! Well, that's because it's also based on a cast of characters from our upcoming animated web series featuring dim sum characters roaming happily about and having fun adventures, in where else, Dim Sum City! 
Currently in production, it is slated to be launched in the fall of 2014 and aims to teach language and showcase Chinese culture while keeping you humourously entertained in the process.
Well, that's it for this post. Stay tooned for our next DSC Stuff of the Week featuring Har Gow Plushie, everyone's favourite shrimp dumpling! As featured DSC Stuff of the Week, all Siu Mai Plushies are 10% off. Just enter code: SIUMAIWEEK at checkout. Sale ends May 25, 2014.
Get your Siu Mai Plushie here or check out the collection.
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