Description
A Hakka-derived dim sum enclosing an umami-packed filling of shallots and pork inside a 'translucent and ultra-chewy' wrapper made from sweet potato flour or tapioca starch.
Restaurants serving Crystal Dumplings
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On this site you can check dictionary details and, later, places to buy or eat related items.
The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Sweet potato flour(or Tapioca starch)
- Minced pork
- Fried shallots
- Thick soy sauce
- Celery
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- [Crystal Wrapper] Put sweet potato flour and potato starch (or tapioca starch) in a bowl, pour boiling water and stir quickly (gelatinizes starch), gradually adding cold water while kneading to earlobe-firmness (this dough turns translucent when boiled).
- [Filling] Add plenty of 'You Cong Su (fried shallots)'—the lifeblood of Hakka cuisine—to minced pork, seasoning fragrantly with soy sauce, five-spice, and white pepper.
- Pinch small pieces of dough, roll thin and round, enclose filling, and seal half-moon (or triangle).
- Boil Crystal Dumplings until the dough is completely translucent and they float on the surface.
- Drain, plate, and eat with Jiangyou Gao (thick soy sauce), sesame oil, and a little minced celery (can also be put in soup as 'Tang Shuijingjiao').
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Fried shallot and Five-spice
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Rice paper (differs in texture but substitutes transparency)
Pairing
Warm Taiwan Tea
Trivia
[For Women] Highly photogenic as it's transparent like a jewel. Similar dough to Ba Wan, but bite-sized and easy to eat. The chewiness is on a different dimension from wheat gyoza, piercing the hearts of tapioca-loving women.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Dip heavily into Taiwan's sweet/spicy chili sauce (Tianla Jiang), and bite through the intense, tapioca-like elasticity with a 'squish'!
Allergen
Soy, Wheat, Pork