Commonly know to foreigners by its Cantonese name, hargow, the rice-wrapped shrimp dumpling, or xia jiao, is a staple of the southern Chinese dim sum. It’s a delicate, pleated style of dumpling; when the proper thickness of the tapioca flour wrapper and consistency of the chopped shrimp filling are in perfect balance it’s a thing of beauty indeed. Unlike the thick-skinned and oil-soaked northern dumplings, xia jiao are all about mild flavours and fresh ingredients.

The filling can be bulked up with finely diced bamboo shoots to contrast the smooth texture of the shrimp, but don’t expect much else in terms of fillings. These dumplings are in a class of their own. If you can see the pink and white brocade of chopped shrimp beneath the wrapper it’s a good sign, but the real test is how well the wrapping holds up to a chopstick and if it can keep it together for more than one bite.

Source: timeoutbeijing.com